Student intake areas for Trevallyn Primary School may double in size under a proposal by the Education Department.
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A review of school catchment areas was announced on August 23 by Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff.
Proposed catchment intake areas have been sent in letters to families across the state in the first phase of a two-part consultation on the proposed increase.
In a letter sighted by The Examiner, the Education Department says it has developed proposed intake areas for each government primary and combined school.
It is part of a scheduled review of intake areas under the Education Act 2016.
As part of the Act, the school intake area maps must be published by the Secretary of the Department of Education every five years.
The proposed new catchment areas would not come into play until 2021.
The catchment area for Trevallyn Primary School would increase to border West Riverside and will increase to include a large part of Trevallyn Reserve.
The border on the east side of the catchment area would be in line with the Tamar River at Cataract Gorge.
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While Trevallyn Primary School is just one school catchment area that is under review, the school has already had two new classrooms constructed to meet an increase in demand.
Data on the My School website shows Trevallyn Primary School has 489 students enrolled in 2018.
An Education Department spokesman said draft maps for the first stage of the consultation were now available to view and were a way to initiate community feedback.
“Families and schools are being asked to comment on the draft maps. The questions that have been raised with you, are exactly the questions and comments that we would like put forward as part of this round of consultation,” the spokesman said.
“As a result of feedback, the maps will be refined and put out for further consultation. This allows time for families and schools to have their say on intake areas, as well as to plan for any changes that may occur in 2021.”
Mr Rockliff said the review would not change the way schools enrol students who live outside their intake area and will not affect students already enrolled in a school before 2021.
“While the review will likely result in small changes to some areas, I want to assure Tasmanians that unlike Labor and the Greens, this process is not an assessment of school viability and we have no agenda to close schools down,” he said.
Mr Rockliff said the government was committed to ensuring Tasmanian children got the best education.
A recruitment strategy is underway to employ 142 additional teachers and have committed to employing 358 more staff in the public education system.
To see the proposed intake for your school area go to the Education Department’s website.
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