Record numbers of Kindergarten children starting school in 2020, Sarah Mitchell says

New South Wales Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said that the state is experiencing a “once in a generation” enrolment spike, with 71,000 children starting Kindergarten in 2020. 

 

“For more than 30 years, student numbers have been relatively stable in public schools across the state, but now, NSW is facing the first major increase in the school-aged population since the Baby Boom of the 1950s,” Ms Mitchell said.

 

As children prepare to leave early childhood education and care (ECEC) to enter school in 2021 and beyond, Ms Mitchell said the NSW Government is responding to this population growth by ramping up work on its $6.7 billion investment in school infrastructure, with $900 million of work to be delivered between January and June 2020. 

 

The investment in public education is the largest ever initiated in NSW history, and will be delivered over four years, seeing 190 new and upgraded schools developed, $1.3 billion to be spent on school maintenance over five years, and $500 million allocated to provide schools across the state with new air conditioning.

 

It is anticipated that more than 130,000 extra students will enrol in NSW public schools by 2036, and as such, Ms Mitchell said, “the Government needs to continue preparing for growing enrolments over the coming years.”

 

“In 2020, we’re also going to see at least 839 new teachers and 49 new principals, so the work we’re doing is about giving them the best environments to teach in as well” she added. 

 

For more information about supporting children to have a successful start to school, please see here.