A Community in search of its School

“ The importance of a local school to community creation is chronically underestimated in modern Sydney…”

Jane Caro, media & advertising personality, champion of Public Education & Willoughby resident in the Artarmon Gazette February 2009.

Jane went on to say that Artarmon is fortunate in having maintained that connection. Neighbouring Naremburn as we know, has not been so lucky.

Last Friday afternoon Jane Simmons Regional Director DSE (Northern Sydney) and Kathryn Brennan, School Education Director were good enough to meet with members of the School Working Party formed after the public meeting we held last June. The meeting was chaired by local MP Gladys Berejiklian, and attended by Council staff including the GM Nick Tobin, Progress Association members Kevin Fitzpatrick, David Lendrum, Annaliese Appleton and Karen Pearson. All of whom I have to say are fantastic advocates for this community and specifically, for our access to a publicly funded primary school.

The good news is that apparently there has been some revision of the previous Departmental position that there were no grounds for the community assertion that the number of pre-school age children in our suburb is burgeoning. It seems that for some reason they were convinced that although the under 5s might be increasing this was no cause for concern since the numbers were oddly enough, dissipating once the cohort hit the school attendance age. Kind of like magic. Anyway, possibly prompted by our collective insistence, it seems that new information is to hand and is being assembled – in order to build a case for capital enhancement of existing school site/s. I understood that the preferred approach is to apply for funds to construct two storey buildings on existing sites to replace current single storey buildings. We expressed surprise and relief to know that such efforts were being undertaken on our behalf and hoped that the information might be shared with us forthwith.

The bad news is of course that Minister Firth refuses to meet with us, that our dream of reinstating a primary school in Naremburn is repeatedly ruled out of the question and that meanwhile Willoughby Public School enrollments stand at 804, Cammeray at 705, Artarmon at 686 and that the Willoughby electorate remains the demountable capital of the lower North Shore.

Whilst the cynic in me can’t help but think that there will be a discreet contract out there for design & construct of two storey demountables, I can report that the resolution of Friday’s meeting was that we expect a further meeting of the Working Party to be informed as to the Department’s plan for managing public primary school education demand in Willoughby before the end of June - with a further public meeting shortly thereafter.