Interactive map of ACT Primary Schools

The AEU report says the Inner North will have more 15-18 year olds (College age) than anywhere in Canberra except Tuggers in a couple of years, and gets a lot of local NSW kids as well – Sutton, Wamboin etc. So why would they close Dickson College????

The AEU makes reference to the absurd need for Gungahlin to have several K-10 schools and then a college in 2008/2009.

Kids from Isabella can use the underpass to get to Bonython, but I sure as hell wouldn’t want my kids walking under it.

Gungahlin will be the “new Tuggeranong” in a few years and considering Amaroo was built with aircon and Gilmore has portables is pretty pathetic.

miz, I did relief there years ago – after finished my degree.

Nice place. Went to China with a few of the staff from there too. Great ladies.

Fair enough seepi! You might be interested in this sub from the AEU which breaks down the issues region by region. http://www.aeuact.asn.au/Hot%20issues.htm (click on top hot issue)

Yeah Miz – the inner north gets all the good stuff – lovely airport noise, the dragway – the new quamby, and seven storey towers in the suburbs 😉 And they are closing the only College.

I gather that the plan is for all preschools to become part of primary schools, and those that aren’t are being shut. I can’t remember where I read that now though.

And what about pre-school resources? Parents have been investing in them for years. All the ed dept provide is the building, voluntary contribs fund everything else. How rude if they just ‘absorb’ them into another preschool.

Aidan, they seem to be really gunning for Tuggers. If I may comment, I have noticed a distinct northside bias from the Assembly for quite a qhile now.

Regarding Gilmore community, I am hoping the govt sees sense, seeing it is not meant to close till end 2007. I am also hoping they will actually read, and not simply dismiss, all the subs people have gone to the trouble to put together. Gilmore has valid case and it would be (dare I say ‘Wednesbury’?) unreasonable for it to be closed.

Simbo, true. But if the Feds carry on that it was for Kambah High and not any other. They could well take the things back.

It will be interesting to see what happens if the school closes.

Well, presumably a fair percentage of these Kambah students are going to end up at other public schools, should the school close down. So they’d still be getting the benefit of the machines if they were relocated. Just in another location.

The grant is Federal and for use by Kambah High. If it is closed, then the computers etc should be returned to the Feds.

Why should ACT Govt enjoy the “fruits of labour” by the staff of Kambah who applied for the grant FOR Kambah students?

Woody, Kambah High (ON THEIR OWN) applied for this FEDERAL grant.

If it’s between the school and the Feds, then the grant shouldn’t form any part of the Territory’s decision-making process about whether to close the school. It’s not like the Territory gave them $143,000 then shut them down.

They haven’t finished with school closures either.

Take a look at Tuggeranong. Now take out Richardson, Gowrie and Wanniassa Hills. No gaps eh?

These schools are projected to have enrolments of 140 (Richardson), 160 (Gowrie) and 290 (Wanniassa Hills, but Wanniassa will have only 185, so they will close one of the two).

Watch out Tuggeranong.

I dare say Weetangera could be in trouble too if it’s enrolment drops as the suburb is covered by Hawker and Macquarie Primary schools.

Woody, Kambah High (ON THEIR OWN) applied for this FEDERAL grant.

The ACT Govt has no say as to how the money is spent by the school.

Hell, if we want to get technical, the Feds could take the machines back if the school closes, as the money was solely for the use of Kambah High.

Personally, if I was Chief Numpty, I’d release Cook’s Federal funding too. They can’t deny the school the money they applied for and won fairly.

And if the school closures were done properly – all aspects – then you would have a decent argument. They weren’t.

Gee, what a waste of money….right Woody?

So long as they remain Territory assets and are transferred to a school that’s pulling its weight, I say it’s a great idea. And with the school closures, we’ll be able to afford even more computers!

Kerces, there’s also all the admin attached to moving files. It’s a bloody nightmare – I’ve done it.

It will take more than 9 days. Plus parents have to enrol – more paperwork, buy uniforms etc. They’ve also missed out on the book pack order form for the “new” school. Jacaranda will be more flat out this time than ever before (worked there too once).

simto, well they have to be consistent at something.

It said in the paper yesterday the final decision on closures would be announced on Wednesday December 13. Term ends on 22 December, so it’s not that much time for parents to scramble round finding new schools.

Ah, lovely. It’s wonderful to know that the screwed up process is going to be screwed up at every single stage. Consistency is a wonderful thing.

Simto, it won’t be known until the decision re: school closures is finalised for December.

I suspect that some DET staff will have their leave cancelled.

Nyssa, since you have contacts in DET, any idea whether leave plans have been curtailed?

Or haven’t the post-it-notes reached that point yet?

Simto, that’s the plan….well a patchwork of post-it-notes to be honest.

If they pull it off, it will mean DET staff working 24/7 to get it done over the Christmas break.

That timeframe’s quite optimistic, isn’t it?

Are we meant to be expecting that everything will be organised for Feb next year so that whatever schools are left standing will be fully ready to accept the additional student load?

Should be a laugh a minute come Feburary…

Kambah’s “unveiling” their $143,000 upgrade of computers (Federal funding) today as well.

Gee, what a waste of money….right Woody?

Simto, they’ll make the announcement in about 3-4 weeks (early December).

Well, students are still attending them until the end of the year.

On the other side of the coin, you would kind of expect them to have definatively announced the final list of what’s closing so that people can make suitable accomodations by now.

Aren’t these bloody schools closed yet? What’s the hold up?

I’d like to know where the funding for ICTs that Cook got (Federal) is going to go – seeing as it is closing and the ACT Govt and DET won’t release it.

Any ideas?

Miz,

Unfortunately I think it is too late. They have a set of target schools and whatever they do they will only be closing/amalgamating those.

Gilmore is a weird case, as they are going almost entirely off enrolment projections, as currently it has high numbers. The large number of demountables doesn’t help, as it gives a misleading percentage capacity figure.

There is a very real possibility that Chislhom Primary will have to have demountables to cope with the influx of Gilmore kids. That is just nuts.

Having worked in the Dept last year and a friend does this year – we knew nothing about it.

With the new curriculum, school closures and amalgamations, ACT Govt Education is going to have no end of troubles.

I heard that the Dept was shocked at the policy turnaround too! I can kind of sympathise, they have had to implement this horror. What a mess.

I just love the comments by Barr re: enrolments being down for Giralang, Flynn, Kambah and one other school who I can’t remember atm.

The Census is in Feb and August. Does the fact that Towards 2020 was out in June mean anything to you Mr. Barr?

Of course it was the contributing factor in a drop in enrolments.

miz, when you rush a policy, like this one, there will be mistakes and errors.

They haven’t planned this well and the students of the ACT will be the real casualties.

Aidan, thank you. It’s very revealing. Hope they note your comment about Gilmore.

The irony for Gilmore community is that Chisholm Primary (which is rather unwillingly and disbelievingly having to amalgamate with Caroline Chisholm High) could easily go, when you look at this map.

Note here ( http://www.det.act.gov.au/publicat/pdf/census_gov_school_aug06.pdf ) that Gilmore and Chisholm have almost identical enrolments, Gilmore having had very few ‘dropouts’ because of the 2020 proposal. I think no one there can quite believe the Govt would be so stupid as to close it! I also think they have ‘forgotten’ that Gilmore the suburb is not equivalent to Gilmore’s PEA and there are many in its PEA who live in Chisholm, which is a very large suburb (some of Chisholm is also zoned Richardson Primary). God I hope they haven’t botched these PEA numbers up!