All government high schools, area schools and R-12 schools in South Australia will share in $2.85 million in establishment grants to help prepare for incoming Year 7 students in 2022.
Schools are expected to use the funding to update learning facilities and equipment, which may include painting walls, replacing carpet, installing lockers, preparing outdoor spaces or purchasing furniture and textbooks.
The government says the grants will also be welcome boost for local businesses and tradespeople, providing opportunities for a quick cash injection during the challenging coronavirus pandemic.
Seventy-seven schools will each receive $15,000 for each Year 7 class they will gain in 2022, while a further 65 schools will receive $2,000 per class if they have already received funding for capital works.
Salisbury East High School, which SA Education Minister John Gardner visited on 24 June, will receive $120,000 as part of the grants program, equating to funding for up to eight Year 7 classes.
The funding will assist the school in making significant updates and refurbishments to a number of classrooms in an existing open space learning area, creating a Year 7 learning hub.
Minister Gardner said the grants would help ensure all our schools are ready for the arrival of Year 7 students in 2022.
“South Australia is on track for the move of Year 7 to high school in 2022,” said Minister Gardner.
“These grants, along with the major school upgrades already underway across the state, will make sure our schools are well prepared to accommodate Year 7 students and make their transition to high school as smooth as possible.
“We understand that every school is different, and each school will have different requirements for how they use their grant money depending on their own local needs.”
These grants come as the Marshall Government is investing a record $1.3 billion in education capital works to meet demand in areas with rapidly growing public-school enrolments. Gardner said this will ensure the successful transition of Year 7 into high school and deliver a generational upgrade of schools across South Australia.
