School area choice stays

Parents, MP query process for changing intake areas

EDUCATION Minister Jeremy Rockliff has rejected further Labor criticism of changes to school zones.

School intake maps are currently under review.

Labor says the Government has not kept parents in the loop about the changes.

Mr Rockliff says consultation has been extensive, and parents will still have choice over where to send their kids to school.

THE State Government has moved to reassure parents they will continue to have choices about schools, amid further criticism from Labor about changes to intake areas.

Under the changes, principals will accept out-of-area enrolments only when there is capacity to do so.

Labor education spokesman Josh Willie accused the State Government of failing to adequately inform the public about proposed changes to school intake areas.

Mr Willie said many parents were unaware of proposed changes at Risdon Vale Primary School.

“The primary school that you think your child is entitled to attend from 2021 onwards may be changing and you should get online and have a say,” Mr Willie said.

He said Labor was asking the Government to detail how many submissions had been received on the proposed changes and, if necessary, to extend the consultation period, which is due to end on Friday.

The proposed changes for the Risdon Vale area is to exclude the subdivision on Sugarloaf Rd from the intake area for Risdon Vale Primary School, a local mother said.

Rebecca Churchill’s daughter, who has a disability, attends the school, which Ms Churchill said is a great support. She said she didn’t know about the proposed changes until a member of the community shared it on social media.

“There are a million ways that this could have been communicated to us and we could have had more of a chance to be able to submit,” she said.

“Reducing the size and the numbers into the school means we’ll receive less of the funding and less of the ability to be able to support those students and those kids that need the extra support.”

Mr Willie said parents in the community were worried about the school population in the future.

“That new subdivision would contain many new families that would otherwise be enrolled in Risdon Vale under the current catchment,” he said.

Minister for Education Jeremy Rockliff said the process for enrolling in schools would remain the same and parents would still be able to apply to enrol their children out of area.

“What is being reviewed in consultation with local communities are the intake maps, which have not been updated since 2005,” he said.

For more information go to the Department of Education website at education.tas.gov.au and clicking on School Directory under About Us and then to School Intake Area Maps.

Josh Willie