A PAKENHAM father of three says a lack of emergency access at his children's school is placing students and staff at risk.

Leigh Cook said that since construction began on a new gymnasium at Pakenham Hills Primary School, access for emergency service vehicles had been severely compromised.

"The gym is being built on part of the car park and there is little direct access to the school now.

"If an ambulance came the paramedics would need to walk about a 500-metre round trip in order to get to the patient."

Disabled access was also limited, with the nearest disabled car park about 230 metres from the gym, he said.

The gym was funded under the federal government's Building the Education Revolution program.

Speaking in his role as executive of the school council, principal Dale Hendricks said the council had raise concerns about gym access and safety with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.

"The department's response was that it has met its basic obligations to provide access, but in some respects its basic obligations don't meet the safety or health needs of the kids here," he said.

"If people have to manually shift things down to the building, there is increased likelihood of lifting injuries and also a risk of falls."

Mr Hendricks was also concerned about how access issues would impact fire evacuations. "This school is on the 'at risk' fire register, yet we have a facility that has limited access."

The gym needed a driveway and car park, he said.

"The really critical thing that the school council would like to see is they put some form of driveway into it and allow some form of disabled parking."

Mr Cook said he was concerned not only for his children's safety but for that of elderly visitors and staff.

"If any of my children get hurt and it's a life-threatening accident, or if they need to get someone out in a hurry, it would be a struggle.

"In serious emergency circumstances it could be the difference between life and death. This is planned to be used as a community facility in the future but without proper access I cannot see how that is possible."

The state government did not respond to the Journal before deadline.