Families with young children in Sydney’s North West are set to benefit from significant upgrades that will see more than 100 demountables replaced with permanent facilities at Castle Hill Public School, Matthew Pearce Public School, Carlingford West Public School and Cumberland High School.
Schools in the area have been well over capacity for more than a decade as the population in the area soared under the former Liberal National Government, which failed to provide the necessary school infrastructure to the North West growth area during its 12 years in power.
Construction has now begun on the long-awaited upgrades, which will see the removal of 19 demountables from Castle Hill Public School and another 22 at Matthew Pearce Public School.
There are currently 64 demountables at Carlingford West Public School and 26 demountables at Cumberland High School.
Of the demountables at Castle Hill Public School, 12 have been on site for more than five years and half are 20 years old. The demountables at Matthew Pearce Public School have been on site for at least five years, with some more than 25 years old.
The upgrade at Castle Hill will see the addition of a new three-storey building with 36 modern classrooms, as well as a new hall, canteen, covered outdoor learning area (COLA) and student amenities. It will also provide facilities for specialist support classes, and refurbished administration and staff areas.
The upgrades at Matthew Pearce Public School will deliver three new buildings and 24 new modern classrooms to replace existing demountable buildings. It will also provide facilities for specialist support classes, as well as a new hall, student amenities, and new outside of school hours care (OOSHC) facilities.
The upgrade at Cumberland High School will deliver 77 new and upgraded classrooms including spaces for wood workshops, visual arts, sport and performance, a new hall, library, play courts, canteen, and refurbished staff and administration facilities.
Carlingford West Public School’s upgrade will deliver 56 new classrooms, a new hall, library, play court, canteen, and refurbished staff and administration areas.
The upgrades at the four schools will provide core facilities catering to nearly 6,000 students combined, which will help support the growing population in Sydney’s North West. All four upgrades are expected to be completed by early 2026.
As part of its plan to address the backlog of essential services in the North West growth area, the Minns Labor Government is also fast-tracking new public schools at Tallawong and Nirimba Fields, and a high school for Melonba, all of which will open temporary facilities for students in Term 1 next year. The government will also build a new high school for Schofields/Tallawong to open in 2027.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said:
“The Minns Labor Government is committed to ensuring families in Sydney’s growth areas have the essential services they need, like quality local public schools.
“I am thrilled to see construction begin on these important upgrades at Carlingford West Public School, Cumberland High School, Castle Hill Public School and Matthew Pearce Public School, providing high quality permanent facilities to meet growing enrolment demand in Sydney’s north-west suburbs.
“We are delivering on our promise to provide communities with high quality public school facilities to enable students to thrive.”