First look at $110 million Palmerston Secondary Special Education School

27 April 2026

• $110 million in construction funding is confirmed in the 2026/27 budget for the Palmerston Secondary Special Education School.
• The first proposed designs for the school have been made public, with proposed features of the School including 25 classrooms across four teaching blocks, two VET buildings to give students job ready skills, and a pool.
• The school is urgently needed in Palmerston, with current Special Education Centres at Driver and Rosebery Secondary School over capacity.

The Finocchiaro CLP Government has today released the proposed designs and features of the Palmerston Secondary Special Education School and confirmed construction funding for the $110 million project in the 2026/27 budget.

The construction of the new purpose-built Special Education School delivers on another of the CLP Government’s election commitments and will provide a timely boost for the construction industry.

At the August 2025 Age Grade Census, there were 136 students with special needs at the Driver Secondary School Special Education Centre, 101 students at Forest Parade Special School, 87 students at the Woodroffe Primary School Special Education Centre, and approximately 20 students from Palmerston who travel to Henbury School in Darwin’s Northern Suburbs which also faces enrolment pressures.

Minister for Education and Training, Jo Hersey, who delivered a petition to the last Parliament calling for a Special Education Secondary School in Palmerston, said she was proud to be a building this crucial School in the CLP Government’s year of Growth, Certainty and Security.

“The former Labor government knew about enrolment pressures in Special Education Schools and Centres for years and refused to act,” Mrs Hersey said.

“The enrolment figures and growing Palmerston population show us there is an urgent need for a Secondary Special Education School in Palmerston.

“Once opened in term one, 2029, the new Palmerston Secondary Special Education School will cater for 200 students, providing more options for families and reduce enrolment pressures off the Driver Secondary School Special Education Centre and Henbury School.”

Key features of the Secondary Special Education School proposed design include:

• Two VET buildings with a mini-Woolworths, Kitchen and café, Arts/Design studios and music rooms to give students job ready skills.
• A Pool.
• Horticulture building with a farm learning area, horticulture studio, recycling room and gardening store.
• 25 classrooms across four teaching blocks.
• New Administration building
• High support learning areas.
• Shade structures, bike path and play areas.
• Therapy and Calm sensory rooms, and.
• Accessibility upgrades to the Rosebery Secondary School’s gym and performing arts rooms.

Mr Francis De Silva, parent representative from the Expert Design Advisory Group, said the group endorsed the designs and was excited to see progress on the project.

“This is amazing news for families with special needs children in Palmerston and the rural area, who currently do not have access to the same level of specialised education services as families residing in Darwin,” he said.

“We sincerely thank Minister Hersey and the Government for their unwavering support and commitment to our community.”

The design reflects the Disability Royal Commission’s recommendation that
new special schools be located alongside mainstream schools, allowing students to benefit
from both specialist support and shared educational, cultural, and sporting experiences
with their peers.

The project will feature on the Department of Education and Training’s 2026/27 Capital Works Program, with the tender to be released in June 2026.

Media contact – Zac Webster – 0418 670 192