Save our School
 

:(Hi There, This is a plea to anyone either here in northern Perth or coming to live here. My daughters High School is being closed down by the Department of education due to lack of numbers.The school is Padbury High School. It is a great school with wonderful teachers. I have heard the kids in that school call it their Home away from Home and the people there including Teachers Their family. I know I have never before heard any child say that about a teacher or a school. That is how good it is. The school take kids from out of district/cross boundary. They can stay open if they get their numbers up. So I am begging and pleading for help to save a great school. Enrol your kids now or pass on the information to people who have kids of that age. Please Please Help.
Wendy

Re: Save our School
 

I know they were talking about Padbury High school being closed down on 6PR yesterday.They said that there were only three hundred students last year but they will have to go somewhere,do the other schools nearby have room?

I hope your daughter finds another good school.Sue.

Re: Save our School
 

Good luck. The statement from the Education Minister looks pretty final to me and there is no suggestion that an increase in numbers will reverse the decision. I would be delighted if my local state high school were to close if that meant that my children automatically qualified for a place at Duncraig Senior High School.

Re: Save our School
 

FFS 300 students?? close it down.

Re: Save our School
 

How can you say close it down. These kids are been badly affected by this. They love their school and teachers and are prepared to do anything to keep it open. I think in this day and age these kids should be admired for fighting their case. for standing up for what they believe in. I personally am proud of these kids. No one should berate them. So what if there is only 300 kids, at least they are 300 kids in school and not walking about the streets. 300 kids that actually want to be in school and have somewhere they call home, somewhere they feel safe.Yes this is a very emotive subject. My child is currently a yr 10 and yes she can transfer to Duncraig. But she wont be able to enrol in her subject choices for Tee as they have already been filled by the existing Duncraig students.The Padbury students will get a pick of whatever classes are not full. Now how can you say shut it down when kids futures are being affected.

Re: Save our School
 

We've had between 500k to a Million migrants to Perth in the past 15 years. It's called progress.

Re: Save our School
 

I'm sure room will be made.

Re: Save our School
 

It's a shame, Padbury High has a good rep.

Re: Save our School
 

This is a school that recieved funding from the federal government to build two new buildings last year, hence 12 months ago it was considered as a viable school. The state government wish to rezone the land so they can sell it as housing and rake in the profit without a care for the students and families who have invested their time into the school:thumbdown:

Re: Save our School
 

There are 180 total at my local high school. This is AUSTRALIA. It's a good school.

Re: Save our School
 

Welcome to Perth! This has been happening for ages especielly with the land being so valuable. City Beach High and Scarborough high were closed and kids were relocated to Shenton and Churchlands. Why should the public care about a couple hundred kids being relocated? look at it that way Like I said earlier with the intense migration and the lack of supply in nicer areas things like this need to happen. "progress"

Re: Save our School
 

It may be popular with the families whose kids attend the school but have you seen the Year 9 NAPLAN results! I have no experience of the school but those results would be enough reason for me NOT to send my kids there.

Re: Save our School
 

What a horrible nasty comment NB.....why does that not surprise me from you.

Good luck to the OP..you obviously have your childs best interests at heart, I hope it all works out for you.

Re: Save our School
 

I think it is easy for some people to say close it down when their children are not affected.I don't know what the intake for next year will be but I would imagine 300 children having to go to either Duncraig or the other local school that I can't remember the name of will affect those schools also.

If your child is doing well and happy at a school then I would imagine it would be a horrible thing to happen and going into year 11 is not a good time to have to change schools.Sue.

Re: Save our School
 

I listened to the reports on the radio the other day and heard the Minister talk about the school is not viable with those numbers. She also said that the kids would go to Duncraig SHS or Belridge SHS instead - but there's a world of difference between those two. If a Padbury family doesn't want to go to Belridge, but their child's access to courses is blocked at Duncraig, then that's not fair.

Do Duncraig and Belridge SHS have the room and facilities to take the Padbury kids? Making this announcement at this time of year, when enrolments for high schools have been much been completed, is not fair. If it was me, I'd probably want my child to change schools now, depending on their year level. What about compensation for parents for investment in uniforms, etc?

Re: Save our School
 

What a ridiculous comment. Many schools don't have good results doesn't mean they won't fail in later on when the real stuff begins.

Re: Save our School
 

Absolutely. I reckon for some families the opportunity to go to Duncraig will be very welcome, however if they reside in the new Belridge catchment area it will be enough to make them move house.

Re: Save our School
 

You may not like the comment but the school's poor academic results may partly explain why numbers have been steadily dropping whilst the waiting lists at private schools continue to grow. It would seem that the efforts of the Expert Review Group process that the school went through in 2008 did nothing to halt the decline.
According to the school website the school site "will be maintained for other public education purposes." Perhaps it could be used to house the proposed single gender Catholic schools which have been put on hold due to problems with rezoning.
In answer to Helen, the school announcement also says that a relocation allowance of $350 will be paid to cover the costs of moving to another public secondary school.

Re: Save our School
 

Catholic schools in the Northern subs aren't private schools.

Re: Save our School
 

On the radio, Liz Constable said that they hadn't yet decided what they were going to do with the land ;). They have demolished high schools at Swanbourne, Hollywood, Scarborough and Craigie and replaced them with housing. I heard that they have amalgamated 2 Mandurah high schools. City Beach hasn't been turned into housing, but only because it's got some sort of protective convenant that says it must be used for educational purposes and it's leased to the International School. Now it's Padbury's turn. Funny that this only happens along the coast:rolleyes:.

Re: Save our School
 

That's good, hoveactually, that parents get some money back.

Can you tell us more about this Expert Review Group process? I haven't heard of that before.

Re: Save our School
 

This leaflet from DET explains the role of the Expert Review Group http://www.det.wa.edu.au/policies/de...set_id=6322236

Re: Save our School
 

Fascinating! Thanks for that, I never knew that there is accountability in WA state schools. I must pass it on to other parents, they will be astounded and amazed:sneaky:.

Re: Save our School
 

Chef69 - I've sent you a pm with info on your situation.

Re: Save our School
 

Thank you to All who have responded. Yes some of you have done your homework. The school is not to be knocked down or the land sold. It is going to remain as an ancillary education facility. The parents are to receive $350 relocation costs, which will help.We will know more about the subject choices after the meeting on Monday. Principles from all three schools will be there. But, yes maybe the naplan results where not as good as they should have been. But I would prefer my child to be in a school like that, where every teacher knows the name and most importantly the personality of each and every child that attends there, That the pupils want to please their teachers. That the pupils feel if you critise one child you critize them all.Thankfully I have an A grader child and the teachers have been giving her extension work and she is the one mentioned on the school website about being fifth in mathletics. ( yes a proud mother).But on a personal note, she is still treated like every other child there. They don't make her stand out. All my daughters friends love and I mean love their school and are so happy to be there. I worry that when they enter a much mush bigger school they will become lost amongst all the other students. They will have to start trying to fit in,learn the ropes again,learn new rules. When all they should be worrying about is their exams. So from the start of their yr 11 they will automatically be at a major disadvantage to the existing students of the school they will now be attending.The Dep Education did not think of that. They also did not take into consideration the normal turf wars between school to school. That is something else these kids will have to face. Also so few of padbury students want to go to Belridge, so how will Duncraig accommodate all these kids.Why could the Dep Education not have done things the way they did when Ocean Reef was flooded. Move all Teachers and Students to say belridge. Continue teaching as Padbury and then slowly over the coming years ween it into one school. That way all the kids would be together and keep their teachers. . Sorry just needed a rant as still trying to calm down a very distraught child.

Re: Save our School
 

Is the vernacular different in Perth? Where I live, in common parlance, private almost always means all non government schools whether they are catholic systemic, non systemic, protestant, muslim or run a by a mad millionare or whatever?

Re: Save our School
 

All Catholic Schools in Northern Perth Suburbs are private schools. All religious denominational schools are Private. Public schools are not allowed to promote religion of any faith. They are only allowed to promote good moral values.Before anybody gets on my case about religion. As far as I am concerned everybody is entitled to their own personal views and beliefs. Each and everyone to their own.

Re: Save our School
 

I can see what you're saying about the sense of loyalty and
belonging but I agree with nb. People have voted with their
feet at padbury-together with alikely ageing population in the suburb.
I lived in the suburb for two years and would not have sent
my child there.
Also friends of ours had their daughter there. She was bullied
so badly and her learning disrupted so much that she left the school.

Re: Save our School
 

Yes I agree there is bullying in every school. I have a friend who's child was in Ocean reef was beaten and the police where called. Another in St Stephens again bullied so badly left the school. Another in Belridge left the school. The list would go on and on.At the end of the day every school has some bad rep and some good rep. The school has to suit your child , their personality.It is down to every child to make the decision to work or not to work. Teachers can only do so much. But with regards to Padbury I personally know of three children who where enroled into other schools in the area and they would not attend. They then enroled in Padbury and Thanks to the one on one attention, afforded due to a small school and the Principles commitment to those kids. They have only missed two or three days each year and that was down to illness.The Principle is fantastic and has only been there about four yrs or so. He has turned things around so much that these kids are proud to say they come from Padbury SHS. They wear that crest with pride.In this day and age that is rare and the school and staff should be commended for instilling this into their students. Again as I say, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Mine is apparent. Padbury SHS has been a Godsend for my child.