“Stinks of discrimination”: Jenny Leong demands high school catchment review
Jenny Leong has hit out at the Education Minister and said the draft catchment area for the new Inner City High School “stinks of discrimination”.
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Jenny Leong has hit out at the Education Minister, saying the draft catchment area for the new Inner City High School “stinks of discrimination”.
The new Inner City High School, which will provide 47 secondary teaching spaces and accommodate up to 1200 students, has now commenced its enrolments for year seven for the 2020 school year.
The Newtown Greens MP said the Education Minister announced a review of the catchment for the new school, but has failed to meet his own deadline.
She said wealthy eastern suburbs had been included but public housing areas have been cut out.
“The school catchment included far flung suburbs like Darling Point but excluded people literally living across the street in Redfern,” Ms Leong said.
“The Minister hastily announced a review, which was to report before the 2019 school year started.
“Well school has started and families have no idea where their kids will be attending high school next year.”
As a result, she said it has left families living in Redfern and Darlington in a state of uncertainty.
“The school is now calling for expression of interest for year seven enrolments next year — but the current catchment is totally unacceptable and still under review,” Ms Leong sid.
“Late last year, when the draft catchment was published, families were justifiably outraged.
“The draft catchment stinks of discrimination.”
Ms Leong said the Minister must release the school catchment immediately.
She said it must service the Surry Hills, Chippendale, Redfern and Darlington community “for whom this will be their closest high school,” Ms Leong said.
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A public meeting will be held on Sunday March 3 at Redfern Town Hall regarding the new high school.
Ms Leong has also sent a letter to the Minister and Premier.
“As you can imagine, many parents have been in contact with my office concerned that their Year 6 children will soon be commencing transition to high school programs, and they don’t know what their local high school will be,” she wrote.
Father-of-two, Dylan Regtop said what frustrates him most is the breaking apart of the community.
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The 44-year-old who lives in Redfern, said he can see the school from his bedroom window.
“The catchment area has divided a community,” he said.
“It’s super frustrating.
“The straight up division of Redfern, taking up the other richer side of Redfern.
“basically the catchment line cuts off the social housing and the rest of Redfern.
Mr Regtop said he would like to see the two local public schools, Bourke Street Public and Darlington Public, act as a feeder for the high school.
“If your sending your kids to that public school, you should know that they will send them to the same high school together,” he said.
“They will be ripped apart from half of their friends.
“To me it’s just poor insight and bad planning.”
A Department of Education spokesman said every child has a place at their local in-area public school.
“This includes those living in Darlington,” he said.
“The school catchment area for the new Inner Sydney High School has been revised to more evenly distribute the geographic area between the new Inner Sydney High School and Alexandria Park Community School.”
The spokesman said the catchment area for a school is determined after consultation between the NSW Department of Education’s demographers, the Director Educational Leadership and the local school principals.
“The Department of Education regularly revises and updates school boundaries across the State’s more than 2,200 public schools to manage capacity and student enrolments,” he said.
“The Department will closely monitor projected and actual enrolments in the school catchment area for the new Inner Sydney High School.
“In cases of sustained and stable enrolment increases, the department provides additional permanent facilities, or new schools, as necessary.”
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