Page 3555 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 12 October 1994
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a Commonwealth Schools Commission survey of 1984 which indicated that primary schools functioned best below 600 pupils and high schools below 800 pupils. Similar arguments can be presented about the desirability of maintaining small schools in the government school system - primary schools with perhaps less that 150 pupils and high schools with perhaps less than 400 pupils.
Madam Speaker, I have no wish to draw specific attention to the individual government schools which could be considered to have more or fewer enrolments than the optimum. I believe that individual targeting of schools for attention is destructive and soul destroying for those particular school communities. However, I would like to indicate to the Assembly that the 1994 school census data indicates the following: Two government primary schools currently have fewer than 150 enrolments, and enrolments at another four government primary schools must be giving cause for concern. One government primary school currently has 600 enrolments, and high enrolment levels at another one government primary school must be giving cause for concern. One government high school currently has fewer than 400 enrolments, and two government high schools currently have more than 800 enrolments. One secondary college with falling enrolment levels must be giving cause for concern, while four others maintain high enrolments of over 800 students. I have used these figures illustratively, Madam Speaker, because I wish to make the point that, of our 96 government schools, a number could be perceived to be experiencing difficulties, with either low numbers of enrolments or high numbers of enrolments, respectively.
There are particular advantages and disadvantages for both students and teachers with respect to both of these working environments. I am sure that we have all heard these arguments before. I will reiterate them very briefly. The small schools tend to have difficulty offering a broad curriculum range for their students. This can happen at all levels of schooling - at primary school, high school and college level. There is often a commitment of the school community over and above other school communities because of low numbers of enrolments at those schools. Working conditions for teachers at small schools can be considerably less desirable than those at larger schools. With smaller schools there is no particular advantage of smaller class sizes, not necessarily any economies of scale with staffing and no time allowances for teachers, as there could be with larger schools which offer extra activities. In the case of larger schools, individual students can experience isolation. There can be difficulties with student welfare, overcrowding problems and perhaps additional cost to the system itself with the provision of transportable buildings being necessary. Also increased wear and tear problems can be experienced by larger schools.
Madam Speaker, I would like to remind members of the Assembly of the principles and goals of government schooling in the ACT. I think that the MACPE report is very illustrative in this regard. As I am running out of time, I will quote just one reference. The mission statement of the ACT Department of Education and Training reads:
The ACT public education system will work in partnership with parents and the community to empower students to live in, and contribute to, a rapidly changing society and to act as responsible, independent children, young people and later, self-sufficient adults who care about others and their environment.
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