Jessica Leo: Time for a new school as Linden Park and Rose Park primary schools face enrolment freeze

SCORES of parents will attest one of the most stressful parts of planning for their offspring’s future is schooling — add zones into the mix and it can quickly become nightmare.

Supplied Editorial Jess Leo for dinkus

• The local public school you can’t get your kids into — that makes 3

SCORES of parents will attest one of the most stressful parts of planning for their offspring’s future is schooling.

Finding the right school that fits your child’s development needs, as well as ensuring you live in the said school’s zone, is not an enviable task.

Enrolling kids from birth and uprooting family homes is commonplace in the pursuit of academic excellence.

It wasn’t so back when it came to enrolling me in a primary school.

Born in Sydney but resettled in Adelaide as a tot, my parents wound up in Fullarton and happened upon Rose Park Primary, promptly adorned their only child in blue and gold and off I went.

It was a lovely school bounded by leafy avenues and at the time was building a new school hall — under which I seem to recall burying a time capsule.

My Year 5 teacher Mrs Yarwood was a fond memory and someone to this day who I credit with shaping my future but, all in all, it was a modest school.

These days Rose Park Primary is still modest in size but punches above its weight in terms of NAPLAN results, meaning it’s a hot property prompting families to settle within its zone.

But now, as a result of an enrolment squeeze, that might not be enough for some kids to make it through Rose Park’s hallowed gates.

The school is asking the Education Department to consider a cap on its enrolments as student numbers surge past its 560 capacity.

According to Rose Park Primary’s governing council chairman David O’Loughlin, about a third of the school’s current students don’t live in the area — they have either moved house or have enrolled to join a sibling.

In my view, there’s nothing sinister here — we moved house during my time at Rose Park and I would hate to think that should prompt a change in schools as well.

But the Rose Park issue comes hot on the heels of nearby Linden Park accepting only reception students last year to ease overcrowding.

With other schools in the area also reporting strong enrolment figures, the need for a new school in the area might be a reality.

In the east land is scarce but should change resistance come at the cost of a good education?

Jessica Leo is Messenger Newspapers’ editor-in-chief.