Management of Modular Classrooms and Facilities

Guidance

Allocation of modular classrooms and facilities

As per the Enrolment policy Victorian students have the right to attend their local designated neighbourhood school. This means the department and the Victorian Government make every effort to increase school capacity where required to accommodate students from within the school’s zone.

Through the Modular Classroom Program (MCP), the Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA) supports schools with fluctuating enrolments. A school’s built capacity cannot always be increased, but where it can, modular classrooms and other facilities can often be an efficient, flexible, and rapid method to do this.

The VSBA operates the MCP as a limited program to deliver additional classrooms and other facilities. The MCP also removes suitable modular classrooms that are no longer required, and transfers these to other sites. This responsive, flexible program helps ensure students across the state have appropriate facilities.

Modular classrooms and facilities can be required for:

• enrolment growth: to increase built capacity and enable students to attend their local designated neighbourhood school
• emergency: replacing damaged buildings with modular classrooms and facilities (for example, following a fire or storm)
• temporary capital works accommodation (decanting): modular classrooms required for short-term accommodation during capital works (while usually delivered through the MCP, decanting costs are included in the capital project budget).

All modular classrooms and facilities provided to schools will be asbestos free, compliant with the current National Construction Code and Australian Standards, and refurbished to suit modern teaching and learning needs.

Modular classrooms and facilities provided as emergency or temporary accommodation may not be refurbished to the same standard due to the shorter timeframes associated with this situation, however these modular classrooms will be asbestos free and code compliant.

Meeting growth and demand

The VSBA uses school census data, school plans, facilities schedules and capacity data to determine whether a school’s number of teaching spaces, including specialist facilities, is under or in excess of teaching/classroom area allocations.

When allocating modular classrooms and facilities, the MCP also considers projected enrolments and enrolment management. This includes the percentage of enrolments from the local designated neighbourhood zone and the effect on, and capacity at, surrounding schools.

The VSBA may also contact schools to consider or initiate removing modular classrooms if they are identified as surplus to the school’s area allocations (applying the VSBA’s facilities schedules and the Capacity and Area Allocation policy).

The Placement Policy supports schools to actively manage their enrolments using the Priority Order of Placement, ensuring students have access to neighbourhood schools and the freedom to choose other schools where possible. The VSBA will consider the Placement Policy when allocating modular classrooms and facilities through the MCP.

The Priority Order of Placement provides the order that schools with ’facility limitations’ should use to offer students places. This includes considering whether the department’s Regional Director has restricted enrolments at the school.

‘Facility limitations’ refers to the built capacity of a school. The VSBA, in consultation with regional offices, will take enrolment management into account when prioritising the allocation of modular classrooms. Schools with a high percentage of enrolments from their local designated neighbourhood zone will be prioritised. The VSBA, in consultation with regional offices, will regularly review a school’s enrolment profile.

Standard and Study Abroad international students in the International Student Program (ISP) are expected to be accommodated within existing school capacity and are not considered in the allocation of additional capacity, such as the temporary allocation of modular classrooms and facilities.

Transfers

The VSBA may require schools to release modular classrooms that are surplus to their teaching/classroom area allocation. The VSBA will consult schools before removing or adding any modular classroom or facility. However, the VSBA will prioritise the needs of schools with space shortages ahead of those identified to have classrooms surplus to teaching/classroom area allocation.

The MCP conducts detailed assessments of school facilities with excess space, allowing the VSBA to make informed decisions about classroom transfers.

Schools must discuss a transfer or removal request with, and have it confirmed by, their Provision Planning Manager. The VSBA New Buildings Unit Manager makes the final decisions on these requests.

Timing of transfers

Modular building transfers generally occur on an annual basis to ensure schools have sufficient space to address enrolment fluctuations at the start of each school year. However, the VSBA cannot always guarantee a modular classroom will be available for use at the start of the school year and can transfer modular classrooms and facilities at any time, based on the needs of schools.

Site capacity and services

The key factors in considering the capacity of a site are:

• safety
• physical constraints
• curriculum
• health and wellbeing
• the effect on, and capacity at, surrounding schools.

For example, an additional modular building should not be put on a site:

• if it results in excessive removal of vegetation (although some tree removals may be required in isolated cases)
• if it impedes safe access to and from the site in the case of emergencies
• if it would unreasonably impede provision of, and access to, site services such as water and electrical infrastructure
• if it is not able to be accommodated by the physical constraints of a site, such as slopes or curves
• without also considering enrolment needs across the wider school network.

Landscaping and open space

While installing modular classroom is not as intrusive as construction of permanent facilities, school grounds may still be affected. The VSBA will take practical measures to avoid damaging school grounds and encroaching on play space as much as possible.

New and multi-storey modular building provision

All modular classrooms are of a suitable standard when provided to a school. The VSBA determines whether schools receive a new modular classroom or one transferred from another school.

This allocation is based on the overall program needs, including timing, transport considerations, site considerations across the program, and modular building availability.

The VSBA may also consider the school’s history of maintaining existing modular classrooms or facilities.

In limited circumstances, the VSBA allocates multi-storey modular classrooms and facilities to ensure sufficient classroom space at schools on small sites with growing enrolments. These modular classrooms and facilities are only allocated to schools with significant site constraints.

Disposal of modular classrooms and facilities

The VSBA may demolish a modular classroom after assessing its age, condition (including asbestos) and value. Further details are in the Demolition policy.

Closed schools

Modular classroom on closed school sites are assessed for transfer to another school, including:

• Modular classrooms purchased by the (closed) school
• GROVE template BER buildings.

Asset planning and management

Master planning a school site can help plan school facilities, services and the siting of modular classrooms and facilities over future years to meet a school’s projected enrolment growth.

After allocating a modular building, the MCP provides revised school asset drawings to the VSBA’s Asset Data team. This also updates building capacity and site capacity. The VSBA manages this for schools.

Contact

Victorian School Building Authority
vsba@education.vic.gov.au
1800 896 950