New era for Warracknabeal students
The Warracknabeal community is excited about the possibilities a major school construction project holds for the future of education in the town.
While school leaders expect the fully completed $19.8-million project to integrate Warracknabeal’s three public schools is still more than two years away, the schools are already planning how they can collaborate to improve the educational outcomes for all children in the town and surrounding communities.
The principals and students agree one significant advantage of Warracknabeal Secondary College, primary and special developmental schools being co-located will be to allow students to work more closely together and ‘capitalise on each other’s knowledge’.
It also means some of the concerns students have about making the transition from primary to secondary school will vanish.
A State Government announcement last week, part of a $2.7-billion construction blitz to kick-start Victoria’s economy, resulted in the Warracknabeal schools receiving full funding to complete the project.
Principals expect 2023 will be when students can take full advantage of the new build, with some buildings set to open in 2022. Warracknabeal Secondary College principal Therese Allen believes each school’s students and teachers will greatly benefit from learning and working in the new educational facilities.
“The future of education in Warracknabeal
has never been brighter,” she said.
“Our community has advocated for this for so long. Now it is up to us to ensure that we work together to benefit our current and future students.”
Ms Allen said each school’s capacity to provide individualised learning pathways for students would be enhanced.
“Being on the one site will enable teachers to develop a deeper understanding of each child,” she said.
“Teachers across the schools will be able to capitalise on each other’s knowledge to provide extension and intervention opportunities for our students.”
Warracknabeal Primary School principal Ben Tait said without the ongoing maintenance of their old school buildings, the schools could focus their attention on allocating money to further enhance the development of innovative learning opportunities for students.
“For the first time, we will be able to share infrastructure and resources
– the cost saving benefits for each school will be significant,” he said.
Mr Tait said a milestone moment in a young person’s life was the transition from primary to secondary school.
“While this is an exciting time, it can also be a stressful time for some students,” he said.
Warracknabeal Special Developmental School principal Peter Clayton said with his school also being located in the precinct, the possibility of students having a dual enrolment was something all principals believed would be an advantage.
“Students would have the opportunity to spend part of their time in mainstream schooling while also taking advantage of the programs we deliver here,” he said.
“This arrangement is something the schools have explored, but the challenges of co-ordinating between schools on different sites has proved problematic in the past.
“With all of the schools on the one site, many of the current issues can be addressed and overcome.”