WALLSEND MP Sonia Hornery has called on the government to build new schools in her electorate in the NSW Hunter Valley, where she said several are "exceeding capacity by more than 55 per cent".
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Department of Education data provided following Budget Estimates shows the number of children enrolled at several Hunter schools significantly exceeds their enrolment caps, in some cases by more than 100 students.
Ms Hornery said in the Wallsend electorate, Glendore Public School is at 156 per cent capacity, with 651 students compared to its cap of 416.
Jesmond Public School is at 125 per cent capacity, New Lambton Public School is at 119 per cent capacity and Callaghan College Wallsend is at 113 per cent capacity.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Ms Hornery called on Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell to build infrastructure where it is needed, instead of moving enrolment boundaries.
"What we continue to see is schools bursting at the seams with capacity exceeding their government-enforced enrolment caps, in some cases by more than 50 percent," Ms Hornery said.
"We see the department just stack more classrooms into school grounds, without any thought to the surrounding infrastructure and the impact that has on local communities.
"Glendore Public School is the prime example. Smack bang in the middle of a rapidly growing area, the school has enough space for additional classrooms, but the lack of suitable public transport means more and more cars are on the road which has led to traffic gridlock.
"The government just continues to expand the school and puts no thought in to how this impacts on the community."
She said the government had made boundary changes to Callaghan College Wallsend, Lambton and New Lambton public schools but this had not eased overcrowding and had added strain to the road network.
A spokesperson for Minister Mitchell labelled Ms Hornery's comments a "misleading political tactic".
"Enrolment caps are not an indication of the enrolment capacity of a school," the spokesperson said.
"They are used as a guideline for principals to manage enrolments.
"Non-local students cannot be enrolled when a school is approaching or exceeding the set enrolment cap, except in exceptional circumstances.
"These caps have been set in consultation with principals.
"They are by no means a reflection of how full a school is, and the local member and the Opposition are well aware of this, yet they deliberately choose to mislead the community by claiming these figures indicate overcrowding in local schools which is simply not the case."
The spokesperson said enrolment zones had been in place for many decades but some families still chose non-local schools due to performance "which is why much of our education reform is focused on improving school performance".
The spokesperson said the Hunter region received $45 million this year through the government's school renewal program, for 165 schools' projects.
Other schools with populations well above their enrolment caps include Branxton at 165 per cent and Kahibah at 168 per cent.