Yarrabah School issues plea for help as numbers grow

A GROWING special needs school has become a “portable city”and has issued the Education Department with a plea for help.

Principal Matthew Harris with students at Yarrabah which is a Specialist School and wants a new building plan. Picture: Susan Windmiller

A GROWING special needs school has become a “portable city”and has issued a plea for help.

Known as the “little school with the big heart,” Yarrabah caters for 155 children with intellectual, physical and/or multiple disabilities but just four of its 24 classrooms are permanent structures.

There are also 60 children enrolled in an early learning, kinder-based program at the well regarded school.

Principal Matthew Harris said his school, which also faced issues with sewerage and water run-off, playground development, accessible pathways and inadequate staff facilities was “in desperate need” of a future planning commitment from the Department of Education.

In 1990 Yarrabah had 19 children and is likely to have 200 within the next few years.

As enrolments increased, the Department of Education has continually provided portables, but Mr Harris said it is time for a masterplan to structure the school’s future development.

“At the moment, 20 out of 24 of our buildings are relocatable classrooms. Soon 85 per cent of our school will be relocatables,” Mr Harris said.

“We desperately need some future planning for permanent buildings which will accommodate the mobility needs of students and also the therapy needs of students.”

Mr Harris said Yarrabah said the school had 95 staff currently employed at the school and an expected 110 staff by 2020.

“Based on predicted enrolments, we know that enrolments will continue to grow. There are also specialist areas and facilities that a school like our needs. All of this needs to be considered in a master plan,” he said.

“The school has an excellent reputation but our students deserve so much more than have in terms of facilities.”

Education Minister, James Merlino has agreed to visit the school following a request from Mordialloc Labor MP, Tim Richardson.

Mr Richardson said the school has experienced “unprecedented growth in student numbers in the region … over 700 per cent growth in student numbers in the past two decades”, and a plan was necessary to replace the “portable city” with permanent, purpose-designed buildings.

In addition to the academic curriculum, where each child has an individual learning plan, Yarrabah students are also provided with a range of other services including speech pathologists, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and hydrotherapy.

“The needs of Yarrabah students simply cannot be met in mainstream settings,” Mr Richardson said.