Lismore High School, the Box Hill Temporary School Team and the First Nations Engagement in School Infrastructure (FNESI) Team have been named as finalists in the NSW Premier’s Awards.

The awards, which highlight and celebrate NSW public servants who deliver world-class services to the community, have been a state institution since 2012.

The triumvirate of acknowledgements in the team category for the NSW Department of Education covers three diverse areas in the schooling system, tackling issues such as sustainable housing, temporary infrastructure, and the lifting of Aboriginal outcomes.

Lismore High is a finalist in the Delivering world-class education and training category for its project: Tiny Homes @ Lismore High: Building Futures One Tiny Home at a Time.

Lismore High years 9 and 10 students designed and constructed a tiny home with the guidance of staff and local industry professionals.

Developed in partnership with RIEP (Regional Industry Education Partnerships), the project culminated in the successful sale of the completed 2024 Tiny Home for $65,000, allowing the initiative to become a self-sustaining, legacy project.

The Box Hill Public School temporary school team is a finalist in the Excellence in service delivery category as part of its remit to deliver high-quality, fully equipped learning environments while permanent school facilities are being planned and built.

The team’s standout example was the establishment of Box Hill Public School.

In response to the urgent need for educational infrastructure in the rapidly growing suburb, teams worked seamlessly over the Christmas and New Year period in trying conditions to build temporary facilities in just 45 days.

The FNESI Team is a finalist in the category Driving public sector workforce excellence and integrity with its program to increase the involvement of Aboriginal business, people, and communities in the maintenance of our schools and educational facilities. 

FNESI manages a large maintenance program for more than 2,000 public schools across NSW, and its program supports enhanced economic and employment outcomes by engaging Aboriginal businesses to maintain local schools.

The NSW Premier’s Awards recognise exceptional achievements and promote excellence; encourage the continual improvement of systems and services; motivate individuals and teams to reflect on performance and strive for continual improvement and foster a culture of innovation, reform, and progress. 

The winners will be announced on 17 November.