School Infrastructure

Work underway on $30 million makeover of Rainbow Street Public

Release date: 13 December 2017

Construction has begun on a major upgrade of Rainbow Street Public School in Sydney’s east.

The works will deliver 35 new classrooms, creating more than 550 additional places for local students which will take the schools capacity up to 1,000 students when it is completed in early 2019.

Education Minister Rob Stokes and Member for Coogee Bruce Notley-Smith today visited the school to inspect early works on one of the largest primary school upgrades now underway in NSW.

Mr Stokes said the rebuild will provide space for increasing enrolments in future-focused classrooms featuring the latest collaborative and flexible learning spaces, both indoors and outside.

“There will be a strong emphasis on creating outdoor learning environments to provide students with a diverse range of teaching spaces,” Mr Stokes said. “This will make the new school a fun place to learn.”

The project will include:

  • an increase of the school's total classroom spaces from 16 to 40
  • four special purpose spaces
  • refurbishment of the heritage main block to include new staff and administration areas
  • construction of a new library block with special purpose spaces
  • an upgrade of the current hall
  • construction of a new canteen.

Accessibility has played a strong role in the design process with two lifts and covered walkways providing improved access to the school.

Mr Notley-Smith said “At the last election I gave a commitment to deliver 30 additional primary school classrooms for the Coogee Electorate. This upgrade is part of the delivery on that commitment.”

“This essential upgrade which will greatly benefit students and staff at Rainbow Street Public School.”

“Better-still, 11 of the existing old classrooms are being demolished to make way for the new development, so Rainbow Street will in fact get 35 brand new classrooms,” Mr Notley-Smith said.

Initially, the current students will be relocated into demountable classrooms on the northern playing fields as construction continues. The work is expected to be complete for the start of the early 2019 school year.

As well as Rainbow Street Public School, the NSW Government is also upgrading nearby Randwick Public School.

The NSW Government is spending $4.2 billion over four years building 120 new or upgraded schools announced as part of the 2017/18 state Budget . This is the biggest investment in public education infrastructure in the history of NSW.

Pictures and a flythrough for the Rainbow Street project can be viewed here

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We recognise the Ongoing Custodians of the lands and waterways where we work and live. We pay respect to Elders past and present as ongoing teachers of knowledge, songlines and stories. We strive to ensure every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learner in NSW achieves their potential through education.

We recognise the Ongoing Custodians of the lands and waterways where we work and live. We pay respect to Elders past and present as ongoing teachers of knowledge, songlines and stories. We strive to ensure every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learner in NSW achieves their potential through education.