Page 1362 - Week 04 - Thursday, 4 April 2019
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MR GENTLEMAN: I would be happy to meet with the people from Palmerston shops. Unfortunately, I am paired immediately after question time. I will talk to my office and we will allocate some time.
Education—Margaret Hendry School
MS ORR: My question is to the minister for education. Minister, how are the school facilities at Margaret Hendry School providing students with a great opportunity to learn?
MS BERRY: I thank Ms Orr for her interest in Margaret Hendry School. At the beginning of the school year I had the chance to welcome students starting for the first time in our newest school, Margaret Hendry School in Taylor. It is clear that the community in North Gungahlin was eagerly awaiting the opportunity to join this school and access the great opportunity to learn that it offers, with around 250 students enrolling in the 2019 year.
The school is an excellent example of what modern design and innovative thinking can achieve in providing great facilities for school education. Gone are the days of dark, square box classrooms and the narrow corridors of the past. The Margaret Hendry School is an inviting open-plan building with lots of glass providing views of the surrounding reserves. On the grounds of the school is a significant tree that has been incorporated into the schoolyard as a focal point.
Inside the building, significant attention has been given to how teachers use the spaces to facilitate learning. There are spaces resembling traditional classrooms, although more open and adaptable to allow teachers to work in teams. As you move through the building’s wings there are breakout places for small groups and one-on-one learning, integrated sensory spaces and outdoor classrooms. All of these spaces are fitted out with modern technology that enables access to learning.
It truly is a grand design. The school is also the first community facility delivered by the government in Taylor, including two playing fields. The wider community will also be able to hire the school hall, oval and meeting rooms for a range of activities and gatherings.
MS ORR: How has the government built sustainability into this school?
MS BERRY: The Margaret Hendry School will be the first ACT public school to produce zero emissions in its operation in that it sources its energy requirements from electricity alone. The school showcases how sustainable design principles can achieve cost and energy efficient schools to support the ACT’s target of zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.
The range of initiatives used to ensure that the operation of Margaret Hendry School is carbon neutral include: 110-kilowatt solar panels to reduce demand on the electricity grid; automated LED lighting with integrated motion sensor control to save power; double glazing to reduce the need for heating and cooling; electric-boosted
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