NSW parents fed up with fundraising for basic infrastructure in public schools

Emily Bull from Coledale Public School's Parents and Citizens Association said a condemned playground was removed last year and "temporary" play equipment put in its place.

Now they are desperate to find cash to install a new one, and they're not the only one.

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The school was granted $50,000 from the Federal Government for the project, around half of what they need for its construction, though Ms Bull wasn't optimistic as to when they'd be able to use it.

"It's going to cost a minimum of $100,000 for a new playground and that's a lot of money for a community of 130 kids," she said.

"When you send your child to school in Australia I think most parents expect that part of that is having a playground for the kids to play in.

"And then that expectation [by the Department] that they have to then fundraise or pay for a playground, that makes it quite difficult."

After moving to the Northern Illawarra from Sydney, Ms Bull said she couldn't believe the difference and quality in resources available for her child which led her to joining the P&C.

"There was no music, there's no drama, there's no external sports, there's so much the school doesn't have because it's a smaller school," she said.

"I just had to try and help."

Scroll down to read what an expert on children's play says.

Before Labor politician Alison Byrnes was elected to the seat of Cunningham last year, she pledged $114,400 to four Illawarra schools for infrastructure projects, with the money handed to the Department of Education in December - one of those schools was Coledale.

The Labor Party also committed $240 million to fund upgrades to ventilation, air-conditioning, air purifiers and building outdoor learning spaces, which has been directed to the NSW Cooler Classrooms program - but parents are still being asked to fundraise for this vital infrastructure.

The principal of Coledale is currently working with the Asset Management Unit (AMU) to agree on the equipment's location and finalise the scope of works, according to the Department of Education.

A spokeswoman said the money would sit in the bank of the Department until the AMU saw fit to deliver the money, which could see works completed this year or in five years - no time frame was given.

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The Department also confirmed the onus was usually on a school - and its community - to pay for maintenance or upgrades to playground equipment.

"NSW public schools can allocate part of their annual government funding towards the installation or maintenance of playground equipment," a spokesperson said.

"The [Department] does not typically provide specific funding for this as schools can tailor the play spaces to the needs of their students.

"In addition, school communities can fundraise to support these works if they wish."

The yearly budget set for an individual school can be dipped into to fix play equipment, though the smaller and less diverse a school the smaller the budget.

Mount Keira Demonstration School is in a similar boat as Coledale and now without a playground at all after its 20-year-old structure was pulled out for safety reasons.

Its P&C is frantically running bake sales and markets to raise the $80,000 needed for a replacement, while the Mercury understands committee members have been advised in recent months not to talk to the media.

"If it's bad PR for them then perhaps it's not a good rule [to not fund playgrounds]," said one parent who wished not to be named.

"I don't think it's fair for us not to advertise the fact that we're trying to get $80,000 for a playground and the Department won't pay for any of it."

Stanwell Park Public School will finally get new monkey bars and climbing equipment after spending years trying to raise the $25,000 needed.

Now the P&C will turn its attention to finding cash to help install air-conditioning in a new hall that was built.

"The P&C has been looked at very much as a fundraising vehicle only," said Stanwell Park's P&C president Emma Reid.

"We're also meant to be a conduit between the community and the school and creating a forum for us to to share ideas and contribute to our children's education. But I think sometimes that other function is lost."

Xavier Mayes, from Lindsay Park Public School in Wollongong, agreed fundraising for infrastructure had taken precedence for their committee.

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After finding enough money for new audio visual equipment, they were now trying to fund an outdoor kitchen and learning space.

"Department funding specifically for projects is relatively tight," he said.

"But there might be things like government grants, which we help the school apply for and then also fundraise for it."

In 2019 Towradgi Public School successfully installed a new basic playground to the cost of $35,000 - partly funded by the school, grants and $10,000 raised by the P&C.

However, now parents are campaigning to ensure their kids won't get wet in winter when they head to the toilets, by fundraising for a covered outdoor learning area (COLA) that will cost around $150,000.

"We've started a grant writing subcommittee and we have a project team who are working on getting the COLA," said parent Jo Ubilla.

"The other thing with these projects is you've got parents of kids in Year Six helping at our election barbecue, putting in the hours, but their kids will never see that COLA.

"Because it'll take us so long to actually raise the funds to get it, most of us working on it won't even see the benefit of it."

All parents attested to having good relationships with their school principals and their respective P&C, who all wanted the best for their children.

A researcher from the University of Wollongong has added weight as to why children need playgrounds at schools.

Natalie Day, Research Fellow at UOW's childhood research facility Early Start, said a primary school with no playground could potentially negatively impact a child's life.

She said it was important for development to engage in play and playful activities, especially at school, as there was a "clear distinction" between work time and play time.

"The space is set up that work happens in the classroom and play happens outside the classroom," Ms Day said.

Play helps "self regulation" and fosters skills to support better learning outcomes, she said, and how to act in social settings, not only in childhood but into adulthood as well.

"It has a really huge impact on longer-term adult outcomes," Ms Day said.

"Over the years play has decreased hugely in schools. So how much play time are we taking away from our children? It's imperative that they get there their time to play and they get their ownership over what they do.

"While equipment isn't essential for children to engage in play, a rich environment that inspires and interests children is conducive to their play - especially one that encourages risky play, and caters to many children in a school setting where they will have differing interests."

However, the academic also said it was important for adults not to "hijack" how kids play and allow them to be creative and have a voice.

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