An independent agency from outside the NSW Department of Education will survey families about joining the schools as frustrated parents say a
The consultation will also canvas community views on extending catchments to allow students access to other high schools in the eastern suburbs,and whether the schools should be kept as single-sex.
Fiery debate about the future of Randwick Girls’ and Randwick Boys’ has been running for years and. The area is dominated by more than 20 private high schools,many that charge fees of more than $30,000 a year.
NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said she wants to make sure the consultation captures the views of the entire eastern suburbs community. “We want to engage constructively with the local school communities to ensure that we identify and plan for the best option for public secondary education,” said Mitchell.
The consultation will begin in term 1 2023 and a report is due to be finalised by mid next year.
,despite community support of the idea. A survey of more than 2200 community respondents at the time found 57 per cent strongly supported the plan,but there was
The proposal to admit girls to the boys’ school was put forward by the Coalition government before the March 2019 election after Labor vowed to build a new co-ed high school in the area.
Licia Heath,from lobby group Community for Local Options for Secondary Education (CLOSE),said she has been campaigning for a new co-ed school in the area since 2016. “Parents in the Randwick catchment have no co-ed option. It’s an illusion of choice,” Heath said.
“Many want their sons and daughters in the same school,and we are still seeing significant demand for a co-ed school in the area,” said Heath.
The latest Household,Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey of Australian households shows private secondary school enrolments have increased by 70 per cent in the past decade. In NSW,the proportion of students enrolled in public high schools fell from 61 per cent in 2018 to about 58 per cent in 2022.
Independent MP Alex Greenwich,,has been with Allegra Spender,the federal member for Wentworth.
The pair,who met with Mitchell last month about the issue,previously suggested Waverley Bus Depot and Edgecliff Commercial Centre should be considered as possible sites for an entirely new high school.
“I would encourage parents to identify areas where a new public high school could be located,” said Greenwich. “It is also important to look at catchment boundaries to make sure families have access to a number of options.”
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