PREMIER Colin Barnett and Education Minister Elizabeth Constable joined Scarborough MLA, Liza Harvey and the local community to officially open the rebuilt Deanmore Primary School.

Mrs Harvey said the official opening was a fantastic achievement for the local community after many years of hard work by the P&C, staff and parents.

“A lot of people have worked very hard to see the new Deanmore built and on behalf of the Scarborough community I thank them for their efforts,” Mrs Harvey said.

In 2008, after years of being ignored by the incumbent Government, both political parties made commitments to rebuild the school.  Works commenced in 2010, with the new school being built on the oval whilst students remained in the old school.

Students began occupying the new classrooms in February this year, however have had to wait until just recently for the new oval to be complete after the demolition of the old buildings and remediation of the site.

Deanmore Primary School was originally built in 1962 receiving recognition at the time for being cheap and hastily built.  In 2005, Katie Hodson-Thomas, then Member for Carine, used Parliament to highlight the ongoing neglect and urgent need for upgrades of the school.  These calls were ignored by the previous Government and the school continued to decay, with eight rooms forced to close in 2007. 

Mrs Harvey said the neglect of Deanmore by the previous Government was not in the interests of the wider community.

“The Deanmore community fought hard for this school to be rebuilt and I am proud to be part of a Government that is delivering the biggest investment in education infrastructure that the electorate of Scarborough has seen for many years.”