Education Minister Sarah Mitchell admits there is ‘more to be done’ at Walgett Community College

The NSW Education Minister has been accused of using “political spin” when discussing her visit to a regional school plagued with problems.

One Nation MLC Mark Latham has accused Education Minister Sarah Mitchell of using “political spin” to glaze over a hotbed issue in a northwestern NSW community.

Earlier this month, Ms Mitchell and Mr Latham travelled to Walgett Community College in the state’s regional north where parents and students are calling for an investigation into student violence and poor educational outcomes.

Only 119 students enrolled in the local high school last year.

“Every parent that I met was very committed to getting good outcomes for their kids, everyone loves their town and they want to make sure that they’ve got a good high school,” Ms Mitchell told the budget estimates hearing on Tuesday.

Mark Latham called out the Education Minister for using ‘spin’ to lighten concerns over Walgett Community College. Picture: Gaye Gerard / NCA NewsWire

“Isn’t that just political spin,” Mr Latham asked.

“You’ve got a divided community and that division is poisoning the confidence in the school.”

During Ms Mitchell’s visit to the school, parent Lisa Smith told ABC Western Plains that her 13-year-old daughter had been “viciously assaulted in the schoolyard by another child” before a video of the incident was posted on social media.

Kylie McKenzie, the mother of a severely disabled 12-year-old, told the ABC she formally asked for him to stay at the local primary school for another year but the NSW Department of Education denied her application.

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said more needed to be done at the school. Picture: Gaye Gerard / NCA NewsWire

“Another thing that came though quite strongly was a lot of concern from the community about a lot of the constant negativity about Walgett High School,” Ms Mitchell added before she was cut off.

“There is obviously a need for more to be done at that school, I agree with you, the attendance rates – while we are seeing some positive trends in the right direction, they’re still not where we need them to be.”

Ms Mitchell suggested further training, apprenticeships, doing more to get children engaged and having conversations with the local PCYC as options for addressing the community’s concerns.