New Hurlstone at Hawkesbury makes $6 billion schools list

Among the 170 new and upgraded schools the NSW Government says it will spend $6 billion on over four years is a name familiar to parents and students in the South West Sydney region: Hurlstone Agricultural High School.

This new school at Hawkesbury will cater for 1,500 students, according to the list released by the government yesterday.

It was part of an announcement by Premier Gladys Berejiklian, treasurer Dominic Perrottet and education minister Rob Stokes that next week’s NSW Budget would provide funding for an extra 20 new and upgraded schools, including several in the Macarthur region.

And listed among schools that will be upgraded is a “Selective High School in Glenfield’’, referring to the 90 year old Hurlstone Agricultural High School the government is “relocating’’ to the Hawkesbury campus of Western Sydney University.

The government says planning is set to begin this year on the 20 new projects, including new primary schools at Leppington, Catherine Fields, Gregory Hills and Edmondson Park.

And planning will also get under way for a new Edmondson Park High School and other high schools across the state.

During the course of this year, work will commence on 40 new and upgraded school projects, and planning will also begin on a further 20 new and upgraded schools.

Local schools included are Ingleburn High School, Ajuga School, Campbell House School and Glenfield Park School and Harrington Park Public School.

Also announced was a “blitz’’ on school maintenance, with $160 million set to be spent in 2018/19, as part of the record $747 million investment over four years announced last year.

The government says a maintenance audit by the NSW Department of Education released earlier this year showed the maintenance backlog had been slashed by $200 million, or about a quarter, over an 18 month period.

Projects currently under way across the State include Oran Park High School and Picton High School.

A number of primary schools projects are also continuing, including Bardia and Gledswood Hills.

“We are in the midst of a school building program NSW has never before experienced and this year’s Budget takes this to a whole new level,” Ms Berejiklian said.