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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
National
Belinda-Jane Davis

Gillieston redevelopment will become a reality in 2023

Gillieston Public School parents Sharon and Todd Sellers and P&C president Katie Ferguson at the school in May. Picture by Max Mason-Hubers

Gillieston Public School's transformation will take shape next year, according to state government documents.

Work to upgrade the facility will begin between July and September.

The inclusion in the schools infrastructure NSW delivery strategy is welcomed news for parents and Maitland MP Jenny Aitchison who have endured a seven year fight to bring the facilities up to a suitable standard.

Ms Aitchison and Gillieston Public School P&C gathered at the school on Friday to reflect on just how far they had come.

"Gillieston has been listed in the delivery phase so that means it's happening," she said.

"We've fought long and hard with this. Labor got the school's infrastructure inquiry into the Upper House and we told the parents at Gillieston and in the first round of submissions a quarter of them were from Gillieston. There were 30 plus submissions."

The state government included a $1.73 million redevelopment of the site in its 2022 budget. The project is currently in the planning phase. The work will include creating fit-for-purpose learning spaces and replacing existing demountable classrooms.

Ms Aitchison said there were other schools in the area that also needed an upgrade and she would now focus on fighting to make that a reality.

"There are other schools that need help, like Thornton, and i'll be pushing for that," she said.

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