New classrooms for Ettalong

Two new classrooms are to be built at Ettalong Public School, according to Member for Peats, Ms Marie Andrews.

She said the new classrooms were part of the Carr Government's $329 million plan to reduce class sizes.

"This is one of the Carr Government's most important education announcements and one of the best education improvements in decades," Ms Andrews said.

"These are the first of hundreds of new classrooms needed to help us cut class sizes in kindergarten to Year 2 by 2007.

"These new classrooms will give principals and teachers the flexibility they need to provide additional classrooms that will be needed," Marie Andrews said.

The Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Training, Dr Andrew Refshauge said 74 new classrooms were to be built by early 2004 at 30 schools across NSW.

"It will be up to each school to decide how the new buildings are used and which classes are taught in them," Dr Refshauge said.

The new classrooms will be permanent buildings but have been designed to be built off-site.

They can be installed in just four weeks compared with six months using other building methods.

In 2004, kindergarten class sizes in 429 government schools identified as priorities will be reduced to the state-wide average of 20 students.

Dr Refshauge said tenders had been awarded for the construction of the new buildings.

Press release, September 3