Permanently closed over the most seemingly incongruous of causes for a school in an arid part of the state — untreatable and severe ongoing mould outbreaks — pre-demolition planning of the old Willyama High School has started.

The long process of knocking down the buildings has begun with site establishment, disconnection of water and electrical services, and the removal of hazardous materials, to be followed by razing the site.

Complete demolition is expected to be completed by October, Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said.

“Start of the demolition process is a significant milestone for students, teachers and families from Willyama High School and the Broken Hill community,” Ms Car said.

“As Broken Hill farewells the old Willyama High School, I give them my word that we will rebuild a fantastic and modern school that this community will value for generations to come,” she added.

During the demolition process, work on finalising the school design will continue with feedback from more than 100 face-to-face community information sessions helping to shape the rebuild design to ensure the needs of the staff and students are met, Member for Barwon Roy Butler said.

“With ongoing community input informing decisions, the new Willyama High School will be a significant improvement on the old school,” Mr Butler said. “A modern facility that reflects the current and future needs of students and staff, I look forward to seeing construction begin.”

This work will include installation of air-conditioning in all buildings including the hall, as well as exploring opportunities for more staff spaces beyond the standard provision.

Catering for 730 students, the new Willyama High School will feature core facilities including a new hall and library, as well as 30 general and specialist classrooms (including four science classrooms), four support classrooms, two modern science labs, learning commons, multipurpose spaces.

A commercial kitchen will also be built to support VET courses as well as a new, fully equipped wood and metal workshop, Minister for Western NSW Tara Moriarty said.

“While this may be a bittersweet goodbye to a well-known community building… the new Willyama High School will deliver for the families of Broken Hill, who have shown great resilience during this difficult time,” Ms Moriarty said.