NSW Education Minister, Adrian Piccoli, told a recent meeting with the Ultimo P&C that a ban on international students at Ultimo Primary School may be necessary to accommodate rising enrolments, adding the ban could be extended to seven other Sydney schools.
"The department is currently developing a strategic asset plan for the cluster of seven public schools which includes Ultimo, Glebe and Fort Street Public Schools," Piccoli told the meeting.
There are currently 1,153 international students studying in inner-Sydney schools.
At the meeting Piccoli also suggested areas within the CBD and Glebe which have rapidly filling schools might be expanded to accommodate residents from Sydney's most densely populated area around Ultimo and Pyrmont.
The influx of residents and workers into the Bays Precinct and Barangaroo site are also adding to the congestion of these areas as development continues. Parents say the strain on school resources is likely to be intensified when the projects are completed over the next decade.
Opposition education spokeswoman, Linda Burney, told the Sydney Morning Herald that the government’s plan is not viable for the long-term.
"Widening the catchment is a band-aid solution," Burney said.
The Staff in Australia’s School’s (SiAS) Report, released late last year, showed that NSW had the largest class sizes of all states, with 24.8 students per classroom in its primary schools.
The research revealed that nearly half of all Australian Primary School classes have 26 or more students; a number the Australian Education Union (AEU) said was too high.