The Three Key Issues that Slow Down Many Schools’ Growth Plans
When school leaders start thinking about redevelopment, design, pedagogy, and timelines are usually at the top of the list for discussion. These are key, of course, but they are rarely the factors that slow a project down.
The biggest risks to progress sit much earlier in the process - well before masterplanning or capital works funding begins. These can influence feasibility, cost, staging and community support, yet they are often overlooked until they create barriers.
Here are three factors that commonly slow down a redevelopment or growth plan before concept design even starts.
Establish an Aligned Case for Change
One of the most common causes of redevelopment delays is not the design itself but a lack of alignment across the school community.
School projects always begin with good intentions: improving learning environments, expanding enrolment capacity or upgrading ageing facilities. But stakeholders can see the priorities and the path forward in very different ways. Leadership, staff, parents, neighbours and boards may each have their own view of what matters most and how best to get there.
If the school does not have a clear and unified ‘case for change’, redevelopment planning slows. Without early alignment on the problem and the goal, even simple decisions become difficult. Funding applications become harder to prepare, and consultation can feel reactive rather than strategic. Stakeholders need confidence that options have been explored, and that a new project is the best way forward.
Creating a concise, evidence-based narrative early in the process helps:
• Align leaders, boards and staff
• Set expectations for parents and the community
• Reduce the risk of pushback during master-planning
• Build confidence for future capital works funding rounds
A simple, early narrative outlining why redevelopment is needed and what the school hopes to achieve helps everyone move in the same direction. It is often the difference between momentum and frustration.
Space and Amenity Gaps that Affect Feasibility
The biggest feasibility constraints are usually hidden in plain sight, but they’re not the things people think of first: toilet provision, accessibility, circulation, and compliance thresholds.
Schools frequently discover that:
• The site is overlaid with environmental constraints such as flood, bushfire or ecology
• Existing amenities are already at capacity
• Building projects may trigger compliance upgrades
• Toilets and circulation pathways restrict feasible building zones
• The site layout cannot support the projected student population
These issues become significant once you begin masterplanning or preparing for capital works funding. If they are discovered too late, you may face rework, increased costs or delays in council and board approvals.
Identifying constraints and amenity requirements early gives you a realistic picture of what is possible and helps you set a foundation for a compliant and future-ready redevelopment.
Traffic and Access Pressures that Limit School Growth
Traffic significantly influences a school redevelopment - local traffic conditions determine what you can or cannot build and affect both feasibility and funding likelihood.
Typical pressures include:
• Limited access points and congestion during drop-off and pick-up
• Council restrictions on traffic movements and parking
• Local road network capacity not supporting current or future enrolments
• Requirements for additional traffic studies or upgrades
• Community or neighbour concerns that slow down approvals
Understanding the constraints early helps schools plan more realistic budgets, staging, design layouts and communications with parents, neighbours and council.
Where Should Schools Begin?
These three issues do not stop redevelopment. They simply highlight the early planning considerations that save schools time, cost and stress later.
To support principals, bursars, and boards with redevelopment planning, TSA Riley collaborated with Leaf Architecture to create the School Redevelopment Readiness Guide. It is a workbook that helps schools organise their early thinking before moving into design or funding preparation.
The guide includes an 18-point checklist across six key areas:
• Clarify the need
• Understand the current state
• Shape the opportunity
• Build the case for government funding
• Bring people along
• Get the board on board
Whether you are planning a future upgrade, preparing for funding or trying to understand your growth constraints, the checklist helps you identify risks early and build a clearer pathway forward.