Adelaide school rezoning fury: Parents vent frustration over ‘case management’ scheme

Parents of Year 7s hit hardest by the city high school rezoning say the “case management” scheme supposed to help them is unresponsive, late, and lacking critical information.

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Parents of Year 7s hit hardest by the city high school rezoning say the “case management” scheme supposed to help them is unresponsive, late, and lacking critical information.

The cutting of inner-western and southern suburbs from the zone was announced on February 18, but families have only received letters from the Education Department about the case management process in the past few days.

Those letters fail to detail the special entry options at Adelaide High and Adelaide Botanic High that the Government has spruiked as a way they might still get into a CBD school.

Parents also say messages to a department email address, given to them by their primary schools, have not been returned.

And Black Forest Primary families have complained that open days later this month for schools they are now zoned to, Plympton International College and Springbank Secondary, fall on the same time their students will be away on school camps.

Education Minister John Gardner

Black Forest parent Kathryn Hudson, who has a son in Year 7, wrote to Education Minister John Gardner on Thursday about the “jumble of overlapping and conflicting timelines”.

“(The department’s) initial posted letter asked us to confirm our details, listed a range of nearby schools (some tightly zoned), and the special entry programs of some of those schools, including Marraytville a significant distance away.

“What was especially startling was that the CBD school special entry programs were not listed!!! Thus giving the impression that we are also excluded from applying for those programs!

“I called the team to clarify and was told: “We assumed you would be aware of those programs as you were previously in the zone to attend that school” I explained that it was quite the opposite — I did NOT attend the out of zone information night for Adelaide Botanic High School, I attended the “In the Zone” evening, as we were in the zone! Therefore I had no idea what the application process is for STEM entry!

“The Year 7 case management information session date has not been set for Black Forest Primary School, but open nights have started, and special entry close dates RAPIDLY approach.”

Black Forest’s governing council chairwoman Tamara Agnew said: “People are phoning and emailing the department and not getting responses. There is a great deal of frustration about it.”

Education Department’s Year 7 to high school project director Dr Caroline Croser-Barlow

A Black Forest dad who has twin daughters in Year 7 said: “It’s all a bit late and a bit rushed.”

“(But) when I heard about it I didn’t hold much hope for it anyway.”

Badcoe MP Jayne Stinson put out a call to parents on social media groups on Thursday afternoon about the case management system, receiving six responses from unsatisfied parents and one who was happy with the advice they received.

The department’s Year 7 to high school project director Caroline Croser-Barlow said the letter to parents was to confirm contact details and their children’s interests “in order to better support” them.

“The letter also provided these families with information about schools they may not have explored to date. Thanks to the feedback from (Ms Hudson), parents are now receiving direct links to the AHS and ABHS special program sites as they confirm their details with the team,” she said.

“We will shortly be providing a more detailed timetable of special entry opening and closing dates. We will work with high schools to add additional dates so that all families can meet with principals and visit campuses.

Badcoe MP Jayne Stinson addressing the rezoning issue with parents at Black Forest Primary school last month.

“We know families are anxious about the timelines and we can reassure them that they will have the opportunity to apply to special interest programs, and the case management team will work through any issues arising from deadlines to ensure these children are not disadvantaged.”

Emails to the department would be answered within 48 hours, she said.

Mr Gardner on Thursday announced Mitcham Girls, Wirreanda Secondary and John Pirie Secondary as likely trial sites to take Year 7s next year. Those schools are consulting with their communities and seeking expressions of interest from prospective parents.

Mitcham Girls principal Linda Baird said a minimum of 60 students, enough for three classes, would be needed to make a trial viable at her school.

Most schools will make the switch in 2022.