❓ Hon Sue Ellery raises concerns about overcrowding in inner north and western suburbs high schools, particularly Churchlands Senior High School. The Minister acknowledges the problem and outlines potential solutions, including a new secondary school, with City Beach as a possible location.
AnsweredQoN 1399Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
INNER
NORTH AND WESTERN SUBURBS HIGH SCHOOLS — ENROLMENT PRESSURES
1399. Hon SUE ELLERY to the
Minister for Education:
I refer to the considerable enrolment pressures and
overcrowding faced by Churchlands Senior High School.
(1) Will the
government consider allocating some of the land it has identified for sale—for
example, the Princess Margaret Hospital for Children site in Subiaco or the
former Perth Girls' School site in East Perth—for a new
secondary school?
(2) If these
sites are not under active consideration, what is the government's plan
to address the enrolment pressures in the inner north and western suburbs at
Carine Senior High School, Mount Lawley Senior High School and Shenton College?
(3) Does the
minister agree that a secondary school with more than 3 000 students is not
desirable?
NORTH AND WESTERN SUBURBS HIGH SCHOOLS — ENROLMENT PRESSURES
1399. Hon SUE ELLERY to the
Minister for Education:
I refer to the considerable enrolment pressures and
overcrowding faced by Churchlands Senior High School.
(1) Will the
government consider allocating some of the land it has identified for sale—for
example, the Princess Margaret Hospital for Children site in Subiaco or the
former Perth Girls' School site in East Perth—for a new
secondary school?
(2) If these
sites are not under active consideration, what is the government's plan
to address the enrolment pressures in the inner north and western suburbs at
Carine Senior High School, Mount Lawley Senior High School and Shenton College?
(3) Does the
minister agree that a secondary school with more than 3 000 students is not
desirable?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for some notice of this question.
(1)–(3)
Yes, I think 3 000 is unacceptable. Student numbers in the western suburbs is a
genuine problem. Potentially, Churchlands Senior High School—it will
not be until 2025 or a little earlier than that—will have 3 000
students. The problem is that in the 1990s the then Minister for Education
decided to close our western suburbs schools, and I never let him forget it.
Hollywood Senior High School, Swanbourne Senior High School, City Beach Senior
High School and Scarborough Senior High School were closed and Shenton College
was opened. That has put enormous pressure on Shenton College and, more specifically,
Churchlands Senior High School. Churchlands will soon look like a tent city
because it has so many demountables. I am dealing with that, and I will have
something to say about it very shortly. I am comfortable that we are helping to
resolve that situation.
Coming back to the point that the
honourable member mentioned, that does not solve the bigger picture issue.
Infill in a number of areas in the western suburbs and in the central area of
Perth has put enormous pressure on existing secondary schools. We need a new
secondary school. A couple of options have been considered. One of the issues,
of course, is location. It is very, very important that we choose the right
location. The second thing, of course, is the availability of land.
Personally, I was looking at the
old Churchlands Teachers College in Claremont, which is owned by the University
of Western Australia. There are two issues with Churchlands Teachers College.
Firstly, UWA is not keen to get rid of it and does not want to lease or sell
it, which is a shame. Secondly, even though it is a magnificent facility, it is
in the wrong area. The pressure points are not in the Nedlands–Dalkeith
area, but in the Churchlands–Scarborough area.
I could go on about this for ages.
To answer the honourable member's question, we are very conscious of
the problem. We are looking at a number of areas. The option that is probably
right in the mix at the moment is City Beach. The only problem with City Beach
is that the International School of Western Australia has a lease there for
another 14 years. However, we may have a resolution. I will not say too much at
this stage, but it is taking up an enormous amount of my time in this
portfolio. The most immediate problem is with Churchlands Senior High School,
and I think I will be able to solve that problem in the not-too-distant future.
(1)–(3)
Yes, I think 3 000 is unacceptable. Student numbers in the western suburbs is a
genuine problem. Potentially, Churchlands Senior High School—it will
not be until 2025 or a little earlier than that—will have 3 000
students. The problem is that in the 1990s the then Minister for Education
decided to close our western suburbs schools, and I never let him forget it.
Hollywood Senior High School, Swanbourne Senior High School, City Beach Senior
High School and Scarborough Senior High School were closed and Shenton College
was opened. That has put enormous pressure on Shenton College and, more specifically,
Churchlands Senior High School. Churchlands will soon look like a tent city
because it has so many demountables. I am dealing with that, and I will have
something to say about it very shortly. I am comfortable that we are helping to
resolve that situation.
Coming back to the point that the
honourable member mentioned, that does not solve the bigger picture issue.
Infill in a number of areas in the western suburbs and in the central area of
Perth has put enormous pressure on existing secondary schools. We need a new
secondary school. A couple of options have been considered. One of the issues,
of course, is location. It is very, very important that we choose the right
location. The second thing, of course, is the availability of land.
Personally, I was looking at the
old Churchlands Teachers College in Claremont, which is owned by the University
of Western Australia. There are two issues with Churchlands Teachers College.
Firstly, UWA is not keen to get rid of it and does not want to lease or sell
it, which is a shame. Secondly, even though it is a magnificent facility, it is
in the wrong area. The pressure points are not in the Nedlands–Dalkeith
area, but in the Churchlands–Scarborough area.
I could go on about this for ages.
To answer the honourable member's question, we are very conscious of
the problem. We are looking at a number of areas. The option that is probably
right in the mix at the moment is City Beach. The only problem with City Beach
is that the International School of Western Australia has a lease there for
another 14 years. However, we may have a resolution. I will not say too much at
this stage, but it is taking up an enormous amount of my time in this
portfolio. The most immediate problem is with Churchlands Senior High School,
and I think I will be able to solve that problem in the not-too-distant future.
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