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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-12-01 Daily Xml
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Ministerial Statement

SCHOOL CLOSURES/MERGERS

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH (Adelaide—Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the City of Adelaide) (15:23): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH: Last week, I was pleased to announce that an investment of nearly $100 million is being made as part of our Education Works initiative to dramatically improve schools in South Australia. Indeed, state and commonwealth investment will mean that 10 school restructure projects will revitalise and upgrade local schools to provide even better services and opportunities for children and their families. This is another excellent result of the approach we have taken in working with school communities to improve schools and curriculum choices.

Three years ago, the Premier and I announced a major initiative called Education Works as a major reform of our school infrastructure and services, including the provision of six brand new schools. This initiative involved listening to and working with local school and preschool communities, with a view to creating even better services, including better school buildings and facilities so that young South Australians have better opportunities through education. This approach also recognised that, right across Australia, families have fewer children. Much of our infrastructure needed upgrading, despite what is now a massive $908 million investment in capital works, maintenance and asset funding since 2002-03, and before we take into account the current investment by the federal government through the Building the Education Revolution school infrastructure funding projects.

Indeed, members are well aware that demographic changes have meant that there are fewer school aged children in some regions than in the past. Parents and teachers have recognised that schools with fewer children have limited curriculum choices. Classrooms and other facilities may also be under used, yet they still have to be maintained. There has been significant progress in our Education Works initiative thanks to a very strong community involvement. We are now delivering on our commitment to build six new schools, while many school and preschool communities across the state have looked at how they can better shape education services. This has involved schools coming together to form a new school or indeed communities choosing to close a school with declining enrolments.

Through this process, children have been supported to transition to other nearby schools. Community consultation has led to decisions such as 'one-stop shop' arrangements to make it easy for children to progress all the way from child care through to preschool to primary and secondary education. Today I formally advise the house that the Chief Executive of the Department of Education and Children's Services has received requests from governing councils of the following schools and preschools to close or merge: They are as follows:

Wharminda Primary School, which closed at the end of 2008;

Salisbury North West Junior Primary School and Salisbury North West Primary School voted to close at the end of 2008 and have reopened as Salisbury North West School in 2009;

Morphett Vale West Primary School, John Morphett Primary School and John Morphett Preschool voted to form a new school, which is expected to open in 2011;

Reynella East Junior Primary School, Reynella East Primary School and Reynella East High School voted to form a new school, which will start operating in 2011;

Parks Children's House Childcare Centre and Parks Children's Centre Preschool will close and become part of the new Inner West B-7 school in 2011;

Magill Junior Primary and primary school will become one school in 2011;

Dover Gardens Primary School closed at the end of term two in 2009;

Evanston Preschool and primary school, as well as Gawler High School will become a B-12 school on the Gawler High School site from 2012;

Melaleuca Park Junior Primary and primary school will join together to become an R-7 school in 2010;

Glenelg Junior Primary and primary school will become an R-7 school in 2010;

Flagstaff Hill Junior Primary and primary schools will become one R-7 school in 2010;

Christie Downs Primary and Special School become an R-7 school in 2010;

Salisbury North West Primary School, Direk Junior Primary and primary schools have requested that they become a CPC to Year 7 school in 2011; and

Terowie Primary School has requested closure at the end of 2009.

The governing councils have advised that their school communities have voted to close in accordance with section 14(a) of the Education Act 1972 and the Children's Services Act 1985. The schools concerned in the department have publicly informed their communities of these developments as they have taken place throughout the year. Under the previous Liberal government, which closed 65 schools against the wishes of their school communities, our approach to school restructuring is to listen and to work with communities to improve opportunities for young South Australians.

I thank all school and preschool communities, which includes parents, staff, school and preschool leaders, as well as all those governing council members who have worked so hard and given their positive and collaborative input to make decisions in the best interests of children and South Australia's future.

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