Campbelltown Council has expressed surprise at the sudden announcement that local educational institution Hurlstone Agricultural High School will be relocated to Richmond in five years.
Council said it was not consulted on the decision but it was working closely with the State Government to get a handle on what it all means on the school that has been operating since 1907 – since 1926 in Campbelltown.
Some of the school land at Glenfield will be sold for housing and proceeds will be used on new educational facilities in Macarthur.
“Council was surprised to learn of the announcement by the NSW Government today on the proposal to relocate and expand the Hurlstone Agricultural High School to Richmond,’’ said Mayor Paul Hawker in a statement issued about an hour ago.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“We had not been made aware of the government’s plans until late this morning, nor consulted on the extent and nature of what is proposed for the high school site at Glenfield.[/social_quote]
“We are working closely with the Department of Education and the Department of Planning and Environment to get an understanding of what this announcement means for the community of Campbelltown, and what the Government’s intentions are for the site,’’ Mr Hawker said.
“The Campbelltown Local Government Area has figured prominently in the government’s recent plans for metropolitan housing supply as evidenced in the Glenfield to Macarthur Corridor Strategy and the Greater Macarthur Land Release Investigation.
“The proposals announced today are not part of that work which was publicly exhibited earlier this year.”
Hurlstone is the oldest government boarding school in NSW and is the state’s only public selective and agricultural school that also includes a coeducational boarding school. The 112 hectare campus includes classroom blocks, an operational farm, sporting facilities and student accommodation. It is consistently one of the region’s top academic performers.
In a statement issued earlier today, education minister Adrian Piccoli claimed agricultural education will move into the 21st century under an injection of more than $165 million for new and upgraded schools and additional classrooms across south west Sydney.
The money will come from using some of the Hurlstone land for housing and Mr Piccoli says it will provide:
• More than $35 million for a new Hurlstone Agricultural High School at the Western Sydney University Hawkesbury campus from 2020;
• More than $30 million for a new education precinct in Glenfield, including a major upgrade of the existing high school and three schools for specific purposes;
• More than $100 million for over 180 additional classrooms in south west Sydney. This will include new schools and upgrades of existing schools; and
• Land for a new primary school reserved in Glenfield.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]”The new Hurlstone Agricultural High School in Hawkesbury, in partnership with Western Sydney University, will be a world leader in high tech agricultural sciences and STEM,” Mr Piccoli said. [STEM subjects include science, technology, engineering and maths][/social_quote]
“The fully selective, 1,500 student school is expected to start enrolling students from 2020. It will include boarding facilities and access to 1,400 hectares of agricultural land suitable for learning about modern day farming practices.
“The Australian first partnership between Western Sydney University and the new school will give students access to university professors and cutting-edge science and agriculture facilities.”
This plan is being made possible by around 140 hectares of surplus land at the Glenfield site being made available for housing, with land reserved for a new primary school to cater for planned growth.
“Productive use of this land, which is close to Glenfield railway station, is needed as part of the NSW Government’s South West Priority Growth Area strategy, that includes the development of 110,000 new dwellings,” Mr Piccoli said.
The existing high school at Glenfield will receive an upgrade, providing future-focused learning spaces and allowing for up to 360 additional selective places in South Western Sydney.
“The school has a strong record of excellence which we will be enhancing by modernising facilities and creating extra spaces for academic high achievers,” Mr Piccoli said.
Three schools for specific purposes will also receive a rebuild in the new Glenfield education precinct, providing students with complex needs with improved facilities.
Funds from the sale will also make it possible to build more than 180 new classrooms in schools across south west Sydney, creating about 5,000 new public school places.
This building program includes:
• Oran Park – new high school;
• Gledswood Hills – new primary school;
• William Stimson Public School – additional classrooms;
• Cecil Hills Public School – additional classrooms; and
• Prestons Public School – additional classrooms.
