Almost 147 years to the day after Mount Barker Public School first opened its doors, a major upgrade of the school has been officially recognised.

The school was first opened in 1877 on Adelaide Road on Friday 14 September, with 163 students on the roll.

This week, more than 300 children were at the school’s present-day location on Dumas Street to celebrate the latest chapter in the school’s history.

The project, which was completed in November 2022, has seen more than $11 million invested in the school, including the construction of a new two-story building with 10 general learning areas, a new inclusion centre, administration facilities and landscaping.

The upgrade has had a particular focus on inclusion and improving the learning facilities for the school’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics program.

In addition to providing a new Inclusion Centre with a range of learning areas and an outdoor space for assisted and special needs learning, signage has been installed around the site which includes braille. The school has a dedicated Performing Arts program and offers Auslan as its language program.

The work has also led to an upgrade to include a dedicated Out of School Hours Care (OSHC) space and a Performing Arts studio.

Mount Barker Primary School Principal Jo Simpson said, this work has been important in supporting our enrolment capacity, which in turn will support our wider community.

“Along with the capital works, the school has recently funded an upgrade to the library area and undertaken an internal refurbishment of our early years building”.

“A new playground installation and an external makeover for the early years building to tie in with our new colour schemes is also in the planning stages, as we complete our vision for this school providing a learning environment which sees children thrive”, Simpson said.