Queensland’s first multi-function primary school to open at Aura

The Aura community is celebrating another first, with the Queensland Government and Stockland today breaking ground on an innovative, new public primary school that will revolutionise the future of education in Queensland through a unique new form of community partnership.

The new primary school, catering to students from Preparatory to Year 6, will be located in Caloundra South. First enrolments will commence later this year for the start of the 2018 school year.

The school is part of a new collaborative concept between the Queensland Government and Stockland. It will see the development of state-of-the-art facilities made for learning, teaching and play, including a robotics lab, recording studio, innovation hub and an indoor sports and performance centre.

The new school will also have a strong focus on STEM learning (Science, Education, Engineering and Maths), to prepare the next generation of children for the jobs of the future.

Under this innovative model, the new primary school classrooms and associated facilities, such as auditoriums and sports fields, will be available for the entire community to use outside of school hours.

Kingsley Andrew, General Manager for Queensland at Stockland, said: “This is a once in a generation opportunity to create a leading education facility that will nurture young minds and develop the talents and skills of the coast’s children.

“Creating a multi-functional education, sporting and cultural environment that is a school by day and open for community use in the evenings and weekends, significantly enhances the return from this important community asset. This improves the quality and delivery of facilities, providing an enhanced learning experience for students, and broadening the number of services, courses and experiences that will be available to residents of Aura and the Sunshine Coast.”

The Hon. Kate Jones, Minister for Education and Minister for Tourism and Major Events attended today’s event to celebrate the milestone.

The innovative new school located at Baringa, the first suburb in Aura, will incorporate world-class urban design with 37 classrooms configured over two storeys, creating more space for learning and play and allowing for greater community engagement.

When it opens in January 2018, the school will educate up to 1,100 students drawn primarily from the surrounding Baringa, Bells Reach and Bellvista communities of Caloundra. The school is expected to employ more than 80 full time and part time staff, with recruitment to be undertaken by Education Queensland.

Today’s start of construction represents another major milestone for the $5 billion Aura development, the largest masterplanned community ever undertaken in Australia under single ownership.

By completion, more than 20,000 new homes for more than 50,000 people will be developed at Aura and the project will contribute around 20,000 new jobs to the Sunshine Coast region. The homes will be built over the next three decades, with the new community ultimately covering 24 square kilometres.

As part of the development, and as part of its $1.3 billion Infrastructure Agreement with the Sunshine Coast Council, Stockland will build 10 separate sporting grounds, create parks and playgrounds within easy walking distance of every home and dedicated serviced land for the provision of more than 20 schools and education centres, while also providing land for 25 community facilities.

Construction on the first homes at Aura commenced before Christmas 2016 and are steadily taking shape, with the first residents expected to begin moving in from late January.

Kingsley Andrew continues, “We thank the Queensland Government for their collaborative approach to this project, which will make a very positive and substantial contribution to the Aura community and the Coast.”

“We’re working hard to ensure Aura becomes a model for the highest standards of residential, commercial and mixed use development and one of Australia’s most liveable cities. Future residents will enjoy the best aspects of life of the Sunshine Coast with the convenience of nearby schools, retail and healthcare facilities, sports and recreational areas.”

Enrolments for the new school at Aura will commence in late 2017. More information will be shared on the Aura Facebook page: www.facebook.com/auraqld.