Special school desperately needed to keep up with growth

A business owner who assists more than 200 clients through the NDIS system is leading the call.

KEEPING UP: Danielle Butcher with her son Ben, who attends Goodna Special School. She is calling for the construction of a special school in the greater Springfield region. Picture: Rob Williams

A BUSINESS owner who assists more than 200 clients through the NDIS system is calling for a special school to be constructed to address the pressing needs of the greater Springfield area.

Grosskopf Consulting director Danielle Butcher sends her young son, who has autism and an intellectual impairment, to Goodna Special School.

Mount Ommaney and Goodna special schools are the two closest options for local families with children with disabilities within the Jordan electorate.

Mrs Butcher said there was already "desperate need" for a special school in the area and that would only increase as population numbers continue to rise.

"I know the Goodna Special School is absolutely at capacity and they're needing to build extra classrooms to cope with that," she said.

"You've got all of that growth corridor of Springfield and Redbank. They all feed into (Goodna Special School). The growth is just going to continue.

"The greater Springfield region's focus is on education and health and at the moment that one area we just don't have that focus on in this region is for kids with disabilities."

Ipswich City Council's 2018 Planning and Development Annual Report Card showed Spring Mountain and Redbank Plains as the two suburbs with the highest number of new dwellings and additional population.

Enrolment figures show 42 students at Goodna Special School come from the Jordan electorate, seven come from Inala and 104 come from Bundamba.

Mrs Butcher was in full support of the State Government's Inclusive Education Policy but she said it doesn't work for every kid, including her son Ben.

"They weren't given resources to support him in a mainstream classroom so we had no option but to transfer him to a special school," she said.

"Their policy is good for kids where it works but there's a lot of kids that don't fit that mould and they need alternative options, whether it's a special school or a flexi school.

"We need to look at education resources out in this growth area.

"If there was a school that was in our electorate we would opt to send him there locally. It would be a better option (especially) for people who have multiple kids."

Jordan MP Charis Mullen said she had not received many representations in relation to the issue.

"I am keen to ensure that we are maximising outcomes for students with disability by engaging them in learning and developing their skills to prepare for their future," she said.