Education Minister Sarah Mitchell, Skills Minister Geoff Lee and Member for Ryde Victor Dominello today welcomed the milestone with a sod turn, the latest step in the development of the precinct.

“I am delighted that work has now begun on this project. Ryde is being transformed into an education and employment powerhouse and these new facilities for the schools and TAFE NSW will create a high quality education precinct at Meadowbank,” Mr Dominello said.

Once complete, the Meadowbank Education and Employment Precinct will provide new facilities for the relocated Meadowbank Public School to accommodate 1000 students and for the relocated Marsden High School, which will cater for 1500 students, as well as space for 120 Intensive English Centre students. It will also offer a new combined Multi Trades and Digital Technology Hub at TAFE NSW.

Minister Mitchell celebrated the start of works onsite for the new school buildings at Meadowbank.

“The primary and secondary schools will benefit from separate purpose built facilities including modern flexible learning spaces, libraries, school halls, as well as covered and uncovered outdoor learning play and recreational areas,” Ms Mitchell said.

“The schools received planning approval through the NSW Government’s Planning System Acceleration Program, which is keeping the economy moving and people in jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Together, the schools and TAFE projects will support almost 1,900 construction jobs.”

Contracts have recently been awarded to Roberts Pizzarotti for completion of the design for the new school facilities, and to Hansen Yuncken for the completion of design for the TAFE NSW site. The planning approval for the TAFE NSW project is being progressed separately and is expected in the coming months.

Minister Lee said he looked forward to seeing the new precinct starting to take shape in the coming months.

“The new precinct will be a showcase for student centred learning and integrate primary, secondary and tertiary education on one planned site,” Mr Lee said.

The NSW Government is investing $6.7 billion over four years to deliver more than 190 new and upgraded schools to support communities across NSW. In addition, a record $1.3 billion is being spent on school maintenance over five years, along with a record $500 million for the sustainable Cooler Classrooms program to provide air conditioning to schools. This is the largest investment in public education infrastructure in the history of NSW.