Parents call to amalgamate Asquith Boys and Asquith Girls high schools to provide co-educational government school to Hornsby shire

A  REVOLUTIONARY  idea to amalgamate Asquith Boys and Asquith Girls high schools to create a co­educational senior school has been put forward by residents.

Tabitha Woodford is about to start High School but will have to travel to Terrey Hills to be at a Co-ed school. Pictured with Father Luke. Picture: Adam Ward

A  REVOLUTIONARY  idea to amalgamate Asquith Boys and Asquith Girls high schools to create a co­educational senior school has been put forward by residents.

Parents have been calling for investigations into ­“financially viable options for coeducation” since the ­Advocate began its campaign this month for a co-ed government school to be ­established in the area.

Hornsby Heights residents Luke and Jodi Woodford said they would be sending daughter Tabitha to coeducational Northern Beaches Christian School, 45 minutes away, because of “a lack of coeducational schooling options in the local area”.

“Our daughter is currently in Year 5 at Hornsby North Public School, so we are in the process of ­selecting a high school for her,” Mrs Woodford said.

There is a growing push to see Asquith Girls and Asquith boys amalgamated into a co-education senior and junior schools. Tabitha Woodford with Father Luke. Picture: Adam Ward

“We specifically chose to live in the Hornsby Heights area for the good local schools but at the time we didn’t consider high school options and now we have realised they are slim pickings.

“If there was a coeducational local government school in our area … we would send Tabitha there.”

The family are just one of hundreds of residents calling for a coeducational government high school in the region but believe they have come up with a “viable option” of merging Asquith Girls and Boys into a coeducational senior school.

“I started the conversation with Turramurra High and St Ives, however both said they were not accepting ­students out of area,” Mrs Woodford said.

“We really are making the best of a bad situation and travelling 45 minutes for a good coeducational school.”

Residents of Hornsby are calling for a new co-educational high school for the region. Picture: Adam Ward

Laura Milkins, 36, of Mt Colah, has lived in the region all her life and said the merging of Asquith Girls and Boys into two coeducational campuses could be an opportunity to “revitalise education” in the region.

“Asquith Girls and Asquith Boys are underused schools,” Ms Milkins said.

“These schools could be developed into a thriving junior school at Asquith Girls and a dedicated senior school at Asquith Boys that provide the type of education the community want.

“We want to know if there is a possibility of this being a financially viable option.”

A Department of Education spokesman said “the department is closely monitoring residential developments in the Hornsby area to ensure local school options for all students”.