Community use case studies
Clyde Creek Primary School
Clyde Creek Primary School (CCPS) formally shares its gym, music rooms, foyer, and external courts with third party users, including OSHC programs and sports clubs.
CCPS has found that sharing facilities fosters stronger community ties and enhances staff and parental engagement. For the community, it offers convenient local access to recreational facilities, builds pride in shared resources, and encourages student independence and well-being.
Usage is managed through a structured approval process via the school council, with agreements formalised through Department of Education templates available on PAL.
CCPS has found a variety of ways to manage the day-to-day challenges of sharing facilities with the community. Some key measures that the school has found effective include:
- using an EOI process to manage high demand for facility use
- careful scheduling of cleaning and maintenance around community use
- having clear shared and non-shared areas of the school, with access managed by a separate set of ‘hirer keys’.
CCPS finds that clearly communicating the expectations for community use, as are set out in the agreements, is an effective way to manage the ongoing relationship with third party users.
Fees are set at an hourly rate, which is simple to administer but is set to enable the school to recover costs such as an annual cost to resurface the gym floor, as well as a percentage of annual utility fees based on hirer use.
By maintaining structured agreements, prioritising security, and fostering collaboration, schools can effectively serve as community hubs while ensuring their facilities remain well-maintained and accessible.
Heathmont East Primary School
Heathmont East Primary School has embraced facility sharing as a way to foster stronger community ties and enhance student experiences. The school formally shares its facilities with a variety of groups, including outside school hours care, private music lesson providers and local sports teams. Informally, the school’s outdoor spaces such as the oval and basketball courts are used daily by the local community.
Formal sharing of facilities is set up using the department’s standard agreement templates. The school has carefully reviewed the costs they incur for power and water, along with maintenance costs like the oval’s annual upkeep, and has used this to establish appropriate cost recovery amounts.
Informally, the school’s grounds are accessible to the community 24/7. The school has found that the site’s open layout, combined with active community involvement, contributes to maintaining the safety and security of the site outside of school hours.
Heathmont East has found a variety of ways to manage the day-to-day challenges of sharing facilities with the community, including active engagement with the department’s legal division, and appointing an administrative staff member to oversee scheduling, payments, and compliance.
The school has found several benefits from sharing its facilities, including a strong sense of community ownership. For the community, shared facilities provide expanded learning opportunities such as extracurricular programs and sports which enrich the educational experiences of local children.
Reviewed 13 April 2026