The growing number of high-rise apartments near Brisbane CBD is causing overcrowding in several public schools in the suburbs of West End and South Brisbane, according to an investigative report by ABC.
The ABC investigation revealed that there is a steadily growing trend wherein more families are choosing to live in smaller apartments to be close to schools and the business hub. As a result, authorities seem to be trying to catch up. Brisbane State High School in South Brisbane is one example where enrolments are on the rise and classrooms are over capacity.
The impressive academic record of Brisbane State High School is one reason why many are moving to apartments in West End and South Brisbane. A draft report by consultancy firm KPMG states that 40 per cent of classrooms for grades 7 through 10 have surpassed the recommended number of students.
Statistics showed that from 2011, there has been a 40 per cent increase in the number of children aged 15 and below in Brisbane’s inner city. This signifies that a growing number of families trading larger homes for smaller apartment spaces as they choose to be close to where the action is.
In West End, the trend is more obvious, with 70 per cent of students in a local primary school found to be residing in apartments. West End has been attracting more families because of the lifestyle it offers residents. Everything a family would need is easy to reach. Schools, shops, hospitals and cultural institutions are all within walking distance of residential areas.
Planning Oversight
Carla Mullins, a parent who lives in an apartment in Brisbane’s inner city, asserts that the overcrowding in public schools is a result of a major planning failure. She has been urging for the state government to build a new school in South Brisbane or West End, but so far, only short-term solutions have been made.
