[Aerial view of Melbourne’s west, zooming in on Footscray City Primary School]
[On-screen text: Footscray City Primary School upgrade and modernisation]
[Jessie is on screen with children’s books in the background]
[On-screen text: Jessie Hand Principal]
Jessie Hand: Our project was unique because it was delivered in stages over 18 months,
[Two Footscray City students explore a classroom]
JH: and we were always on the site throughout that 18 months as each stage was being constructed and then delivered.
[Jessie is on screen with children’s books in the background]
JH: What helped to make that a seamless experience was the communication.
[Ainsley is on screen standing on the school grounds]
[On-screen text: Ainsley Hudgson Major Projects]
Ainsley Hudgson: The scope of the Footscray City Primary School project was to modernise and upgrade their main school block.
[Main school block with school sign displayed and a view of outdoor play area]
AH: It was also to upgrade and redo their outdoor landscaping area around that main building as well.
[Jessie is on screen with children’s books in the background]
JH: We were really fortunate throughout the project to have really strong, positive, collaborative partnerships with the VSBA, with Perkins Architects, and also with Bowden Construction, our builders.
[Two students reading in their upgraded space]
JH: We wanted to prioritise a learning community model. We really appreciated the flexibility that was shown
[Jessie is on screen with children’s books in the background]
JH: and the opportunity to have our approach to teaching and learning, our pedagogy reflected in how the spaces were designed.
[Ainsley is on screen standing on the school grounds]
AH: The strong relationships that we built throughout this project with both the consultancy teams, the school and the VSBA teams as well,
[Two students explore the upgraded spaces of their school]
AH: was really through open communication, through trust and through respect as well. And Jessie showed that to us as we came into her school to redesign their spaces, to bring them the learning community and open, flexible spaces that they are really looking for here at Footscray City.
[Jessie is on screen with children’s books in the background]
JH: The opportunity to communicate out of session,
[Two students explore the upgraded spaces of their school]
JH: but also to attend fortnightly meetings with the stakeholders meant that we felt very well informed as to what was happening and when and there was ample opportunity
[Jessie is on screen with children’s books in the background]
AH: for us to communicate back about things that we needed to prioritise that was relevant for them as well.
[Ainsley is on screen standing on the school grounds]
AH: So I think it was really important to be engaged at all times with the school and be able to take those phone calls even if no question was too small or too big to follow up on. We were able to provide just that comfort to them if they had concerns over noise,
[Two students explore the upgraded spaces of their school]
AH: if they had concerns over the water being closed off for an hour or so, so we could get the amenities finished or anything like that.
[Jessie is on screen with children’s books in the background]
JH: I think in particular the kids are loving the glass sliding doors
[Two students explore an upgraded classroom]
JH: and the fact that those spaces are flexible. So there’s times where those classroom doors are closed. And there’s times when they’re open. They can come together for particular activities. And also socially, they can come together more easily.
[Jessie is on screen with children’s books in the background]
JH: So it’s made that collaborative practice for children and for adults far more fluid and easier to deliver.
[Two students explore the upgraded spaces of their school]
AH: So that was really important that we designed the spaces to be as flexible as possible for all the learning opportunities that the school actually needed in those spaces.
[Ainsley is on screen standing on the school grounds]
AH: We also made it an inclusive building. We made it accessible to all by including a lift and making sure that all entryways were accessible to all students. And we made it much lighter, much brighter with more usable spaces and a new office for obviously the leadership team.
[Two students explore the upgraded outdoor area of their school]
JH: Now that the project’s finished we feel incredibly grateful that we’re at this fabulous school at a time
[Jessie is on screen with children’s books in the background]
JH: Where these project been completed so successfully. We feel like we’ve got beautiful spaces that match highly effective leaning and teaching programs, and that’s a really exciting time.
[A white background appears with the VSBA and Victoria State Government logos.]
[On-screen text: www.schoolbuildings.vic.gov.au]
[A black background appears with white text]
[On-screen text: Authorised by The Victorian School Building Authority, 33 St Andrews Place, East Melbourne]
[End of transcript]
Updated