Mayor’s Year 12 pitch
... and it’s not just about education
KINGBOROUGH Mayor Steve Wass says the extension of Kingston High School to Years 11 and 12 would not only improve education outcomes, but also make the Southern Outlet much safer.
After winning the State Election in 2014, the Government originally planned to offer rural and regional schools the opportunity to extend to Year 12, but expanded its scope to schools such as New Norfolk and Ulverstone.
Kingston has not applied in previous years and is understood to have no plans to do so.
But Cr Wass said there could be significant benefits from the school extending past Year 10.
“We are putting vulnerable young drivers on what can be a very, very busy and then dangerous road,” Cr Wass said of the students who largely attend city-based colleges.
“If you extended Kingston High School to Years 11 and 12 you keep the kids in the area.
“That’s always been my strong view.
“I’m not sure whether the high school would be thinking the same, it might be that some subjects aren’t able to be taught at Kingston.
“But I would argue why can’t we have movable teachers, I would welcome and listen to any views the teaching staff have on it, they might not want it or they might be really open to it.”
The next round of applications for schools to extend to Years 11 and 12 in 2019 is set to open shortly, and schools, regardless of their location and classification, will be encouraged to apply.
Independent schools such as Calvin and Southern Christian College offer Years 11 and 12 in Kingborough but no state schools in the area offer matriculation education.
Cr Wass said it would not hurt to gauge the interest of parents in the region about the possibility of extending Kingston High to Years 11 and 12.
“You would probably talk to the Grade 5 and 6 students and parents first and see what they think because they are the ones it would be the most applicable to at the moment,” he said.
“When the council first handed over the land [for the high school] there was enough land to build two new pods, whether this could still happen I guess is up to the Department of Education and the school.”
Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff said extending the high school to 11-12 would benefit the community.
“We encourage school communities including Kingborough, to consider the benefits of their high school extending to Year 12,” he said.
“We want to give students the best chance at getting a job and living a fulfilling life by sending a clear message that school does not finish at Year 10.”
A total of 38 schools will participate in the extension program next year, exceeding the original expectation of 21.
We are putting vulnerable young drivers on what can be a very, very busy and then dangerous road