Spring to life: Clifton Springs PS upgrade to be funded in Budget

THE bell has rung for the long-awaited upgrade of Clifton Springs Primary School, with the school to receive $15.6 million to carry out the works.

The pre-State Budget commitment will fund new general-purpose classrooms, specialist facilities and amenities.

Clifton Springs Primary School was built in the late 1980s and has served the community well, but with the buildings ageing and the community growing, there has been an urgent need to modernise the school.

Bellarine MP Lisa Neville successfully delivered an election commitment of $500,000 in 2018 to create a masterplan for the school as the first step towards the upgrade.

At the time, Ms Neville said Clifton Springs Primary was a great school under the leadership of principal Meg Parker and she looked forward to working with her and the school council in the planning and rebuilding process.

“As Clifton Springs grows, this is an important step for the school to plan for the future.

“This will give us a clear picture of what’s needed and what upgrades we could undertake to make this school even better.”

The budget funding will make the project a reality.

“Families in Clifton Springs have done a phenomenal job in supporting students to learn from home,” Ms Neville said this week.

“As kids return to their classrooms, we want to make Clifton Springs Primary School an A-grade facility.

“Not only will this make sure our kids are getting a great education, it’ll create new local jobs.”

Minister for Education James Merlino said the $15.6 million spend was an investment in Victoria’s children and their future.

“Because every child, no matter where they go to school, deserves access to state-of-the-art facilities.

“Schools are the heart of our communities, so it makes sense that we’re investing in upgrades to support local jobs to drive our economic recovery.”

The Andrews Government says 100 new schools will open by 2026 through its school building boom, and it has also invested $6.1 billion to deliver more than 1,400 school upgrades, supporting over 7,500 construction jobs.

To track the progress of the works at Clifton Springs Primary School, head to schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au/schools/Pages/CliftonSpringsPrimarySchool.