Full-time pre-primary classes now available to all five-year-olds

28/1/98

Full-time pre-primary classes will be available to all five-year-olds in Western Australia for the first time this year as the $20 million third phase of the Coalition Government's $122 million early childhood education program rolls out.

Education Minster Colin Barnett said the non-compulsory extra year of school was available throughout WA from today.

He said the Government's ongoing early childhood education program was widening school opportunities for children around the State. The next phase would see all four-year-old children have a place in a kindergarten program from next year.

The Minister said a number of new initiatives were announced in the education sector last year. This year would be a time of consolidation and implementation.

The new draft curriculum framework would be finalised and prepared for introduction in schools, the first decisions would be made under the Local Area Education Planning framework and the Government's new School Education Bill would be debated in Parliament to come into place from next year.

"Last year was a defining year in Western Australia's education sector," Mr Barnett said.

"A number of significant new initiatives were announced that will change the face of schooling, such as lowering class sizes and local area planning.

"This year will be a time for schools to bring these major programs together at their local and district levels. More discussion about the future of education will happen at the community level and more decisions will be made involving whole school communities."

More than 360,000 young Western Australians will attend school this year in more than 1,100 Government and non-Government schools. More than 263,000 students will attend Government schools from today, while 97,500 students will start at non-Government schools around the State either later this week or early next week.

Some children will start school for the first time. Of the more than 190,000 primary school students this year, 26,800 will start year one. Of the more than 126,000 secondary students, nearly 27,500 will begin year eight.

Mr Barnett will officially open the school year this morning at one of Western Australia's newest schools, Atwell Primary School.

The $3.6 million school is opening its doors to serve one of the fast-growing southern suburbs of Perth. It will have more than 340 students from kindergarten to year seven.

"Construction of the new Atwell Primary School was fast-tracked to ensure it was completed for the start of the 1998 school year," Mr Barnett said.

"As well as all of the modern facilities which are built into all new schools these days, Atwell Primary has fibre optic cabling throughout its buildings. The use of information technology will be a special focus for Atwell's students who will be working with computers from the start of their schooling."

Atwell Primary School has 54 young students attending pre-primary this week for the first time. They are some of Western Australia's 20,000 five year olds expected to be in Government pre-primary programs this year.

To accommodate the extra 3,000 new places created for this year, $15.5 million is being spent on new buildings. For the start of the school year, 79 purpose-designed, evaporative airconditioned, pre-primary transportable classrooms will be in place, and 28 building projects to modify existing classroom space will be completed.

"Across the State, 90 schools will offer the four-day-a-week pre-primary education program for the first time this year, taking to approximately 600 the number of Government schools offering such programs in WA," Mr Barnett said.

"The expanded pre-primary program this year will require an extra 100 full-time teachers, and 100 extra teacher aides.

"As well, as part of the Government's expanded kindergarten program for four year olds, 4,000 more places will be available this year to take to 13,500 the number of places available from this year in kindergarten."

The Government schools system is one of the biggest departments in WA. Integral to it are the approximate 17,000 full and part-time teachers, many of whom will be starting at a new school this year.

"So far this year, 200 newly-graduated teachers and 77 new principals have been appointed to Education Department schools and this number will continue to rise," Mr Barnett said.

"By the end of last year, nearly 420 graduate teachers had been appointed.

"Matching the teaching skills and specialisations of teachers to the requirements of schools around the State is a huge logistical exercise.

"Around 3,000 transfers had been processed, the majority of which were done by the end of November last year, allowing teachers more time than in past years to plan and schools to prepare for new staff."

Two new Government schools will open tomorrow - Atwell Primary School and Landsdale Pre-primary. Four other Government schools will open later this year.

In the non-Government sector, two new non-Government schools will open - Carey Baptist College in Forrestdale and Merriwa Christian College, while three kindergartens, Borden, Ongerup, and Parkwood, have transferred into the non-Government sector having been previously registered with Family and Children's Services.

Media contact: Justine Whittome, (08) 9222 9699