The Warracknabeal Education Precinct, almost two decades in the making, brings three previously distinct schools—the Warracknabeal Primary School, Secondary College, and Special Developmental School—together onto a single site to establish a new education community. The project completes the entirely new facility, comprising eight buildings and extensive site works including:
Administration Building
Adaptive reuse and extension of the existing BER Building as the precinct hub, communal library, staff lounge, and Food Tech Building with student kitchen and canteen.
Special Developmental School Building with learning studios connected internally, supported by a variety of additional learning spaces (retreat, small group collaboration, presentation, wet area project, multi-purpose activity, food technology and café space), and support spaces (staff workspace, storage, amenities).
Manual Activities Building with woodwork and metalwork workshops, staff workspace, and storage.
Visual Arts Building with art studios, multimedia/robotics studios, and textile studio, supported by a gallery, informal learning spaces, animation and editing studios, kiln, staff workspace, and storage.
YP-9 Building with general learning studios, informal learning spaces, project areas, staff workspace, and covered outdoor learning.
Senior/Science Building with laboratory and chemical store, general learning studios, tutorial rooms, kitchenette, staff workspace, and covered outdoor learning.
Gym Building with a competition grade sports court supported by a foyer with café, assembly/performance stage, music studio, change rooms, and storage.
External landscaping includes a shaded outdoor amphitheatre, external investigative learning spaces, and a variety of outdoor play and sport opportunities. Site infrastructure includes management of pedestrian and vehicular access through a bus loop with student drop-off, car and bus parking, bike shelter, and covered bus waiting.
By establishing a shared campus, the schools fulfill their longstanding goal of pooling resources to offer both the student body and local community a breadth of programs not previously possible. The buildings and the surrounding campus form a single, inclusive, fully accessible learning community with no barriers between “mainstream” and “special development” learning, pointing the way forward for the future of education in Warracknabeal.