More than 1,100 students at Arthur Phillip High School are settling into their new innovative and state of the art school in Parramatta following its official opening.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell and Member for Parramatta Geoff Lee visited students today at the modern and progressive school.
Ms Berejiklian said that this school is unique and a benchmark globally for schools in dense urban areas.
“Arthur Phillip High School is an example of NSW’s world class education system, and I’m pleased it will serve the community for many generations,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“This is not a traditional high school, it is at the forefront of education delivering outstanding learning spaces, and specialist Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics levels to ensure all students receive the best education.”
The school has a capacity for 2,000 students and is connected with nearby educational facilities such as Western Sydney University.
Ms Mitchell said she was thrilled to be with the students to see the new Arthur Phillip High School.
“This is a truly unique school building the NSW Government has delivered in the heart of the Parramatta CBD,” Ms Mitchell said.
“The school has been cleverly designed to deliver extraordinary indoor and outdoor landscaped spaces.”
Dr Lee said Parramatta is steeped in history and during construction over 13,000 Aboriginal and European artefacts were discovered and will be incorporated into the school curriculum in history and science.
“I’m proud that the NSW Government has delivered this landmark project for the Parramatta community,” Dr Lee said.
The NSW Government is investing $6.7 billion over four years to deliver more than 190 new and upgraded schools to support communities across NSW. In addition, a record $1.3 billion is being spent on school maintenance over five years, along with a record $500 million for the sustainable Cooler Classrooms program to provide air conditioning to schools. This is the largest investment in public education infrastructure in the history of NSW.