High school works in motion

Building works are well under way at Wangaratta High School, utilising $11.7 million provided to the school in last year's state budget. Work is currently in progress on the flexible learning centre which, along with the senior school area, will be completely redesigned and refitted to suit contemporary teaching and learning needs, under stage one of the school's masterplan. High school executive principal Dave Armstrong said the works, being carried out by Indigenous construction company Barpa, would improve acoustics in the buildings, and provide better separation between learning spaces, as pedagogical trends shift away from open-plan learning. He said the redesign, developed with architectural firm GHD, would include soundproof booths and small group learning spaces. "For instance, we have a number of students studying first-year university subjects through CHES (Centre for Higher Education Studies), which offers subjects not offered elsewhere, so we need to have spaces for students to be able to do that work," Mr Armstrong said. All classrooms will be accessible from the outside, and student lockers will be relocated away from learning areas. A new purpose-built student wellbeing consultation space will also be developed. The building works began in January, and the flexible learning centre is expected to be complete in August. Redevelopment of the senior building, which will involve similar works on a slightly smaller scale, will then begin and is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. Mr Armstrong said the stage one works had necessitated, and would continue to require, some redistribution of classes. However, he said when complete at the end of the year, the redevelopment would create more welcoming, modern spaces for students and teaching staff. Meanwhile, Barpa, a 51 per cent Indigenous-owned company, has been engaging with the high school's 45 Indigenous students to look at work opportunities in the industry, adding further value through the project.

High school works in motion

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