Population, planning and school provision: It’s high time for Coburg

Currently in Melbourne many middle ring suburbs have community campaigns calling for reinstatement of government school provision. The suburbs include – Richmond, Kingsville-Yarraville-Seddon, Oakleigh, Coburg, Prahran and a campaign for two schools for Port Phillip. 

A graph made using the Property Council’s new tool, Our Nation, shows just how many new class rooms will be needed in Melbourne to cope with projected increased numbers by 2021 – enough to make any State Government treasurer blanch. The suburbs needing schools now are generally those which have experienced school closures followed by increased numbers of school aged children as a result of increased births, suburb life cycle and an influx of first home buyers and young families moving a bit further out from the inner city.

Along with the above population factors some middle ring suburbs are experiencing urban renewal with plans and capacity for more. A recent Property Council Report Making the Numbers Stack Up: a study into major residential urban renewal in Melbourne has highlighted Coburg as being the only suburb in the top 20 for numbers of all three new housing types. 


Coburg Hill – the redevelopment of the old Kodak site is coming along nicely and was launched by State Government big guns like the Premier and Planning Minister.In a recent Moreland Leader article, the Moreland Council CEO Peter Brown said of the Coburg Initiative urban renewal project -“All the fundamentals are there. Even when we talk to the State Government they say of all the urban redevelopments around Melbourne this is probably as good as you’re going to get”.

HSC argue, with full council support, that the one fundamental missing is a high school which is essential for the economic viability of urban renewal in this designated activity area. If the State government back urban renewal in our area they should also back the provision of essential social infrastructure. Local school provision not only benefits economic development it is positive for community development, social development, well being, health and the environment. Of all morning peak hour car trips, 17% are parents taking children to school according to a recent report from the Vic Parliamentary Enquiry into Environmental Design and Public Health and the cost of congestion is set to double by 2010. HSC say planning for local school provision which enables active transport is the solution.

Recently the Minister for Education Hon Martin Dixon said on ABC radio that of all the areas in Melbourne needing a school Coburg is the most progressed. Since September 2008 Community advocacy group High School for Coburg (HSC) has been calling for the reinstatement of junior secondary provision in Coburg. HSC’s own report More Local Primary School – Fewer Secondary Options  shows very big increases in primary school enrolments in the area, for example a 50% increase Prep enrolments in the four years to 2012.

HSC await the census data with interest as one anomaly they cite is the low growth in numbers for primary school aged children in id forecast projections for Coburg North for instance compared with the actual primary enrolment increases at the local schools. Cate from HSC wonders if this is because it is hard to capture families who migrate into suburbs with children as they aren’t picked up in birth data for the area.

The group has put together this data map using the id website which shows the most secondary school aged persons in Darebin and Moreland are in Preston and Coburg –suburbs which do not have any Years 7-9 co-ed school provision. Two state governments have commissioned two demographic reports by consultants Spatial Vision on a study area roughly equating with the Moreland plus Darebin municipalities.
The 2012 report, with the added benefit of Darebin Council now being on board with id forecast showed even bigger projections than the 2010 report and found an immediate shortfall in spaces for years 7 to 9.

The Education Minister has this report and DEECD recommendations before him now and is expected to make a decision in the near future.

HSC say it would be a good idea for the Planning Minister to have a chat with him.

Cross posted on the .idblog here.

High School for Coburg Campaign Update June 2012

While the Minister for Education, Martin Dixon has been considering the Review of Secondary Provision in the Coburg Area, HSC has had extensive media coverage including:

• Moreland Leader front page article and five letters published in their Education Week issue. 
• Education Age.
• Melbourne Times. 
• Herald Sunday Sun.  
• The Coburg issue also featured in an interview with Education Minister Martin Dixon on Rafael Epstein’s 774 ABC Drive show. This elicited several calls about Coburg.

Here is a snap shot of comments from the Minister’s spokesperson:

• Expanding Coburg Senior High School to include year 7 to 9 students was one of two options under consideration to meet a shortfall of 301 year 7 to 9 places set to more than double in less than a decade
• The second option being considered was increasing infrastructure at existing schools.
• Minister Dixon would consult with the HSC group and other stakeholders and was likely to reach a decision in the next two months.
• “If there needs to be short-term solutions, such as relocatable classrooms, those things are considered and money is available,” 
• “But it may be that there are other schools in the area that also have capacity to take students.
• We’re certainly looking at a long-term solution for the Coburg area.
• Minister was willing to meet community groups. 
• "The minister is looking at a number of options to cater for short and long-term growth in the area and is expected to make an announcement in the next few weeks about preferred options," the spokesman said.
• He said the data had to be properly analysed before a preferred option could be explored.

Comments from Minister Dixon on ABC radio:

• Of the areas needing a school Coburg is the most advanced. A number of options with me right now. I am considering these.
• Looking at recommendations with options -we consider options then make decisions about timing. Depending on recommendations -may not be needed until next year or the year after.
• If recommendations say the need is immediate then it could be in the budget next year.

HSC RESPONSE 

The reports, including the Spatial Vision Report 2012 and the  HSC Response to the 2012 Spatial Vision Report, are on Minister Dixon’s table now and HSC are keen to meet with him. So we were pleased to read that the Minister is happy to meet with community groups and will be consulting with HSC as we have been unable to secure a meeting with the Minister or his advisor since January 2011.

It is excellent that the most sensible option (7-9 provision at Coburg Senior High) is being considered. We ask the Minister to choose this option now – it does not cost anything to make the right decision – and give our community some certainty.

Relocatables at schools outside Coburg are not a solution for this community as they would be mainly at Thornbury and Northcote – too far away – and in relatively small numbers, according to the Spatial Vision report, so would be quickly swallowed up by those communities.

A short term stop gap is not the answer and is not an efficient use of funds.

The money that is available now for relocatables should be spent on immediate implementation planning for provision in Coburg.

A “long term solution for Coburg” is not good enough – the Spatial Vision report found a significant and immediate shortfall. The need is therefore immediate and it is good to know that if the DEECD recommendations reflect this – the money can be in next year’s budget.

NEXT STEPS

• HSC have secured a very high level DEECD meeting – date TBA.
• HSC have reiterated our requests to meet with Minister Dixon and his advisor or chief of staff.
• HSC have an Information and Discussion Session booked for Moreland Council Directors, CEO and Councillors on Monday 25 June.
• HSC have pencilled in Tuesday 24 July for a community meeting at Coburg Concert Hall– details TBA.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

• Now is the time to write to the Minister. Contact details here
• ‘Like’ us on facebook – we have 674 followers currently
• Has your school or childcare written a letter of support? Have they backed the CSHS option?
• We have 12 schools and two child care centres among our 45 letters of community support. 

Coburg Provision Review handed to Minister Dixon

THERE IS NO HIDING FROM THE NUMBERS IN THE EDUCATION BLACK HOLE

A process looking at ways to manage the shortfall highlighted in the 2010 Spatial Vision Report  was announced in Jan 2011. Nothing happened. This was in part apparently due to DEECD re-structure. The 2010 Spatial Vision report was then deemed too old and a new process, The Coburg Provision Review was established in Oct 2011.

Along with DEECD brief, Minister Dixon was given:

• A "re-freshed' Spatial Vision Report. 
• Independent consultation with 23 schools. In Feb 2012, principals and school council presidents were asked about the provision issue in general and the HSC proposal to have junior provision at the Coburg Senior High site. 
• High School for Coburg (HSC) response to Spatial Vision report. At the end of the process, HSC were invited to write a response to the Spatial Vision Review 2012. (This was prepared at short notice by two mums in four days hence the typos).

We share our report with you here. The main points are:

• Much bigger numbers than the 2010 report. 
• Significant and immediate provisions shortfall, therefore HSC expects immediate provision planning. 
• The recommendation in the 2010 report was to manage the shortfall from 2016. The shortfall number for 2016 in the old report was already exceeded significantly in 2011 in the new report, so to be consistent the DEECD recommendation should be to manage the shortfall immediately. 
• Report states the pressure will be on the middle and southern schools. There are no open entry state secondary schools in the middle - Pascoe Vale, Coburg, Preston etc and southern schools are full

The minister was aware of the Spatial Vision report findings well before the budget so it is disappointing to see there has been no allocation for provision planning. However, budget allocation or not there is no hiding from the numbers. It is worth noting that the three previous consultant reports, including two Spatial Vision reports, and indeed the whole Coburg Provision Review, occurred without budget announcements. What is needed now is for Minister Dixon to make the decision to utilise the Coburg Senior High site as the most sensible option for managing the demonstrated shortfall in Year 7-9 provision.This will give our community some much needed certainty and enable the DEECD to begin implemantion planning as a continuation of the work already done.

The community, including the twelve schools who formally support HSC, are ready to be part of the solution.

HSC Response to 2012 Spatial Vision Report

NORTH or SOUTH OF THE RIVER?

Let's compare the outcomes.

Number of secondary aged persons at 2012 (id forecast) 

• COBURG suburb alone: 1,613 - High school closed 2004.......
• ALBERT PARK-MIDDLE PARK: 400 - School closed 2006 -already re-opened and full thus highlight the demand in inner suburbs for public education. (Port Phillip Council looking at the need for a second.)
• PRAHRAN: 372 - $200,000 in Budget to study sites (seemingly skipping the process to identify need, which the Coburg community has endured for years)

In other words Coburg has over four times the number of high school aged kids in Albert Park (and 40 times the growth) and Prahran.but still no sign of a high school.

Campaign update

As reported in the The Age on Friday 30th March there has been an ironic twist in the long sad story of the Education Black Hole. The old Coburg High site on Bell Street has come up for sale just as a report looking at the need for a new Coburg High is being updated for the Minister for Education!

The DEECD are due to hand a report to Martin Dixon which will include a 'refresh' of the 2010 Spatial Vision report which was commissioned by Bronwyn Pike to determine whether demographics support the provision of a new stand alone school. The updated report will be based in part on updated Moreland and Darebin population forecasts by id who provide demographic information. These show a greatly increased number of secondary school age persons in our area and much sooner than in the 2010 report.

The report to Minister Dixon will also include an independant report based on the work of a consultant who spoke to 23 school principals and school council presidents throughout February 2012.

Questions raised about Coburg Senior High School

This comment was received from Robin, a Coburg parent on HSC's recent Facebook poll that asked "Would your children attend a government open entry high school in Coburg?"

Yes! We would like Coburg Senior High returned to a year 7-12 high school so that our kids can continue their education journey within our local community and along side friends from our primary school & the local neighbourhood. It is beyond belief that we have a fantastic secondary school (CSHS) which could benefit so many, being wasted on a few.....the boarded up windows on the lower levels on the buildings bring tears to my eyes when I ride my bike thru the school grounds - such wonderful resources & infrastructure allowed to rot while the need for a school continues to grow. What is the political agenda that allows this to be the case? Why do the powers that be think it's a good idea for Coburg to be without a high school?

Also on the subject of the Coburg Senior High School this is a letter from parent Giles Brading to MP Kelvin Thomson in March 2012.

Dear Kelvin,
I contact you with great concern for what I am witnessing in regard to the Secondary School education offered within the Moreland area.
I am aware of the High School for Coburg movement and agree in entirety with their objective but find it hard to believe that any action will be made before my son requires a secondary education in 2015.
My greatest concern is focused on the existing Coburg Senior High School.
I attach an article published April 2007 in the Herald Sun launching the school, its revolutionary teaching style and wealthy resources.
The paragraph of greatest concern is "The school opened this year with 45 year-10 students and will eventually accommodate 900 year 10-12 students."
Today the school has been open for nearly 5 years and has under 300 students.
The word "eventually' used in the context of this article would suggest to me that within 5 years it would be fair to make the assumption that the 900 student capacity be reached.
That leaves a gap of 600 students. I'm starting to sense that Coburg Senior High School does not come under the jurisdiction of a normal Government school?
How can it be that a government built facility paid for, maintained and operated by tax payer funds is being allowed to continue under capacity in an almost elitist manner?
Did you know that to apply for a place at Coburg Senior High School it is necessary to complete two online interview processes and that you will be contacted if you are a 'person' of interest?
Did you know that Coburg Senior High School only holds two open days per year for prospective students?
I can only conclude from what I have seen and read that Coburg Senior High School must be a fantastic place to be a teacher, with a small number of students and a strict intake criteria, doesn't sound like a government school to me!
Nothing in regard to the High School is transparent. When will it reach capacity? how much funding does it receive? and why is it so select in its entry?
Your knowledge and comment on my concerns would be much appreciated

Yours Sincerely

Giles Brading

Letter to the Education Minister about secondary school provision for Coburg

Coburg parent, Richard sent this letter to the Minister for Education, Martin Dixon on 15/03/2012.

Dear Minister,
Well another school year has begun and my two sons have thrown themselves back into learning at Coburg Primary School. My eldest son is in Grade 6 this year, capping off a wonderful primary school experience at an extremely wonderful school, where a true sense of community thrives. Sadly, next year all will be different for him as we’re still not certain we can secure a place in any of the surrounding high schools, and there’s absolutely no guarantee he’ll be with any of his primary school mates. So he’s going to have to take one or more public transport connections to get to his new high school, in one of four directions, and whatever school it is it won’t be in his suburb. Unlike parents in all the surrounding suburbs, we have no alternative to this.

As far as I’m aware, these distant high schools are rapidly approaching capacity, which may mean our already limited options are further eroded. Add to this is the fact that we want our children to have the best possible high school experience and I’m sorry to say that the current re-branding of the surviving two nearest northern high schools isn’t enough to convince us that they can offer what we want for our children. So given that he will have to travel to a distant high school, we would send him elsewhere to a school with a proven track record.

Regardless of which school ultimately takes our children, it won’t be in our suburb, which is very disappointing for us personally, but it affects our community by making it constantly transitory. The extraordinary lengths Coburg families must go through, either moving to other suburbs with a local high school, or those that stay or have no option, must apply to various distant schools, where either we’re out of the zone, or the school is at or over capacity, or it doesn’t provide a decent secondary education.

Our children have no say in this and it’s their needs that are not being met. There is no connection for Coburg kids to recognize the normal situation of attending primary and then high schools in their suburb. Coburg’s community will always only be interconnected at the primary school-aged kids level and then scattered, as all of our parental interest is directed to other suburb’s high schools. Coburg doesn’t have a High School it can be a part of; its’ adolescents have no investment in Coburg and families will have no continuing bond with which to build a complete community.

Minister, it’s so frustrating knowing there is an empty high school building just down the road from our primary school, that could easily address all these problems. Well not entirely empty, the site houses Coburg Senior High School, the Northern Regional offices of DEECD, plus I think other tenants. There is a three-storey school building, mostly empty, where DEECD offices are located. This is a purpose-built Year 7 to 12 high school, paid for by our taxes, and being grossly under-utilized, and we’re told to go out and squeeze into another distant school. My kids will be walking past this empty school to the bus/tram/train for the next 9 years.

Moreland in general is undergoing a population boom; all primary schools are reporting an increase in their prep enrolments. The 2010 Spatial Vision report showed there is an increase in secondary school-aged students in Moreland and that provision should be increased. Massive housing developments at Pentridge and the Kodak site and Moreland’s proposed urban renewal initiative will only add to this. You know you’ll have to increase High school provision so why don’t you do it now and help keep our community together also.

The current school, Coburg Senior High School, is I suppose, a wonderful addition to the Northern Region’s secondary provision, but it doesn’t do anything for our community’s children as it is a select entry school, and it starts at Year 10. And why is it so that in this fiscally tight age you can spend quite a lot more per student on what is effectively an experimental model while the actual needs of the community are not addressed at all? While it wouldn’t be easy or even desirable, CSHS could even remain as an existing stream alongside the Year 7 to 12 open entry Coburg High School, the site is that big and that under-utilized.

Minister, I know you are interested in this issue. You were present at two large community meetings held at the Coburg Town Hall when you were Opposition spokesman for education. You are a parent and were, I believe once a high school principal. You understand our community’s need for a high school. It’s not good enough for your Government to say, well the previous Labour government did nothing to fix this problem so why should we? You can do better than that. Many are saying your Government needs to invest in infrastructure, in particular in education, to stimulate the flagging economy. Retrofitting the existing building to accommodate a staged reintroduction of an open entry secondary school would do this and provide for our community and secondary education in the northern region, without a huge expenditure.

Our community has suffered enough. The whole northern suburb catchment for high schools will benefit form greater choice and relieved enrolment pressure in their local schools. There are no excuses. The building is there. The need is recognized. It’s part of your charter to provide quality education to all students and this is not being done.

I await your response to this urgent and most heartfelt plea.

Sincerely,

Richard Gray