❓ Hon Darren West questions the Minister for Education regarding the closure of four primary schools. The Minister confirms the closures, citing low student numbers and the need for a more dynamic educational environment.
AnsweredQoN 1219Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
SCHOOLS —
CLOSURES
1219. Hon DARREN WEST to the
Minister for Education:
(1) Can the
minister confirm that the Tincurrin Primary School will be closing at the end
of the 2015 school year and outline why he has made that decision?
(2) Can the
minister confirm that the Buntine Primary School will be closing at the end of
the 2015 school year and outline why he has made that decision?
(3) Can the
minister confirm that the Latham Primary School will be closing at the end of
the 2015 school year and outline why he has made that decision?
(4) Can the
minister confirm that the Abrolhos Primary School will be closing at the end of
the 2014 school year and outline why he has made that decision?
CLOSURES
1219. Hon DARREN WEST to the
Minister for Education:
(1) Can the
minister confirm that the Tincurrin Primary School will be closing at the end
of the 2015 school year and outline why he has made that decision?
(2) Can the
minister confirm that the Buntine Primary School will be closing at the end of
the 2015 school year and outline why he has made that decision?
(3) Can the
minister confirm that the Latham Primary School will be closing at the end of
the 2015 school year and outline why he has made that decision?
(4) Can the
minister confirm that the Abrolhos Primary School will be closing at the end of
the 2014 school year and outline why he has made that decision?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for the question.
(1)–(4)
Yes, I can. First I will start with the Abrolhos Primary School, which has no
students and no projected students, so, quite frankly, the government is
closing the school. It does not work. That is eminently sensible.
� At each of Buntine, Tincurrin and Latham
primary schools, there are 10 or fewer students and there is no indication from
projections that those numbers will increase in the foreseeable future. Twelve
months ago cabinet decided upon criteria that included that if a school had an
enrolment of at or around 10 over a consistent period, which all of those three
schools have had, they would be closed and the students would go to surrounding
schools.
That is disappointing for the
local communities of course; they do not want their local primary schools to
close. But, frankly, from an educational perspective, it is advantageous for a
child to be in a dynamic environment in terms of student numbers. That takes
nothing away from the commitment or the history of the schools that I have just
spoken about, but this is nothing new. Every single year, one way or another,
schools close. It occurred in the last administration and the previous Labor
administration, and has occurred in every educational administration for
decades. Governments have to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of maintaining
a school. In this instance, financial sustainability is one consideration. The
cost per student is extraordinary, but that is not the main motivating factor.
The main motivating factor for me as an educationalist is making sure that we
provide the best educational environment for every child. If there is a school
environment in which there is—which is virtually the instance in all of
these particular schools—one child in one year group, one in another
year group and two in another year group, it simply does not provide that
dynamic environment that lifts the quality of education. Although it will
affect Abrolhos Primary School immediately, obviously, because it does not
affect any students, it will not happen next year. But from next year, we will
work with those communities and the staff employed in the schools to redeploy
them in a particular area. We will work with the communities, parents and
parent–teacher associations to ensure that adequate transport is
available for surrounding schools and to ensure that the process is seamless.
Ultimately, however, I am very confident that the move to close those three
schools will benefit the students' educational outcomes.
(1)–(4)
Yes, I can. First I will start with the Abrolhos Primary School, which has no
students and no projected students, so, quite frankly, the government is
closing the school. It does not work. That is eminently sensible.
� At each of Buntine, Tincurrin and Latham
primary schools, there are 10 or fewer students and there is no indication from
projections that those numbers will increase in the foreseeable future. Twelve
months ago cabinet decided upon criteria that included that if a school had an
enrolment of at or around 10 over a consistent period, which all of those three
schools have had, they would be closed and the students would go to surrounding
schools.
That is disappointing for the
local communities of course; they do not want their local primary schools to
close. But, frankly, from an educational perspective, it is advantageous for a
child to be in a dynamic environment in terms of student numbers. That takes
nothing away from the commitment or the history of the schools that I have just
spoken about, but this is nothing new. Every single year, one way or another,
schools close. It occurred in the last administration and the previous Labor
administration, and has occurred in every educational administration for
decades. Governments have to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of maintaining
a school. In this instance, financial sustainability is one consideration. The
cost per student is extraordinary, but that is not the main motivating factor.
The main motivating factor for me as an educationalist is making sure that we
provide the best educational environment for every child. If there is a school
environment in which there is—which is virtually the instance in all of
these particular schools—one child in one year group, one in another
year group and two in another year group, it simply does not provide that
dynamic environment that lifts the quality of education. Although it will
affect Abrolhos Primary School immediately, obviously, because it does not
affect any students, it will not happen next year. But from next year, we will
work with those communities and the staff employed in the schools to redeploy
them in a particular area. We will work with the communities, parents and
parent–teacher associations to ensure that adequate transport is
available for surrounding schools and to ensure that the process is seamless.
Ultimately, however, I am very confident that the move to close those three
schools will benefit the students' educational outcomes.
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