CONSTRUCTION of the new Richard Johnson Anglican School in Marsden Park is two weeks out from completion, with the school preparing for student enrolments.
The school will initially take enrolments for students from prekindergarten age through to Year 2, with growth expected in the not too distant future.
The construction of the new campus is one of many developments flooding the Richmond and Blacktown Road corridor in the past 12 months, as Sydney’s urban sprawl continues to hammer through the north-west.
School principal Paul Cockrem was the founding head of the original Oakhurst campus 18 years ago in 1997, when the school had just 26 students.
Today the campus has 903 students from kindergarten to Year 12.
Mr Cockrem said high demand at their original Oakhurst campus wasn’t the only reason driving construction of the new site, but also the opportunity that the burgeoning Marsden Park area presents.
“The school purchased the land at Marsden Park in 2005 after foreseeing the potential for massive growth in the area,” Mr Cockrem said.
“We wanted to be there early in the development of the area and grow with the community.”
The module designed building at the Marsden Park site comprises four rooms in each corner, with three initially used as classrooms and the fourth as an administration room.
Mr Cockrem said that as the school grew a separate administration building would be built.
The first room will be a prekindergarten for children one year out from starting school, and would be open for up to 20 enrolments.
The second is a kindergarten class, also open to 20 enrolments, while the remaining room will be a Year 1 and 2 or composite class with the ability to take up to 25 enrolments.
Mr Cockrem, who will remain the principal of the two campuses, said the school was focused on an integrated approach.
He said there would be a crossover in some staff coming from the Oakhurst campus to the new site, and a more flexible school drop off and pick up system.
“If say one family has a child in Year 4 at the Oakhurst campus and one in kindergarten at the new school, and live closer to Marsden Park, they can drop that Year 4 student off at the Marsden Park campus to get a bus to the Oakhurst campus and vice versa on the way home.
“We will also have our head of primary head up the new campus and a primary co-ordinator work there part time. It’s all about integrating that Richard Johnson culture across to the new campus as quickly as possible.”
Mr Cockrem said he wanted the building to be complete before advertising the enrolments at the new campus, so the community has something to see.
He said staff were now happy to hear from parents interested in enrolling their children at the new campus.
Parents can do so by visiting the school’s webpage or phoning the Oakhurst campus and speaking with the schools registrar.
