More than 500 Qld school catchment boundaries changed

Major changes have been made to the catchment zones of more than 500 of the state’s most sought-after schools with thousands of homes cut from newly-opened schools. IS YOUR SCHOOL ONE OF THEM?

More than 500 of the state’s most sought-after schools have had their catchment boundaries redrawn ahead of 2023, with thousands of homes and entire suburbs now cut off from some newly-opened schools.

The Department of Education quietly released the new zones online last month after its long awaited major catchment review.

The department confirmed 534 of the 576 schools under enrolment management plans had their catchments changed.

It would not release the names of every school that has been impacted but a Courier-Mail analysis of the department’s boundary map has identified some of the most noticeable changes.

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE CATCHMENT CHANGES

In Brisbane, significant changes were made to the likes of Kelvin Grove State College, Fortitude Valley State Secondary College, Griffin State School and Undurba State School and Caboolture SHS and Tullawong SHS.

The catchments areas are always reviewed and do not impacted already enrolled students, however they can impact where people choose to live.

In Townsville, the Bushland Beach community has been removed from the North Shore State School catchment just years after it opened in 2018.

Bushland Beach families will now be part of the century-old Bohlevale State School catchment, instead of its new $54m neighbour.

Burdell resident and Belle Property Townsville City real estate agent Kody Dart said the changes seemed unfair.

Mr Dart said it was the “talk of the town” among the suburb’s social media pages.

“Bushland Beach has so many homes out there, so it’s a bit unfair to them,” Mr Dart said.

“It could have quite a big impact.”

Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto said the two schools, which are about a kilometre apart, were essentially competing for students.

The Katter’s Australia Party MP said the Burdell and Bushland Beach areas had exploded in recent years from people who built forever homes on land away from flood-prone parts of Townsville.

“You’re literally comparing a brand new state-of-the-art school with modern architecture to one which has been there for decades,” Mr Dametto said.

“They shouldn’t be competing.”

A department spokeswoman said all the schools impacted by the North Shore State School changes were consulted, including its principal and P & C.

The spokeswoman ensured students already attending the school would not be impacted by the changes.

Further, she said students meeting specific criteria under its enrolment management plan would be eligible for enrolment.

“Ongoing communication between regions and affected schools was undertaken as part of the consultation,” the spokeswoman said.

“Overall, regions and schools have indicated support for the proposed catchment changes and accepted that these changes will remain in place until the next review is conducted.”

The spokeswoman said the state government had invested nearly $3m into Bohlevale State School over the past three years.

Fortitude Valley State Secondary College catchment boundaries for Year 10 were redrawn to take pressure off Kelvin Grove State College.

The new Kelvin Grove Year 10 boundary now cuts through Downey Park at Windsor and the Roma St Parklands, effectively halving its size.

The department spokeswoman confirmed the 2020-opened Fortitude Valley State Secondary College was progressively adding another year level each year which impacted its zones.

In Pine Rivers, the Undurba State School catchment zone had previously run along the Bruce Highway, now it includes estates off Dohles Rocks Rd, home to hundreds of families.

The estates had previously been part of the Griffin State School catchment, which opened in 2016.

Other catchments were redrawn out of necessity to cater for the new Woogaroo Creek, Ripley Central and South Rock primary schools and Palmview State Secondary College.

One of the Sunshine Coast’s most populated high schools, Chancellor State College, has had its primary school boundaries widened to include residents of the Ilkley region.

Chancellor’s Years 7-12 catchments have also changed with the addition of the new Palmview high school.

On the Gold Coast, the catchment zones of the $40m Picnic Creek State School, which opened in 2018, were redrawn with residents near the Eagle Tree Park removed.

Families who live off Oaky Creek Rd and surrounds are now part of Coomera Rivers State School catchment.

The catchment zones are created by the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office which can result from changes to road network, developments and population growth.

School enrolment management plans are introduced for state schools nearing capacity enrolments with principals required to restrict the number of out-of-catchment students.

The spokeswoman said catchment reviews are routine for all state schools to ensure a consistent and systematic approach to catchments.

Originally published as More than 500 Qld school catchment boundaries changed