Dromana Secondary College to slash 600 enrolments

Hundreds of students are set to miss out on a place at a popular school as the college slashes its enrolments in a move to reduce out of zone pupils.

Dromana Secondary College will have its enrolments slashed by 600 students. Picture: Facebook

A peninsula school in a growth area will have its enrolments slashed by 600 students in a move dubbed “bizarre and wrong” by the local member.

Dromana Secondary College has been advised by the Department of Education to refuse enrolments from students out of the zone in a bid to reduce student numbers.

This will leave some students stranded and forced to spend half an hour or more to reach the next closest secondary college.

It’s understood the state government is planning to spend $1m to remove temporary buildings at the school, further squeezing the space available on the Harrisons Rd campus.

School council president Julian Tintinger said the decision had “adversely affected” the “mental health and wellbeing of staff, students and broader community of the school”.

He said the school has sufficient accommodation to meet current and future demand.

“Wellington Secondary College in the Premier’s electorate of Mulgrave has over 80 per cent of students enrolling from out of zone,” he said.

“This shows this is not a statewide approach but rather a targeted approach to remove the right of individuals to choose their schooling, in particular regions of the state.

“State government regulations say every student has the right to enrol at their designated neighbourhood school and may be enrolled at another school, subject to sufficient accommodation.”

Mr Tintinger told the Herald Sun the Department had been “abrasive and dismissive” about slashing enrolment numbers from 1800 to 1200.

“It’s important to me that Victorian children get the best education possible and that their parents remain in control of what’s best for their children,” he said.

In heated communication obtained by the Herald Sun, Mr Tintinger and the Department’s deputy secretary David Howes argue over the right to restrict the school’s enrolments.

Dr Howes said in the letter enrolments could be limited where the capacity of a school has grown well beyond what is required to serve the local community through the temporary addition of relocatable buildings.

Opposition Education spokesman Matt Bach said: “The Education Minister’s actions – in forcing Dromana College to cut its student numbers – are both bizarre and wrong. They will lead to massive job losses and cuts to educational programs.”

“Parents know what’s best for their kids, and they deserve choice. But, Natalie Hutchins thinks she knows better than parents on the Peninsula, and is denying children their choice of school,” Mr Bach said.

“If it were up to me, I’d scrap the Andrews Government’s archaic system of school zoning altogether and let parents decide what’s best for their kids, not the Government.”

Nepean Liberal MP Sam Groth said: “Two months ago, I asked the Minister for Education to honour her government’s policy around allowing students the freedom to chose where they attend school.”

“Dromana is a growing community on the peninsula, and it’s important that both students and parents have the opportunity to engage in a local school community,” he said

A state government spokesman said: “All students in Victoria are entitled to attend their local school, and this applies to Dromana Secondary College, including the siblings of current students.”

“School zones remain an important way to ensure every Victorian student has access to a great local school and we’re on target to deliver families across the state more options, with 100 new government schools on track to be open by 2026,” he said.