Save Tharwa School

From ABC News

The ACT Opposition will today begin legal action in an attempt to force the Territory Government to release documents relating to school closures.

Education spokeswoman Vicki Dunne says she will lodge an application with the ACT Administrative Appeals Tribunal to review the department’s decision.

She says she has already applied to the Government for access to 3,000 documents relating to school closures, under the Freedom of Information Act.

“When I went back for an internal review I was told that a large number of those documents were no longer part of the application, and I received only very limited access,” she said.

“There are many documents which are being withheld for what I consider spurious reasons.

“There is too much secretiveness about the closure of the schools and I want open and accountable disclosure of documents.”

Ms Dunne says she wants to find out what the process was that came to the conclusion that 39 schools should be closed.

“The process of determining what those 39 schools were, the process whereby they came up with eight or nine different combinations of school-age mixes … which have never been explained to the community,” she said.

From ABC News

Tharwa residents are calling on the ACT Government to find an immediate solution to the closure of the town’s bridge.

The bridge was closed this morning after inspections discovered it was no longer safe to carry traffic.

Motorists must now take a six-kilometre detour via Point Hut Crossing.

Tharwa store keeper Val Jeffrey says the bridge is part of the life blood of the town.

He says if a temporary solution is not found, the closure will affect the whole community.

“When it was closed last time, we had one death and three serious injuries,” he said.

“If it’s going to be closed for say, three years until a new bridge is built, we’re looking at the possibility of another two or three deaths and this frightens us.”

Territory and Municipal Services Minister John Hargreaves says the decision to close the bridge is unfortunate, but the Government had no choice in the matter.

“The people of Tharwa, would like to know that I consider this particularly seriously,” he said.

“I’m very, very disappointed that we couldn’t have kept the bridge open at least for light traffic.

“But the engineers have told me that the bridge is now unsafe.”

From ABC news

The organisation representing the world’s richest nations says Australia spends less on pre-school education than the rest of the industrialised world.

In a report to be released tomorrow, the OECD study shows Australia spends only 0.1 per cent of its gross domestic product on formal pre-school education.

The report, previewed in The Australian newspaper, shows Australia is behind South Korea and Mexico in spending, and well behind many European countries when it comes to the number of children attending pre-school.

In Italy and France, 100 per cent of three-year-olds are in pre-school, compared to 20 per cent of Australian children of the same age.

The federal president of the Australian Education Union, Pat Byrne, says the figures are not surprising.

“This simply confirms here what we’ve known for a very long time - there has been a continuing unwillingness to invest in any significant way in pre-school education,” he said.

Numerous studies have documented that small schools effectively boost student achievement, especially among at-risk students. A new research report published this month summarizes the vast research literature that explains just why small works in schooling.

The report, The Hobbit Effect: Why Small Works in Public Schools from the Rural School and Community Trust in the United States, identifies a number of research-based attributes of small schools that are proven to have a positive impact on students and their learning. These elements are either normally found in most small schools or are more common in smaller schools than in larger schools.

Among the key attributes identified are: greater participation in extra-curricular activities, increased school safety, and a greater sense of belonging. The report explores the evidence of each attribute’s impact and why it confers advantages on children.

A feature of the research findings is that a higher percentage of students in smaller schools participate in extra-curricular activities and in a wider variety of activities than students in larger schools. Extra-curricular participation is associated with several positive outcomes for students: they have more positive attitudes about their school experience and learning and they have higher self-esteem.

Another common finding of school size research is that smaller schools tend to be safer environments than larger schools. Small schools exhibit fewer violent incidents and experience less vandalism, theft, truancy, substance abuse, and gang participation. Large-scale national surveys, for example, show that reports of violence and discipline problems
decrease with smaller school size.

An environment free from violence, threats, and bullying are prerequisites for effective learning/schooling. Students in safe settings learn more, are more focused, and feel more positively about school, subject matter, and learning in general. The report shows that smaller schools are safer because their climate fosters closer relationships between the adults and students, and among the students themselves. As a result, students feel more engaged with the school community and these close relationships are accompanied by greater mutual respect.

The author of the report, Lorna Jimerson, says the research evidence clearly documents that efforts underway in some US states to consolidate small schools (and small districts) are unnecessary, irrational, and imprudent. Far from improving student learning, these actions will divert energy and focus from effective school reform and will wrench children from community-centred schools that have the most likelihood of meeting their needs. “Rather than eradicating small schools, policymakers would be wise to invest in small schools and elements that make them effective and recognize that smallness is not a curse, but a blessing,” says Jimerson.

In addition, small schools are frequently the glue that binds together small communities, serving as their economic and social hub. Communities that lose their schools lose more than a building—they lose their collective cultural and civic centre.

Trevor Cobbold
7 September 2006

Although busy roads are not an issue for us in Tharwa, there are some traffic issues that our children face in driving longer distances to school.

For Tharwa children to attend their next closest school (over 10kms away) they must travel over Tharwa Bridge. Over the last couple of years this bridge has been closed for extended periods for maintenance. When the bridge is closed, Tharwa children have to travel the long way around to town, via Point Hutt Road (about 30kms) or when the Point Hutt crossing is also closed (and this DOES happen) then all the way to Cotter Rd – approx 80kms.

If you check fatalities for Point Hutt Road, you will find there was a 200% increase in fatalities when the Tharwa Bridge was last closed. Point Hutt Road is traversed by larger vehicles that do not fit over the bridge, has many dangerous curves and is not constructed to take the level of traffic that would be on the road if Tharwa children are travelling to Canberra for school.

Also, there are no funds allocated to the maintenance of these roads or the bridge in the budget so we do not anticipate safer driving conditions or a reliable river crossing in the near future.

The bridge condition is also a problem with respect to public transport. ACTION buses do not fit across this bridge. Therefore, they would have to travel the long way around, or use mini-buses. Currently we have one 24-seater mini-bus service contracted to Kiers Buses to transport high school children to and from Canberra. However this bus is at full capacity.

With 20-odd primary children (and their parents/siblings) requiring public transport should Tharwa school close, there would need to be an additional 2 mini-buses running each morning and afternoon. There would also need to be public transport to return escorting parents to their homes in the mornings and pick them up in the afternoon for school pickup.

My own talks with ACTION suggest there are no funds for this public transport service. ACTION representatives have literally laughed at me when I have asked when the public service routes and times will be announced – I am told that this will NOT happen at all as far as ACTION are concerned.

Emily Haesler
Tharwa PS P&C President

Deb Foskey, Greens MLA, today queried the capacity of the ACT Education Department to support teachers, students and families through the upheaval of the Towards 2020 proposal.

“The Education Department is being asked to shed a quarter of its staff, as a result of cuts mandated by this year’s budget. And some sections of the Department will be cut more severely than that” Dr Foskey said today.

“In response to my question in the Assembly, the Minister announced that staff in the Department will be assessing all the school submissions to the terrible 2020 proposal.”

“That is on top of reorganizing all the other schools that are going to have a new structure, or new students, or both. And providing individual support for all the kids who will be dislocated or disturbed by the changes.”

“And while, simultaneously, putting in place the new curriculum framework that provides more direction for teachers from preschool to year 10. (And, by the way, I understand the curriculum support section is going to be cut by more than half!)”

“I know that school communities are spending many hours preparing submissions in good faith. The least they deserve is an adequately resourced department to read and assess them.”

“How, on diminishing numbers they can hope to do a good job on that escapes me.”

“These massive changes to the ACT’s public education system are going to have to be delivered by fewer staff, carrying much greater responsibility. No matter how professional they are, I cannot see how they will be able to manage effectively.”

“By gutting the department at the time when it’s most under stress, and when the demands upon it are at their peak, this Government is showing that it will not work in partnership with anyone, even its own employees.”

“Many people have argued all along that this whole process of consultation is a sham, and that the ACT Government’s vision for public education is a disaster. The lack of resources inside the Department confirms that view” Dr Foskey said.

Deb Foskey will join the Schools of NW Belconnen in their art event from 3 to 4 pm today, at Commonwealth Place beside Lake Burley Griffin.