There are just over 9,500 schools in Australia supporting 4 million students.33 Around 70% are government schools, which are attended by 2.6 million (65.7%) students.34
Before the pandemic, demand for schools across Australia had begun changing. This included increasing student enrolments in larger cities and a decreasing demand in Smaller Cities, Rural Communities and Remote Areas.35
At this stage it is too early to determine if this trend has changed, and to what extent, in response to the pandemic.
Recent trends in settlement preferences can provide rich data that could be incorporated into the planning for school infrastructure, whether it be for established or new schools.
The planning process should also consider the role of the non-government sector, which comprises approximately 30% of schools.36 Access to non-government school enrolment data, held by the Australian Government, should be made available to state and territory education departments. This will inform future planning for school infrastructure and assist the efficient allocation of resources.
Another demand-related area of school education is the use of demountable classrooms, which may have further implications for the pandemic response.
" Governments should facilitate cross-sectoral partnerships where childcare operators collaborate with planning and transport departments. "
Demountables usually provide short-term relief when enrolment demand increases. However, they can also be used for disaster response and to assist with the staged development of new schools. Their versatility and practicality mean high-quality, functional and contemporary demountables should be factored into short- to medium-term school infrastructure asset planning.
Technology has an important role to play in education, but the technologies chosen need to be appropriate for each specific school environment. More research is required to align the use of technology with the needs of schools, including not only learning spaces but also school planning and construction.
Productivity benefits can be unlocked through modularisation, prefabrication and offsite construction. Read more about this in the Industry productivity and innovation chapter.