Murray Bridge North School will finally get a new fence
The local primary school is part of seven South Australian schools accepted for fencing upgrades.
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Students, teachers and parents will all get some extra peace of mind in the near future as Murray Bridge North School begins the installation of a new and improved school fence.
MBNS was one of seven schools to share in $1.6 million worth of state government funding, announced last week, for "fencing works to ensure safety and protection of students and assets".
The funding comes as the government has boosted funding for asset repairs and maintenance from $80.9 million in 2020-21 to a $127.5 million in 2023-24.
The upgrades have been a long time coming, with more than eight years of waiting.
Work will take place almost all around the school's perimeter, from the end of the gymnasium on Railway Terrace, around North Terrace, stopping at the basketball courts fence and continuing on Ind Street to the bus shelter.
Deputy principal Michelle Kershaw said things really got moving after Minister for Education Blair Boyer and department chief executive Martin Westwell came to visit at the start of the year.
"I think it will actually just give more uniformity as well to the school and we'll be able to make professional signage ... to say 'this is our school, this is the school of choice, this is where you want to come'," she said.
"It's great to be able to now tell new parents that new fencing is coming in."
The tender has been approved and later this week will have people come in to talk on the plans.
The school's wellbeing leader, Amanda Rankine, said there was a big need for a safer barrier given the school's surroundings: train tracks and main roads.
"It's a peace of mind in terms of risk management ... for both parents, students and us ... particularly when we're getting four-year-olds into school," she said.
"We have been waiting a long time, so we will be very excited when it goes up," Ms Rankine said.
The fence, which should be ready for the 2025 school year, will be black in colour and 1500 millimetres in height, much taller than what's currently in place.
More than 80 public schools across the state will benefit from the government's $42.7 million targeted maintenance program, fixing roofs, resealing bitumen, building fences and upgrading aging infrastructure.
Minister for Education, Training and Skills Blair Boyer said 91 projects across 82 sites were a key component of the government’s 20-year infrastructure plan.
The education department spent funding on a range of work including:
- $5.25m on bitumen replacement and upgrade work (at six sites)
- $4.13m on upgrades to support inclusivity for students with disabilities (at nine sites)
- $4.51m to replace roofs, gutters and downpipes (at five sites)
- $4.73m for structural remediation work (at 13 sites)
- $3.13m for refurbishment or replacement of toilets (at six sites)
- $12.55m for a range of other projects including bore replacements, stormwater management, balcony works, acoustic treatments (covering 28 sites)
MP Boyer said that making schools great wasn't just about one element.
"High-quality, fit-for-purpose infrastructure provides the foundation for effective teaching and improving outcomes," he said.
"There has been continued underinvestment for a long period of time – particularly given the average age of school infrastructure is about 44 years old.
"This much-needed funding boost to address a backlog of targeted maintenance work will help address urgent projects across our ageing infrastructure, helping to improve working conditions, and in turn support education outcomes."
