Funding has been approved to deliver new permanent teaching spaces and student amenities as part of a significant upgrade to Castle Hill Public School .
Castle Hill MP Ray Williams said the upgrades will deliver modern resources for students both immediately and for some time to come .
“ This government is delivering a pipeline of school infrastructure projects to help cater for population growth in Western Sydney by planning new and upgraded schools now , and into the future ,” Mr Williams said .
Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell said the community was excited the longer-term need for local schools in the area is being met .
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“ Western Sydney is a growing area and we are delivering on our commitment to give local students the latest facilities and support the growing school community ,” Ms Mitchell said .
“ The 2021 / 22 NSW Budget included funding for 22 new and upgraded school projects across Western Sydney , including at Castle Hill Public School . I ’ m proud to be part of a government that is delivering for these local communities .”
The NSW Government is investing $ 7.9 billion over the next four years , continuing its program to deliver 215 new and upgraded schools to support communities across NSW .
This is the largest investment in public education infrastructure in the history of NSW , according to Ms Mitchell .
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The Government is maximising fresh air in classrooms under a new program to protect school communities from the spread of COVID-19
A boost to natural ventilation is headed to more than 10,000 public school classrooms with the rollout of automatic fresh air ventilation systems , as the NSW Government bolsters protection against COVID-19 for school communities .
Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell said the $ 100 million Air Quality Assurance Program was focused on delivering permanent improvements to natural ventilation in classrooms , based on evidence and expert advice .
“ The World Health Organisation , the Doherty Institute and NSW Health agree that maximising natural ventilation in classrooms by opening windows and doors remains the most effective method for minimising the spread of COVID-19 – and this is the foundation of our approach in schools ,” Ms Mitchell said .
“ The NSW Government is committed to keeping students learning face to face at school and is taking steps to ensure that we maximise fresh air in our classrooms . Installation of these systems will further enhance the quality of air in
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our classrooms .”
The Air Quality Assurance Program was announced in October 2021 following the comprehensive audit of more than 150,000 spaces across all NSW public schools . The audit , combined with independent , expert advice from building services consultant Steensen Varming , has guided the targeted approach to ventilation in schools .
The 10,000 classrooms newly identified to receive automatic fresh air ventilation build on the 2,000 classrooms announced last year .
The program is supporting permanent upgrades to windows , ceiling and exhaust fans , additional servicing of ventilation systems , procurement of 19,000 air purifiers and the ongoing installation of automatic fresh air ventilation systems .
In addition to the Air Quality Assurance Program , permanent fresh air ventilation systems are also being progressively installed in thousands of classrooms as part of the NSW Government ’ s $ 500 million Cooler Classrooms program .
As at February 2022 , more than 5,500 classrooms and 380 libraries have had systems installed under this program .
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