Imagine going to school as a school kid. You walk through the gates, and the floor is vibrating under your feet. There’s dust drifting down the corridor, a wall half-open where the asbestos sheeting used to be, and a maze of temporary fencing between you and your classroom. How would you feel? Would you want to go to school that day?
If your answer is no, it’s time to rethink how school renovations are being planned and delivered at your site. See, schools need upgrading, so refurbishment is not the issue, and we surely need it while students are still on campus. The problem is renovation work that treats an occupied school like an empty construction site.
Common issues with renovations of schools
Dust and air quality are the main villains
. Uncontrolled dust doesn’t stay inside a work zone. It drifts into classrooms, aggravates asthma, and settles on every surface a child touches. Without proper containment and daily cleans, one demolition day can affect a whole wing.
Blocked access and unclear boundaries
. A fire exit closed without warning, a walkway rerouted overnight, trades and students crossing paths at drop-off. Unplanned site boundaries could be a big hazard and safety incidents follow.
Timetable disruption
. High-impact work landing in the middle of exams, assemblies or class time, because the program was built around trade availability instead of the school calendar.
Communication gaps
. Staff, parents, and students finding out about disruptive works when they arrive. Most complaints about school renovations are about poor communication, not the refurbishment.
What it looks like when it’s done properly: Eden Hill Primary School
At Eden Hill Primary School, we delivered a full alteration and refurbishment of the school’s autism classroom for the Department of Education, new raised timber flooring, a reconfigured layout, kitchen joinery, and asbestos removal from the ceiling and floor linings. The asbestos removal was coordinated so no staff were on site during the work, carried out by licensed contractors with independent air monitoring and clearance certification before the area was handed back.
The whole project was scheduled across the January school holidays, with the building permit lodged early and long-lead kitchen joinery ordered well ahead of time. The classroom was ready, compliant and safe before Term 1 began. No vibrating floors, no dust in the corridor, and no impact on a single school day.
How we’ve delivered school refurbishment in Perth for 25+ years
Protek WA has spent more than 25 years refurbishing live, occupied sites across Perth, over 200 of them, including schools like Eden Hill Primary School and Yokine Primary School, where we constructed a new universal access toilet and shower facility around the school’s daily routine. That means your school refurbishment is planned by a team that’s already managed the complexity of an occupied site, many times over.
If you’re planning works at an occupied school and want a program that protects the school day, get in touch with Protek WA to request a site assessment.