What we need and when
Wyndham has seen new school investments from the Victorian Government in recent years. However, as our community continues to grow rapidly, more investment and long term planning is urgently needed.
We are asking all Victorian political parties to commit to:
1. Developing A School Provision Plan covering all Wyndham localities and planned developments in the Local Government Area. This may include one or more of the following measures:
- Allocate additional sites in new or updated PSPs,
- Purchase additional land not currently allocated for government school provision,
- Construct new government schools or expand existing government schools with larger enrolment capacities including the development of multiplestorey schools.
2. Setting a target for the number of new schools to be built state-wide by 2031 to match a projected growth in demand. In addition, we are asking Victorian political parties to take action with:
- Planning changes to ensure that sites that have been allocated for independent schools in Precinct Structure Plans are kept secured for that purpose,
- A commitment to appropriate limits on the use of relocatable classrooms, and
- Updates to guidelines for planning enough places for students with disabilities, which are currently based around standalone specialist schools rather than a more integrated approach.
3. To boost the accessibility of maternal and child health services by including these programs at ‘Kinder on School’ sites. The existing Victorian Government program to deliver kindergartens at government schools is aimed at making kindergartens more accessible. Increasing the program’s scope to include Maternal and Child Health services will make it easier for local families to access health and wellbeing support.
Some key issues include:
- A School in Williams Landing. Williams Landing now has more than a thousand primary school age children but no school in the suburb. Building a school here would also relieve demand on the Point Cook and Truganina schools which currently take some students from Williams Landing. We are asking the Victorian Government to conduct a study to find land suitable for a new school in Williams Landing.
- More High Schools. There will be an increasing demand on high schools as the children of young families who have moved in over the past decade start to become teenagers. This is particularly prominent in the fast growing west of Wyndham.
- Meet Diverse Needs. Our schools should address the diverse learning needs of all members of our community. As our city grows, students with a disability need to be provided with access to sufficient places at schools that are designed to meet their needs.
- Secure sites for non-government schools. Wyndham relies heavily on non-government schools to take a share of students. However, sites for non-government schools are at risk from being developed as housing. We need the Victorian Government to strengthen planning laws to secure sites that are planned for non-government schools.
Local schools help communities grow
Local schools are essential pieces of community infrastructure that encourage healthy families and close-knit communities.
An estimated 150,000 kids will attend school in Wyndham over the coming 20 years. Their long-term wellbeing depends on us getting this right.
Our schools serve our communities even better when they’re integrated with community infrastructure – like childcare centres, sporting facilities and health services.
When this happens, schools become a vibrant focal point for local families. They help ease the transition from early childhood to prep, and co-located services provide convenient access for busy parents.
But for this to happen, schools need to be co-planned with local governments like Wyndham City.
We want the Victorian Government to let us help them create amazing schools that are ready to go when our burgeoning community needs them.
What’s more, the Victorian Auditor General agrees. VAGO recommended that the Victorian Government works more closely with local governments when it comes to planning and designing education infrastructure.
Wyndham City supports this and stands ready to make it happen
Locals schools promote active lifestyles and healthy families
When the nearest school isn’t within a short walk or ride, many children end up spending more time than necessary commuting.
On congested roads in Wyndham’s growth areas, car trips that should take 15 minutes can end up taking twice or even three times as long.
Long commutes eat into family and leisure time and create unnecessary time pressures for busy parents with work commitments. Without easy access to walking or cycling options to get to school, local families are missing out on significant health benefits.
Australian children are among the most chauffeured in the world, according to the Heart Foundation. The number of children who walk or ride to school has dropped by more than 40% since 1971. In Melbourne, an estimated 74% of children are driven to school.
Meanwhile, many children are not getting the recommended amount of daily exercise. Research shows that incidental exercise – like riding or walking to school – is a key to fixing this.
Wyndham’s families need more local schools within a short walk or ride of their homes.
Better planning for safety around Schools
Wyndham City takes a lead in planning for traffic management, school
crossings and safety around schools.
Wyndham City provides two key services in our “Keeping Kids Safe Outside the School Gate” program.
- Provision of School Crossings: Safely supporting children, parents and guardians by providing 145 crossings to 60 schools across Wyndham.
- Parking Service: We influence parking behaviour through regular parking patrols across schools in Wyndham, including a mix of engagement and enforcement.
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