More than 100 eager year seven students started their first day of high school today at the first inner-city state school to be built in more than fifty years.
Queensland’s first vertical school, the Fortitude Valley State Secondary College, will eventually house about 1500 students by 2025 with the first 140 foundation students starting school today.
With stage one of the school’s development complete, the new students will be taught in the modern learning centre, while stage two comprising a seven-storey vertical junior learning centre on St Pauls Terrace is set to open by mid-2020.
Students have access to the learning centre, performing arts auditorium, administration building and two green spaces, with the St Pauls Terrace Precinct which will include the junior learning building, lawn and sport facilities to open later this year.
Stage three of construction is set to be completed by the start of school in 2023.
The school, supported by the Queensland University of Technology excellence in teaching program, has supported 300 jobs and 53 apprentices.
Education Minister Grace Grace said a lot of work had gone into developing the school from scratch.
“I’d like to commend Principal Sharon Barker on creating a school that students will be excited about learning in every day,” she said.
“The school has a team of 30 staff including six teachers and five teacher aides who are keen to get started in the classroom.”
School principal Sharon Barker said everything had been about the moment foundation students walked through the doors today.
“The staff and I are incredibly excited about what our first year will bring, as well as how we can continue to build and grow our school community for the future.”
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said it was a momentous day for education in Queensland, with more than $450 million injected into eight new state schools.
Originally published by Antonia O’Flaherty in The Courier Mail HERE.
