High School for Coburg update - August 2011

HSC wrote to Minister Dixon in July 2011 stating the depth of community support for a general entry High School in Coburg. HSC recently wrote to Minister Dixon again outlining once again the need for a general entry High Scool in Coburg. You can read the full text of the letter here. Below are the key points.

Minister Dixon visits Coburg Senoir High on 02/08/11 see here for more images

REBORN SCHOOLS
On 15 August 2011 the Age published an article on reborn schools. This article highlights some key aspects of the HSC case:

• Schools running well below their capacity are expensive to operate. 

“We’ve got a lot of buildings that we’re paying to maintain –it’s a massive investment for buildings that sit there idle for a large part of the time.”  Wayne Craig, Northern Region.

• Exactly! This is why the ex-Moreland College site must be fully utilized – it is high time!
• We note that in the article the Coburg Senior High School was omitted from the education department’s list of inner Northern Region Schools with enrolments under 500. The CSHS has an enrolment of 218 and according to the Spatial Vision report will track at about that level through to 2021.
• Albert Park’s enrolment figures show there is plenty of pent up demand for quality state secondary schools in Melbourne’s inner suburbs. These figures call into question the current DEECD enrolment projection methodology which is based on assumptions of very low proportions choosing state schools and also the averaging of LTE’s back to 2006 even where there is consistently increasing numbers since then.
• The Albert Park story also highlights the inequity of the Coburg scenario:
• In 2006 Albert Park–Middle Park had only 418 persons aged 12-17, meanwhile Coburg had 1,503 (plus a further 349 in Coburg North) with about 10 times more expected growth in numbers than Albert Park-Middle Park. (id.forecast) Albert Park College closed in 2006 and re-opened this year in first class facilities. In Coburg where the numbers are, the high school closed back in 2004 and we still have no open state provision for children leaving the 22 primary schools in our area.

SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY

• Thornbury High School Council has written a letter of support which we will share once received. This makes a total of nine school councils that have either written in support of HSC or have written directly to you on this matter.
• Northcote High School – Acting Principal’s Report on challenges in managing the demands of high enrolments, latest school newsletter, page two.

“Last month Northcote HS received about 400 applicants for places in Year 7, well beyond our capacity to accept which is about 250”

• This is on the ground evidence that the need for an open entry High School in Coburg is there now – well before 2016.
• HSC facebook: 469 likers and 11,200 post views in one week, last week. We continue to show growing and engaged community support.

SPATIAL VISION REPORT
HSC appreciate that few would have had the time to read the very large Spatial Vision Report in detail so please find attached what we consider to be the three crucial sections:

1.  Key Growth areas map showing increase in secondary school aged persons 2006-2021. The greatest growth by far is of course in Coburg which has no school, followed by other areas which have full schools. The Minister for Planning was particularly struck by the starkness of this visual representation when HSC met with him last month.
2. Network Capacity Analysis – showing the projected shortfalls at schools in the Spatial Vision study area. Please note – if it is accepted that students do not and will not be travelling over an hour to attend schools to the north of the Coburg area – the overall shortfall becomes MUCH greater as it is concentrated in the southern schools.
3. Coburg Core Area – Spatial Vision did a study-within-the-study on the proposed Coburg High catchment (Coburg SLA plus West Preston) and it is clear that the area accounts for up to ten times the number of secondary aged persons as the surrounding catchments

Joke's on us, John

This letter was paublished in today's Age

IN THE article ''John and Ted's school days'' (The Sunday Age, 21/11) about Ted Baillieu and John Brumby's shared experience of Melbourne Grammar, Brumby says that the long haul to and from Ivanhoe each day - he was one of only about half a dozen kids ''from that side of the river'' - meant the school was missing a sense of family and community'' for him.

But he has forced many families to endure a similar absence of family and community by abandoning public secondary schools (''All set for high school but closures leave no place to go'', (The Age, 20/11).

The communities in and around Oakleigh and Coburg have no public high school - a callous and absurd joke that must be rectified.

Andy Stewart, Coburg

Letter on Coburg Education Taskforce from Minister Pike to Jane Garrett

Below is a letter dated 17 November 2010 from Minister for Education, Bronywn Pike to the ALP candidate for Brunswick, Jane Garrett.

Letter on Coburg Education Taskforce From Minister Pike to Jane Garrett

Overlooked in education pledges

This letter appeared in The Age today.

FOLLOWING education pledges by the state government, Coburg - the north's secondary education black hole - is now ringed by regeneration. The Coburg Initiative - Australia's largest urban renewal project - is set to bring more than 8000 people to the area in two decades. Yet a state secondary school is already a requirement, according to a new draft framework.

That a recent Education Department report identified a significant secondary provision shortfall in the north came as no surprise to Coburgians - 53 per cent of whom are considering moving away because of the issue, according to a survey by High School for Coburg.

Although this area generates up to 10 times more state secondary students than surrounding school catchments, it doesn't have a high school.

An indication of local support is the almost $20,000 that business and community have pledged to the HSC civic fund launched this month. Pledges to the potential school would be matched by the government, through its Business Working with Education Foundation.

This government must pledge to re-establish open-entry state secondary provision during the next term.

Catherine Hall, Coburg North

Education choices sacrificed for power

This letter appeared in The Age today.

THE ALP's announcement that it will provide even more funds to private schools (''Private schools get $200 million pledge'', The Age, 10/11) reveals it to be made up of the lowest-rent form of power-hungry professional politicians, without a shred of vision other than maintaining their own positions of power.

For two years, residents have demonstrated the obvious need for a general-entry high school in Coburg. It is a touchstone issue in the seat of Pascoe Vale and will also play out in Brunswick, where the Greens and Phil Cleary are committed to working towards its establishment. But from the government we get nothing other than weasel words and postures because we live in a safe ALP seat.

The real-politik world of the professional politician renders the choices for my children fewer than for others, simply because of where I live.

The ALP does not represent a more equal society, it represents crass individuals bereft of compassion. The political world has changed in Canberra. It must change in Spring Street in two weeks.

Peter Robertson, Coburg

HSC response to OxYgen draft report

This is a copy of the email sent to Moreland councillors on 14/09/2010 regarding the draft OxYgen Youth report. This report is open for feedback on the Moreland Council website.

Hi Oscar, Alice and all

Congratulations on the OxYgen report which I just had a look at on the net. I note in the report that:

• Youth service providers identified Education as the biggest issue facing Moreland Youth
• Co-location was a highly regarded potential solution to provision of space for youth.
• Disengagement, mental health and the need for resilience are also big issues.

High School for Coburg are working very hard to come up with solution for a big chunk of Moreland youth and I see a lot of duplication in our arguments -the report cites, as HSC does, the benefits to the broader community of getting in early with help for young people. We have come to understand that the most vulnerable group in terms of potential disengement are middle years boys -this is the specific group that are let down by the current secondary school provision scenario in Coburg.

We also understand that while young people need their own spaces, the family-school-community partnership is also crucially important in terms of building resilience and education outcomes.This partnership cannot occur when schools are far away. Contrary to what some on the committee may believe not all in Coburg can get in to Brunswick High and Coburg North is out of what is effectively the enrolment zone for Brunswick High.

One of the solutions we are suggesting is a junior intake at the under utilised Coburg Senior High. While we acknowledge this school is doing some great work with young people - it would be put to wonderful use servicing a broader age range and opening the excellent facilities to more of the community.

One option we are considering is an education Hub however a Youth Hub could also be something to consider in relation to any new secondary school provision that arises in Coburg. We see an opportunity to work in conjunction with the Coburg Initiative ( right in the centre of Moreland ) to increase provision to our youth and to co-locate services with a Coburg High. I am writing to ask if HSC could be invited/involved in any discussions around this issue given that education has been highlighted as the major youth issue.

Kind Regards Cate Hall

“It may be that in 10 or 15 years there will be need for a new school”

by Janet Grigg
Have you seen last weeks Moreland Leader? I was outraged when I read the interview with Wayne Craig Northern Metropolitan Region Director of the DEECD and he said “It may be that in 10 or 15 years there will be need for a new school.” Were you outraged too? Well, there have been 35 online responses to that interview so far.  Not all of them favourable, but I suspect that means we are starting to be heard. Would you like to add your voice to the chorus? If you think it probably wouldn't make a difference, go read this. In an election year, everything we read, every comment we make, every facebook page we "like" is monitored by those who seek our vote. Let's show them how much we care about education in Coburg!

Darren Saffin, a member of  High School for Coburg wrote this letter to the The Age and I think it sums up our issues very neatly:

Window dressing

It is all very well for the government to set up a ministerial taskforce to look at the need for a new secondary school for Coburg and surrounding suburbs, but it is clear from the Department of Education's northern metropolitan region director, Wayne Craig, that the study is really just pre-election window dressing.

Our suburb desperately needs a new high school: there are now 22 primary schools but no open-entry state high school.

Mr Craig recently told our local newspaper that the suburb might need a new school in ''10 or 15 years''. I believe that Mr Craig is just saying what Education Minister Bronwyn Pike and the department won't.

While the City of Moreland annual community indicators survey of residents shows that satisfaction with secondary schools in the area keeps falling and is at an all-time low, the department is playing games in the lead-up to the state election.

It's time for the department to start treating this community with respect and to deliver realistic secondary education options for the local community.

So, actions to take:

• add your comment to the Moreland Leader online
• "like" our facebook page and encourage your friends to do the same
• write to politicians, newspapers etc

Let's make our voices heard. Loud and strong. Our community needs a high school!

A letter to the Premier

This letter was sent to the Premier of Victoria on 08/04/2010. It illustrates many of the issues surrounding our campaign for a general entry, all years high school in Coburg.

Dear John Brumby , 

At Coburg Coles today the lady working the register told me her family had to move away because there is no high school and they couldn't get in to Strathmore - this is a typical story and backs up community campaign group High School for Coburg's survey result of 53% considering moving away. 

HSC note your commendable Liveability Pledge includes as its number one building block- "More government spending on social infrastructure so that no matter where people live in Melbourne they can get to use quality hospitals, schools and other community services". 

We hope this applies to the Coburg area which has 22 primary schools but no open entry government secondary school. As I am sure you are aware -good qaulity local amentity is what makes liveability which in turn stimulates economic investment in an area. 

Mr Brumby, you talk of Melbourne being made up "of unique villages and precincts, each with a character reflecting the aspriations of ..residents ..." this is a nice and accurate portrait of Melbourne but would add that level of opportunity is also reflected -and in the Coburg when you talk scondary education opportunity there ain't much. 

Bronwyn Pike has said "it takes a village to raise a child ". 

In keeping with the above pledge and government policy at all levels re local schools being better, economic development of community, sustainability, community strengthening, school transition, active transport etc and following the recommendations of the Melbourne's North - the new knowledge economy report and in order to help us raise our children, build this community and prevent it's constant dismantling due to families moving away because there is no high school - This village needs a school. 

Kind Regards 

Catherine Hall

State Planning Logic 101

by Cate Hall


1. A growth area is only a growth area if it is an Outer Growth Area

At a High School for Coburg sausage sizzle at Coburg Mall in early March, we were approached by an employee of the transport planning department who told us that Coburg is a drop in the ocean compared to the outer growth areas which are competing for infrastructure spending and that we didn't stand a chance. Even though Coburg is growing - with Pentridge and the pending Coburg Initiative and former Kodak site redevelopment and increased birthrates and influx of families, it does not to qualify as a growth area. This is ridiculous.

Justin Madden's new outer Growth Area planning guidelines say that if the population is 30,000, provision for a high school is needed. Coburg plus Coburg North hit that population mark years ago and we require secondary education provision to ensure equity of access.The Coburg Initiative alone should qualify Coburg as having needs comparable to an Outer Growth Area.

With the cessation of government plans to grow Melbourne outside it's current boundary due to the collapse of the proposed growth area tax, growing areas like Coburg may now have a chance of getting the infrastructure provision required.

2. If they are leaving because it is not there, you don't need to provide it

Justin Madden in a letter last year to MP Robin Scott acknowledged that there is a pattern of families leaving the Coburg and West Preston areas when their children reach secondary school age but with breathtaking logic goes on to say that is why a secondary school is not required.

Of course the community knows that many families make the difficult decision to leave Coburg and West Preston as their children approach high school age because there is no state high school.

Local real estate agents have gone on record in the Moreland Leader confirming this, as did HSC's Moreland Council assisted survey showing over 50 % leaving because no high school but 96% saying they would support local school if it existed.

3. It is not necessary to do community consultation across the road from a major development if that is the next municipality

The DPCD appear not to have felt the need to extend community consultation process for the redevelopment of the former Kodak site across the street into Darebin.

3 .1. Amendment : It is not necessary to inform residents across the road from a developement - even in same municipality. 

Opinion Ignored

by Cate Hall

This is HSC's response to the Minister for Education, Bronwyn Pike's comments in the Moreland Leader (Pike says Coburg School may not be used - Moreland Leader - 01/02/2010). An edited version was published in the letters section of the Moreland leader on 08/02/2010.

While High School for Coburg (HSC) thanks Minister for Education Bronwyn Pike for agreeing to MP Christine Campbell's call to set up a taskforce to look at state secondary education provision for Coburg, West Preston and surrounds, we strongly disagree with her comments in the Moreland Leader Monday 1 February 2010. Her obvious bias makes it imperative that this taskforce has an independent chairperson to present fair and reasonable results without outside influence. 

Minister Pike says a Coburg High "may not be used” – she has obviously chosen to ignore the HSC parental attitudes and intentions survey results which show 96% of respondents would send their children to a Coburg High. She also says Coburg had a high school which parents chose not to send their children to.That is a complex story of school closures and amalgamations and it is arguable that some schools did not get the extra support required from the very beginning. 

It is time to look to the future and provide valid options, not dredge up the past.The community is no longer willing to accept Coburg’s place in the education department’s too hard basket. They do not want to move suburbs or send their children far away to attend high school and many cannot afford this option .Equitable access to education is what’s required. 

Minister Pike is fond of saying “it takes a village to raise a child" - one of the basic requirements of the village is a secondary school, and for this wonderfully diverse community it would be a hub, enhancing connectivity and sustainable development. Minister Pike refers to "early analysis" showing greater growth in student numbers in the Brunswick area than the Coburg area. That is either disingenuous or she is getting bad advice.

Her comments are at odds with the recent DPCD and Moreland Council projections showing much greater numbers of young people in the Coburg area right now and much greater expected growth in Coburg into the future. For example in the 10-14 yr age group there are roughly twice as many in the Coburg Statistical Local Area (SLA) ( 2,671 children ) than the  Brunswick SLA. For 15 -19 yr olds Brunswick SLA decreases long term by 277  while Coburg's numbers grow by 681.* 

And why is Minister Pike talking about Coburg and Brunswick numbers around  the launch of Glenroy and Fawkner re-branded schools?  Is it to justify the fact that the spending on secondary education in Moreland is occurring in the north and in Brunswick in spite of the greatest number of young people being in the Coburg area where there isn't even one open entry state high school? 

HSC ask Minister Pike to make this “early analysis" available to the public, along with other data that we have repeatedly asked the department for, so that the community can see the whole picture.We have 22 primary schools, the greatest number by far of young children in Moreland now and into the future and no open entry state high school, what's the story?

*A visual representation of the DPCD statistics can be seen here. The raw data was sourced from the DPCD site, scroll down to the end of the page and click on detailed data files.

Letter from Christine Campbell to the Moreland Leader

The letter below is from Christine Campbell MP to the editor of the Moreland Leader, clarifying her position and calling for Year 7 to commence at Coburg Senior High School. You can view the original letter here.


September 8

The Editor
Moreland Leader
Fax:9481 2083

Dear Editor,

I wish to clarify for your reader, my call for Coburg Senior High School to be expanded to a 7-12 years secondary school. When CSHS opened in 2007 the initial three year plan was for 900 students in years 10-12 by 2010 - this equates to 300 students per year level. School facilities have been designed and developed accordingly. The schools website shows the latest enrolment figure as 207.

I have been advised that Department of Education guidelines require a critical mass of 200 students per year level for a new school to be considered. Analysis by Moreland City Council of population projection data supports the need for a high school but analysis of the same data by the Department of Education concludes that there is not a need. It is vital that we have the correct figures.

Currently, based on the most conservative analysis of the figures, there would be enough year 7 students seeking enrolment at a Coburg high school in 2011 to establish at least two classes, an approach consistent with the process approved by the education department for the commencement of CSHS. As with CSHS, the number of classes in subsequent years would increase. Incidentally, this would also assist VCE numbers at CSHS.

It can be concluded that with so much space already available at Coburg Senior High School and the Department's previous flexibility with their enrolment guidelines that the opportunity is there to meet the needs of the community. It would follow that Year would start in 2012 and Year 9 in 2013. The existing facilities are brand new, state of the art and designed to be expanded as enrolments require.

This is why I have written to the Minister for Education requesting that provisions be made for a Year 7 intake in January 2011 at the current CSHS site.

My constituents, particularly those in Coburg and many in Pascoe Vale are not eligible for enrolment in their closest secondary school and Pascoe Vale Girls College is under considerable pressure with a long waiting list. I will continue to bring my constituents' concerns to the Minister's attention.

Yours sincerely

Hon Christine Campbell
Member for Pascoe Vale

Online comments in the Moreland Leader

The online comments for the Moreland leader article - HAVE YOUR SAY: Brunswick MP Carlo Carli slates Coburg high school bid - have been running hot over the last two days. Interesting reading, I encourage everyone to visit and chime in.

Letter from Bronwyn Pike

by Catherine Hall

We recently received a letter from Bronwyn Pike in response to an email I sent to Kelvin Thomson in April 2009. Similar letters were sent to Bronwyn Pike, Christine Campbell and John Brumby.

This response is more detailed and considered than earlier stock responses so High School for Coburg (HSC) feel we are beginning to have an impact.

The letter is notable for the following reasons:

As always the list of suggested schools families from this region could use does not include a local all access state high school. Interestingly Thornbury High School has been added to that list. This high school is very good but too far away. HSC have highlighted the work of Stephen Lamb (a well respected researcher used by the department see - School Reform and Inequality in Urban Australia A Case of Residualizing the Poor-Stephen Lamb 2007 and an article in the Age about this book) which shows it is very unlikely that people from the Coburg region will be sending their children up to Fawkner Secondary College or Box Forest College. We believe this is why the education department has thrown Thornbury High School into the mix.

The minister states the number required for a new school is 1000-1100 enrolments in the long term. HSC has access to the recent population projections done for Moreland council which seem to show Coburg alone, let alone the region HSC represents would supply these numbers. Coburg's population is set to grow from 22 000 to 33 000

The minister talks about Brunswick High School missing out on funding which would have resulted in additional places at that capped and effectively zoned school. Talking about what could have been does seem a little odd.

Email to Kelvin Thomson

by Catherine Hall

This is a copy of the email I sent to Kelvin Thomson on April 11, 2009.

Subject: schools for new suburb of 3000 homes while neglect in Coburg which will also gain 3000 homes

Dear Kelvin,
I was angered at the apparent inequity inherent in the announcement of the Federal and State initiative to build a new suburb in Maribyrnong.
This development will have 3000 new homes in 10 years,"equivalent to Castlemaine " which is exactly the home number and time frame for The Coburg Initiative.
It was announced that there will be new schools [note the plural] included in the planning.

While this is laudible it highlights what Coburg ISN'T getting.

Coburg has the greatest number of young children in Moreland and the greatest expected increase in those numbers and yet in this region there are 22 pimary schools and not one high school.
Coburg already has great need for a high school ,as evidenced by High School for Coburg [HSC] data and the 850 very concerned families who have joined us thus far.
The primary school community ,and thus the wider one,is being dismantled as children travel to many different high schools, all out of their area.
Add to this dire situation development the size of Castlemaine -not to mention Pentridge and Kodak and, unlike Maribyrnong, still we are not deemed worthy of consideration for a school.
Would you please ask Bronwyn Pike and Julia Gillard to give the region from West Preston across to Pacoe Vale [which includes the Coburg Initiative] the same consideration of education provision that has apparently occurred for the new Maribyrnong suburb?

Kind Regards

Catherine Hall
Coburg North 3058