A draft policy that would limit parents' choice about where they can send their child to school was put to principals and school associations recently. We asked these people what they thought about it and what they thought it would achieve?
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Tasmanian Principals Association president David Raw: ON THE surface, patterns of student enrolment in Tasmania are based on a school zone or home area. In reality, certainly in larger centres where choice is available, this is not always the case. There is a good chance social aspiration drives where a parent sends their child to school. We have a set of schools that are different but homogeneous in their enrolment.
While some high aspiration parents exercise choice and send their child to a school they perceive matches this aspiration, many families don't have the resources to exercise any choice.
To achieve the goal of a quality education for all we need to ensure each student attends their local school and their local school is a high quality school where there is an excellent blend of students drawn from all social groupings.
What's easiest? This is simple. Perpetuate the status quo and provide parent choice so a child can attend a school their parent perceives as best.
What's best? This may be the hardest. We need every school to have the chance to be a good school - one where all local students attend and achieve their best.
Tasmanian State School Parents and Friends senior vice-president Jenny Eddington: THE decision of where to enrol your child for school is not one parents take lightly.
Children are more resilient and better connected when they feel valued and part of a community. With that in mind, it is usually a plus for them to be enrolled in their local school.
This results in making friends and connections close to home and often includes out-of-school and community activities involving the whole family. For most families the local school is the best option for education.
With family needs not being a one-size-fits-all, it should be realised as well, that some families may need to choose other options. What is evident is that for some, that sense of connection with the school is managed better if the children can be enrolled near the parents' workplace. Not only do some parents have to leave for work before they can drop off at school, but this enables them to take part in school life.
What is important is that parents respond to this draft policy and have their voice heard.
Bracknell Primary School Parents Association chairwoman Angela Cresswell: THIS as an issue that greatly impacts on small schools, particularly small rural schools.
Giving parents the choice to enrol their children at any school creates the situation where families are bypassing their local school - at times for minor reasons like friends already at the other school, parents attended that school, etc. The impact these decisions have on a small country school can be devastating, with numbers dropping dramatically, as once one family leaves for another school there often seems to be a flow-on effect of other families leaving as well. A tightening of policy in this area is desperately needed.
It has been disappointing to see that the majority of comments reported regarding this issue so far have been purely about the convenience side of making choices about schools in urban areas when the people who are going to be most greatly affected by these decisions are those in small rural schools - but their needs seem to be overlooked again.
I have heard comments that people should have the choice to send their child to a better school. In my opinion all public schools have the opportunity to be operating at the same level.
All schools are funded the same and it is the job of the principal, the staff, the students, the school association and, most importantly, parents and families to make their local schools the centres of excellence that they all can - and should - be.
Australian Education Union state president Terry Polglase: THERE are many legitimate reasons that will continue to be accepted as to why a student cannot attend their local public school, but untrammelled access to school of choice does not allow a system to plan or operate efficiently or with certainty.
No other state allows free flow of children to school of choice, and they certainly do not subsidise transport costs anywhere near the extent our state does.
Families interstate are known to sell their homes and move suburb to ensure school of choice is obtained and Tasmanians must accept that choice will cost.
The policy, however, is too bureaucratic and I suggest unworkable unless additional staff are employed. Principal workloads are already at breaking point. What must be supported is the charging of commercial bus fare rates to students where a family chooses to enrol a child away from their local area school. We should all remember that public schools are built in order to serve their local communities.