BUILDING works on a new education precinct at Warracknabeal will start later this year.
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The precinct will combine Warracknabeal Secondary College, Warracknabeal Primary School and Warracknabeal Special Development School on one site.
The schools hosted community meetings about the development earlier this month.
College principal Michael Briggs-Miller said over the past few weeks, the principals had been determining what the individual rooms and the layout would look like.
“We are hoping to get that signed off soon and then we can go to tender,” he said.
“This will bring our classrooms into the 21st century.”
The precinct will be on the primary school site and include all three schools plus maternal and child health.
Mr Briggs-Miller said it will cater to children from birth to year 12.
The primary school will be on the east side of the site, the secondary college on the south side and the special school on the west side.
There will be a consolidated administration area, a gym and a function room in the centre.
Mr Briggs-Miller said while each school would retain its own identity, the consolidated administration area would allow staff to get to know each other.
The college received $4 million in the 2016-17 state government budget and the special development school received $2 million.
There was a community meeting about the site on Thursday last week.
Mr Briggs-Miller said the feedback he had from one parent was that the schools were creating state-of-the-art buildings.
“They really hit the nail on the head – this precinct will complement what we are already doing in the classroom,” he said.
“The community meeting was an opportunity for people to hear from the architect.
“It is a genuine education precinct and it was good for people to hear the overall vision for the site.”
Mr Briggs-Miller said construction should start by the end of the year.
The precinct will be built in three stages, with the first stage involving the administration area, part of the special school and part of the secondary college.
Stage two will complete those areas and stage three will include building a new primary school and removing the old buildings.
Mr Briggs-Miller said the three schools were excited about this project.