Birthing boom to put a squeeze on schools

Even though the State Government says primary schools have enough room for an expected influx of new pupils, demographers warn an expansion is desperately needed, especially in some inner-city suburbs.

Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows fertility rates soared by 25 per cent in Leichhardt and North Sydney from 2000 to 2005.

Erskineville Public School is already drawing up expansion plans because inquiries are being taken from parents making enrolment requests for 2011.

In 2001, the primary school was earmarked for closure due to falling enrolments, until a campaign by the community and parents forced the Government to reverse its decision in 2002.

Principal Gai O'Neill said that, since the reprieve, enrolments grew from 29 to 215 in 2007. The number of classes would have grown from three to 11 next year.

Ms O'Neill said expansion was essential after the baby boom in the area that now resembled a "pram village".

Ms O'Neill said the school was in discussions with the Department of Education about its plans for expansion over the next three years.

"We are having to look at adding classrooms on the site. There is definitely room for expanding and converting unused spaces into classrooms."

KPMG demographer Bernard Salt said schools would need to expand in the inner suburbs to cater for the baby boom.

But high property prices and lack of spare land might force schools to give up the traditional single-level schoolhouse surrounded by asphalt and use multi-storey buildings.

Mr Salt said the baby boom followed years of declining birth rates. "[The Government] should be reading these trends and establishing whether they are a flash in the pan or a significant shift," he said.

"If it is a significant shift, then they need to make provisions. My personal view is that this is a significant shift."

The Department of Education said it was monitoring demographic and enrolment trends and was confident there was ample capacity in schools.

"A slight increase in birth rates in some areas of the Sydney metropolitan area, for example the northern beaches, the eastern and inner-western suburbs, has been recognised," a department spokesman said.

He said the rise had been factored into the department's enrolment trends for 2010 and 2011.

Photo: Danielle Smith - Children at play at Erskineville Public School, which is to make room for extra pupils.

Source: The Sun-Herald

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/birthing-boom-to-put-a-squeeze-on-schools/2006/10/28/1161749357836.html