Jassmine Lake hopes to see a new school in Pakenham’s Heritage Springs estate, as do (back) Taylah, Mason and Pauline Lee, Alex Woolard, Mariah Lee, Joanne, Stephanie, Michael and Rob Woolard.By Paul Dunlop
RESIDENTS in Pakenham’s Heritage Springs are stepping up their push for a new primary school to be built at the estate.
Claiming the town desperately needs more statefunded schools, residents are preparing to lobby for action.
Pakenham’s secondary college and three primary schools have all experienced fastrising enrolments in recent years as the town continues to expand at a rapid rate.
With the local population forecast to rise to almost 50,000 in the next five years, residents in Pakenham’s newer subdivisions say the State Government has a responsibility to provide education facilities that meet the needs of one of Melbourne’s major designated growth areas.
Heritage Springs residents’ committee member Barry Hodge said a recent survey showed there were at least 700 children of primary school age or younger living in the Heritage Springs, Blue Horizons and Henty Park estates that could use a new school.
Mr Hodge said there was a critical need for education facilities to service those families.
His comments were supported by local parents who said the situation was a ‘joke’.
Residents are organising a public meeting for Monday, 12 September at Lilypond House in Duncan Drive, Pakenham, to further their bid for a school.
It is believed residents will seek to enlist the support of local MPs.
Mother of five Pauline Lee said a new school could not come soon enough. A new secondary college was also desperately needed, she said.
“A lot of people are taking their kids to schools out of town for smaller class sizes,” she said.
“My youngest son (Mason) starts school next year and lots of us are in the same situation.”
Parents said local schools were doing their best to provide students with the best in education but were already operating at full capacity.
There has not been a new government education facility open in the area for about a decade.
The number of residents living in the Pakenham district has more than doubled in that time, although a number of private schools have opened to help meet the demand.
Cardinia Shire manager of governance and communications Doug Evans said the council strongly supported moves to build new schools in Pakenham and the district.
The council had planned ahead to ensure space was allocated for schools in new residential areas, he said.
Larger local subdivisions such as Heritage Springs, Lakeside at Pakenham and Cardinia Lakes had set aside space for schools, Mr Evans said.
“It’s certainly a critical issue,” he said.
As previously reported in the Gazette, the Department of Education and Training (DET) has recently been preparing a blueprint for the expansion of education services in the growth corridor.
The DET review is expected to result in a series of recommendations that could see 10 or 12 new schools operating in the PakenhamOfficerBeaconsfield area by 2015.
DET senior education officer Geoff Barclay said the department was well aware of the issues faced in the growth corridor and was working to address a range of options in terms of education and how facilities could best be utilised.
Pakenham’s newest school is the Lakeside Lutheran College, where building is under way in preparation for an opening early next year.
For more information about the residents’ meeting phone 5941 6166.
