Families living in inner city Melbourne will soon be able to ditch the dreaded ‘double-drop off’ as the Andrews Labor Government gets on with building kindergartens at all new primary schools.
Minister for Education James Merlino today visited Docklands to announce a new $10 million kindergarten would be added to the the new Docklands Primary School which is already under construction.
The new three-storey vertical school and kindergarten will cater for 550 students and 66 kindergarten places, and will open in 2021.
The kindergarten will be on the second level of the building and include two kindergarten rooms, administration areas and an outdoor learning terrace, while students at the primary school will enjoy state of the art learning areas as well as a library, music and arts rooms and outdoor learning terraces.
The Labor Government has already allocated more than $48 million towards construction of the new Primary School and the additional $10 million will ensure a new early learning centre will be incorporated in to the build.
Every new Victorian primary school being built from 2021 will have a kindergarten on-site or next door, reducing the burden on parents and helping to build the Education State.
All 10 primary schools set to open in 2021, including Docklands Primary School and all six opening in 2022, will have a kindergarten either on site or next door.
The state’s biggest early education build will continue over the coming years, with the Labor Government investing more than $1.68 billion over the next decade to support the construction and expansion of almost 1,000 kindergartens across the state to ensure three-year-old kids have the infrastructure they need to attend kinder.
This is part of the Labor Government’s $5 billion commitment to provide access to a full 15 hours of subsidised three-year-old kinder to every Victorian child over the next decade, with the rollout beginning in 2020.
Under the education building boom, Labor Government is also investing $5.6 billion to open 100 new schools by 2026, ensuring every child can access a great local school and get a great start in life.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Education James Merlino
“Making Victoria the Education State starts with the early years – that’s why every new primary school being built from 2021 will feature a kindergarten on-site or next door, to ensure children can get continuity of education.”
“We’re already making sure Victorian kids get an extra year of kinder – and now we’re taking action so that the school drop-off is just that little bit easier for parents”
“This means children living in Docklands will not only get the best start to life at kinder, they’ll also get the most out of their primary education at a great new local school.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020