Churchlands and City Beach senior high schools to amalgamate

24/6/98

Churchlands and City Beach senior high schools will form a unique educational partnership as they unite to establish a multi-campus senior high school utilising both sites from 2000.

Education Minister Colin Barnett today announced that the State Government would invest in both campuses to see a middle school for years 8 to 10 developed at City Beach and expanded opportunities established at the current year 8 to 12 campus at Churchlands. Planning to develop and implement the partnership would begin immediately.

The multi-campus school will operate from 2000 and provide parents in the area with greater choice for the education of their children. Parents could either decide to send their children to a middle school on the City Beach campus focussed specifically on years 8 to 10 or attend a traditional 8 to 12 campus on the existing Churchlands location.

Mr Barnett said Churchlands Senior High School would be transformed into a more modern campus after fire damaged a major portion of the school last year. Already $5.5 million has been dedicated to a rebuilding program to begin next month.

In addition, Mr Barnett announced the Churchlands campus would be boosted by a further $5 million to provide new state-of-the-art facilities for students and staff which would be established in conjunction with the fire rebuilding program.

There was also an opportunity for up to $2 million to be channelled into the City Beach campus after the excision of some Education Department land on the site, however, there would be consultation with the community on this proposal.

"The future of the Churchlands and City Beach schools is very exciting and is an opportunity for educational choices to be expanded, while providing a real choice of campuses for parents of year 8, 9 and 10 students during these crucial development years," Mr Barnett said.

"The choice of two school environments for years 8 to 10 students will be unique to the western suburbs and I encourage both school communities to be strongly involved in developing the spirit and ethos of the multi-campus school. This is a unique opportunity to develop a school and community partnership of the highest standard for the area."

Mr Barnett said with the focus on secondary education now set, the District Directors (Schools) Jan Little and David Carvosso would begin wide community consultation on details of implementing the decisions.

The following will take place:

·      the existing City Beach SHS will continue until December 1999 with current year 10 students expected to enrol at Churchlands SHS from next year to carry out their upper school program;

·      from 2000, Churchlands and City Beach SHSs will form a multi-campus school with Churchlands to remain a campus for years 8 to 12 and City Beach for years 8 to 10;

·      a $5.5 million rebuilding program will begin a Churchlands next month to be finished in early 2000; and -

·      an additional investment of $5 million will be made at Churchlands to improve facilities in conjunction with the rebuilding program.

Mr Barnett said students and staff at Churchlands would enjoy a range of new facilities including a new library; conversion of the old library to an art, media and photography centre; an upgraded design and technology area and additions to the business education and computing centre. Some of the fire damaged areas would be replaced with new teaching and staff areas similar in design to newly-built schools.

The City Beach campus was expected to develop a strong environmental science education focus. The unique ecosystem of Bold Park and land surrounding the City Beach campus would also provide an ideal environment for these studies.

"I am confident that as a new multi-campus school Churchlands and City Beach will continue to grow strongly and provide an increasing range of academic and vocational programs for all students," Mr Barnett said.

"As a middle school in 2000, the City Beach campus is expected to have around 300 students while the Churchlands campus is anticipated to have approximately 1355 students from years 8 to 12, compared to a current enrolment of around 1010 students.

Mr Barnett said the Local Area Education Planning process had encouraged many positive and constructive ideas from schools and the wider community to be discussed and considered. There would now be two month implementation planning period, including wide consultation with school communities, to develop strategies to manage the changes.

"The amount of time and effort given by students, parents, schools and the general community to the process is admirable and I thank everyone for their contribution. I would also like to particularly acknowledge and thank the District Directors (Schools) Jan Little and David Carvosso for their tireless efforts in managing the process for the Education Department at the local level.

"It is through such dedication from everyone involved that we have been able to announce such exciting outcomes for the future of secondary education in this area. I encourage the whole community to support the decisions and be involved in seeing them turn into reality."

Media contact: Justine Whittome, Office of the Minister for Education, (08) 9222 9699

John Clune, Education Department of WA, (08) 9264 5111

Jan Little, District Director (Schools), (08) 9400 3300