Castlemaine Primary School will soon begin works to refurbish the school toilets which, with a ceiling that is collapsing, a hole in the floor and a leaking urinal, are in desperate need of repair.
Utilising $499,879 allocated through a capital works grant, the school will also create a new gender-neutral toilet to ensure children of all genders can feel safe.
Acting principal Kate Ward said the school had had children who didn’t identify as either gender, and others who were exploring their gender.
“That really highlighted for us that we weren’t meeting the needs of our community,” she said.
“This isn’t something we’ve just started working on this year, it’s been in the pipeline for quite a while.
“We have a lot of pride in our school and we’re working really hard to make it the best school it can be and that includes our toilets.
“It’s not very glamorous, but it’s actually something the kids use every single day, so they have to be good.”
Kate, who will officially become the school principal in January 2025, told the Express that while the kids would love a new playground, particularly since the old, wooden play equipment was removed last year, the staff had spoken to the students about the difference between needs and wants, using the topic as a learning tool.
“There was definitely an understanding that we need new toilets and that we want a new playground,” Kate said.
“The fact that the Victorian School Building Authority isn’t required to fund playgrounds and they have limited funds at the moment, and a number of schools to look after, I think it would be prudent of us to look at different ways of fundraising.
“In the meantime, the kids are making good use of the junior playground and the quiet area at the front and, the accessible building works have seen the centre of the school renovated and we will have a new sandpit and basketball court by 2025, so there is a lot of work going on,” she said.
“We’ve also invested a little bit more in sports equipment and changed the way we use the yard.”
Kate said the building works over the past two years had been difficult to manage, with all the fenced off areas creating a rabbit warren, but the children had managed it well.
“They know that we’ve got break some eggs to make an omelette,” she said.
“They’ve really done a wonderful job and we’re rewarding them on Monday with a massive fun day to thank them for their patience, and the school council is looking forward to a 77 per cent fence-free party next year, which will be another big celebration.”
