Overcrowded schools are already rolling out three-storey portables, running classes in hallways and staggering lunch times. And many newly opened state schools are already having to turn away out-of-zone families or are preparing to do so next year. Victorian Education Minister James Merlino said he’d embarked on the biggest school building boom in the state’s history, with 100 new state schools to open over eight years. “We are the fastest growing state in the country and that is reflected in our student numbers,” he said. “This most recent budget saw an increase in funding for infrastructure to $1.8 billion up from $1.25 billion the previous year.”

Australian Principals Federation president Julie Podbury said the rush to roll out new schools meant some were opening without all the required facilities. She referred to a school in Melbourne’s west which opened without shade cloth or air conditioning. “I know that the department is working very hard to try to accommodate the burgeoning enrolments in government schools,” she said. “But the things that make them habitable and workable are not always being provided.” Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video

Victorian state, Catholic and independent schools will have to accommodate one million students by next year – a figure reached a year earlier than expected. Around two-thirds of these enrolments will be in state schools. Ms Podbury said schools would struggle to meet demand if enrolments continued to grow at such a pace. Prahran High School, a stone’s throw from bustling Chapel Street, opened its doors to four Year 7 classes this year. Next year, there will be five Year 7 classes, and principal Nathan Chisholm said he’d have to start turning away families who lived outside the school’s zone. “I have to make decisions about capacity,” he said. “It’s a delicate balancing act.”

He said the four-storey vertical school, which has a capacity of 650 students, was a blueprint for how schools could be built in the inner city, where space is limited. “There isn’t another school in Melbourne like this,” he said. “It has the smallest footprint in the state.” There is outdoor space on every level, a rooftop garden and gym and the school has forged ties with local arts institutions and businesses. “We are giving parents a great choice in the area where they have previously only had independent schools,” he said. Tarneit Rise Primary School is less than two years old and has already grown from 200 to 700 students. Next year, the state school in Melbourne’s rapidly growing west will have to accommodate more than 900 students.

“It can be challenging because new students are arriving every week,” said principal Nadia Bettio. “We have 23 students starting next week and that’s like a whole new class. At the moment we are having to recruit new teachers.” The school has exceeded the space in its permanent buildings and has rolled out six portables to manage the growth. “It's an exciting place to work,” Ms Bettio said. “It is so fast-paced.” On the other side of town, the newly opened Preston High School already has a waiting list of 53 students who live outside its zone. The school is anticipating a 40 to 50 per cent increase in enrolment demand next year.