New Strathnairn public school will open a year later than planned

The new school was originally set to open in Term 1, 2025 but it will now open in Term 1, 2026.

The Education Directorate said in an online update the change was caused by development and planning delays as well as the process to remove an environmental clearance zone surrounding the Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre taking longer than anticipated.

The Strathnairn and Macnamara suburbs, part of the Ginninderry development on the north west fringe of Belconnen, are affected by the zoning.

Families in the area will be in the priority enrolment area for either Kingsford Smith School or Macgregor Primary School or Southern Cross Early Childhood School.

Children will be able to transfer schools or remain enrolled at their existing school when the new Strathnairn campus opens.

The school will have capacity for up to 780 preschool to year 6 students and a further 130 children in the early childhood education centre.

The ACT government announced in July 2022 the new school and early learning centre would be a women-led construction project.

The tenderer was required to have a 100 per cent female site management team and women represented in every trade subcontractor.

Enrolments for the Strathnairn school will open in April, 2025.

Many new schools have been plagued by delays in recent years.

Shirley Smith High School in Kenny, north Gungahlin should have opened its doors at the beginning of this year but instead will open for Term 1, 2024.

The new high school under construction in Taylor, east Gungahlin was set to open in Term 1, 2024 but will now open Term 1, 2025.

A new public primary school in the new Molonglo Valley suburb of Whitlam was meant to open for the 2025 school year but will now open for 2026.

The ACT government blamed poor weather and "unavoidable impacts on the construction industry following the COVID-19 global pandemic" for the delays.