HSC candidates conference 2010

The HSC Candidates Conference was well attended by concerned parents and residents for whom the lack of a general entry high school in Coburg is clearly a vote changing issue in the upcoming State Election. We would like to thank all who attended on the night, including MC Shane Maloney who did a most able job in keeping the night reasonably civil. Even when discussions became somewhat heated. Our children's education is clearly something we value highly.

A full panel of politicians, mostly from the seats of Brunswick and Pasoe Vale, including Christine Campbell, Jane Garret, Martin Dixon, Trent Hawkins, Liam Farelly and Cyndi Dawes gave short speeches outlining their positions on the high school for Coburg issue. 

There were many questions from the floor and discussions continued at an individual level after the panel discussion was over. HSC intends to post more detailed candidate profiles summarising the position of each candidate based on what they said on the night of the candidates conference and in other media. Highlights of the candidates conference can be found on the youtube clip below.

http://www.facebook.com/highschoolforcoburg

HSC's big week

1. The DEECD report looking into secondary education provision in the Coburg area was released. Unfortunately there is no link to the report yet, but we'll let you know when there is. In spite of numbers being demonstrably too conservative, it still showed a huge shortfall in secondary education provision in our area. HSC had a crucial part to play in this report not being a white wash.

• Primary enrolment numbers up three years in a row( including projected 2011). 
• Shows no South -North travel to secondary school, so spaces in the north become irrelevant to HSC issue. 
• Capacity shortfall for years 7-9 in schools to south: 837 at 2016 and 1,027 at 2021. 
• Capacity surplus overall for years 7-12 but in schools to the south the shortfall is: 1,358 at 2016 (partially offset by space at Coburg Senior High School) and 1,689 at 2021. 
• The Coburg area will generate 2,443 at state secondary by 2021 The average forecast demand generated by the Coburg area is 1.8 to 10 times more than that of surrounding school catchments.
• Executive summary doesn't include the additional 229 kids in Coburg /Brunswick who will require state secondary - from the updated new dwelling numbers provided by Moreland Council. 

2. The Premier, John Brumby acknowledged the demand for state secondary in Coburg at the press conference for Brunswick High Regeneration.
3. Moreland Council hangs banner on council building "This community needs a high school".
4. The Age published this article on page 4 -"Northern Schools Full" and HSC spokeswoman Catherine Hall was interviewed on ABC radio.
5. We hosted the HSC Candidates Conference - a lively night attended by two primary principals, the Mayor and several councillors, the media and ofcourse the community and the candidates .Thanks to all who came.
6. Member for Pascoe Vale, Christine Campbell announced a task force will be set up to work with the community to determine best method of implementation for increased secondary education provision for Coburg.
7. HSC BBQ at DEECD/Moreland Council funded Kids Day Out next to Coburg Leisure centre -weather not great but still sold lots of snags, got lots of support and interest from the many families attending the fun day.

NEXT: 
1. HSC will seek and provide more clarity on some of the above over next few days.
2. HSC will provide brief response to final report to Bronwyn Pike's advisor - hopefully enabling her to make an announcement.
3. HSC will also seek strong commitment ( before the government goes in to caretaker mode) to provision IN Coburg during the next government term.

HSC 2010 state election candidates conference

Follow the link to download a copy of the flyer for the HSC state election conference. Our chance to question all the candidates about where they stand on this crucial issue. This Wednesday night, 20th of October at Coburg Concert Hall from 7.00pm to 9.00pm. Spread the word!
HSC 2010 State Election Candidates Conference

Education is about children, lives and families

by Darren Saffin

I live in Jamieson Street, Coburg. If my boys were to go to high school now, where could they go? The options mentioned in a letter from Minister for Education Bronwyn Pike to a member of the High School for Coburg group are:

• Strathmore High – zoned - can’t go there
• Brunswick Secondary College – zoned with an enrolment ceiling – can’t go there
• Coburg Senior High School – years 10 to 12 only – can’t go there
• Pascoe Vale Girls Secondary College – girls only – can’t go there
• Fawkner Secondary College – available - years 7 – 10 revolve around VELS (Victorian Essential Learning Standards). VCE available in years 11 and 12 – possible but not necessarily what we need
• Box Forest Secondary College – available – 5km away

As an aside, there are other schools similar distances away but these were not mentioned in Minister Pike’s letter. These include Princess Hill (zoned), Northcote (apparently over capacity) and Thornbury (apparently told by the Department of Education to raise its cap from 800 to 1200 because Northcote is over capacity and will be capped in 2012).

Minister for Education Bronwyn Pike states “Education is the Brumby Labor Government’s number-one priority” but if you live in the Coburg area you would be hard pressed to find evidence of this statement. In this broader area we have seen seventeen secondary schools closed down or merged in the past eighteen years.

The result in our area is that kids have to move around to find a secondary school, and this is what the government wants. Their policy has made education a free market like trade or economics but they obviously aren’t the same. Education is about children, lives and families. Education is not money or a trading commodity and can’t be treated the same way.

The government thinks competition between schools will improve the system, and making parents move around to find a school will force schools to get better in order to attract students.

So will I send my boys to the schools available near here?

Stephen Lamb, Associate Professor in Education at University of Melbourne, who researches education issues found that people who have to travel to send their children to a secondary school travel to a school in an area with a higher socioeconomic status.

This is logical. If you have to travel to take your kids to school, you aren’t going to travel to an area where the perception is that schools are funded less and students achieve poorer results. Unfortunately these schools tend to be in areas of lower socioeconomic status (SES).

Mr Lamb’s findings show schools started out equal across all SES areas but after the Government introduced its policy of forcing students to travel, the schools in areas of high socioeconomic status have gotten bigger and receive more funding and can offer more choice, while the schools in areas of lower socioeconomic status have gotten smaller and receive less funding and their options become limited. It’s creating a two tiered education system.

The bigger schools get the choice of high achiever students who are travelling to find an education while the smaller schools don’t have this choice.

I will be joining the ranks of parents who send their children to a school where they believe their individual needs will be met and where they think will get the best education.

Darren Saffin is member of the HSC working group. He lives in Coburg with his wife and two small sons. In his "free" time, he handles our media. This is his personal story about how the lack of a general entry high school will affect his family. If you would like to tell your story please email us at highschool4coburg@gmail.com .

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

How not having a high school in Coburg will affect my family

by Traci Stubbs
In 2005 my husband and I moved from Newcastle to Melbourne with our two year old son Lucien. I was 15 weeks pregnant with our daughter Charlotte at the time. We chose to live in Coburg North, near Merlynston. We made this decision because being able to easily access the train to the city was a priority. Affordability of a house was also a consideration. As I don’t drive, living near a gorgeous little village like Merlynston and being able to shop in Coburg but live in a quiet street was a plus as well.

Over time we made connections in our community through playgroup, swimming lessons and the various other activities I did with the kids. I began to find my way around and figure out how to get where I needed to be via public transport.

In 2009 Lucien started school at St Mark’s in Fawkner, Charlotte will start in 2011. When Lucien started school we began to think about where he would go to high school. While he is currently going to a Catholic school, this is because it is the best school close to us, also it is a small school as opposed to our family following a religious belief. We do not want to send our son to John Fawkner. That school has been rebranded but I am still yet to hear anything good about it.

• He will not get in to Brunswick as we live north of Bell Street.
• Northcote/Thornbury or Northland- well they are just too hard to get to by public transport.
• Parade- it’s just too far away, plus I have heard it is a big school over over 600 boys.
• Penola- again just too hard to get to by public transport.

Recently Lucien was diagnosed with mild Asperger’s syndrome. He is very smart but a bit socially awkward.  I do not want him going to a big school where he gets overlooked or branded a ‘troublemaker’ because there are not resources to give him a bit of extra support. My husband wants us to move to the Strathmore zone. I cannot justify buying a house that in 5 year’s time ‘might’ be in a position to get him into Strathmore. I also do not want to leave our community, our friends, our lovely parks. I do not want to be in a position of being uprooted again and having to learn where things are and how to get around and do all the things I need to. If he goes to a school that is far away, I am worried that if something happens to Lucien at school I would not be able to get there quickly.

This issue is a hot topic at our playgroup. One mother said to me recently that her family is considering SELLING their home in Coburg North and then RENTING in Parkville so her daughter (currently in year 3) can go to a decent high school. This is not acceptable. People should not have to sell their homes just so their kids can go to school.  So many houses are being sold around our area and then subdivided into two, three, even four lots. More and more young families are moving into the subdivisions of Pentridge, with more to come when the former Kodak site is built on.  It is ridiculous we do not have a high school in Coburg for our kids to go to.

Traci Stubbs has been following and supporting the High School for Coburg campaign via our Facebook page. Are you on Facebook? We'd love to have you and your friends join us! If you would like to share your family's thoughts on secondary education in the Coburg area, please contact us here.