Schools in classroom crisis

Four schools in the Rockingham and Kwinana area are among WA’s 15 highest users of transportable and demountable classrooms.

A parliamentary question led to the State Government releasing of the number of temporary classrooms at schools in the State, with Makybe Rise Primary School having 27 at their site in Baldivis.

This is second highest of any school in WA and the most for a primary school.

Comet Bay Primary School has 21 demountable classrooms, Baldivis Primary School 16 and Bertram Primary School 15.

Rockingham MLA and Opposition leader Mark McGowan told theTelegraph these numbers were too high.

“There are 50 schools across WA with over 10 demountables — this one (Makybe) has 27, which is way too many,” he said.

“A lot of schools now have what appears to be a permanent arrangement of demountables. This has cost over $70 million in the last two years, which would have built a whole range of (permanent) classrooms.

“There needs to be better planning to cope with growing student numbers — I think the school communities are pretty annoyed about it.”

Labor candidate for Baldivis Reece Whitby said while campaigning people in the region brought up the issue “constantly”.

“The principals and staff are doing a great job coping with the reality of it, but the problem is when you have a school designed for 450 and it has more than double that in it — there are pressures on the facilities,” he said.