Thursday, 9 June 2022

Responses

Mr MERLINO (Monbulk—Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health) (17:23): I will start with the member for Pascoe Vale, particularly in relation to Pascoe Vale Girls secondary college but also Glenroy and John Fawkner. I thank the member for her adjournment and commit to this house, and through the member to her community, that the Andrews Labor government is strongly committed to providing outstanding education for all students right across Victoria—every school, every student, every community. That is the promise of the Education State. Part of this is about infrastructure—the investment we make in the physical fabric of schools. That includes $50 000 in the 2020–21 budget to develop a master plan for John Fawkner secondary college to support future upgrades and modernisation. The funding for the development of a master plan at John Fawkner demonstrates our long-term commitment to the provision of high-quality schooling in Melbourne’s northern suburbs.

As the member outlined—and I was delighted to visit the school with the member for Pascoe Vale—there was $9.2 million in the 2019–20 budget to replace dilapidated facilities at Glenroy College, and $11.9 million in the 2021–22 budget to build a new arts and technology centre at Pascoe Vale Girls secondary college. This funding is in addition to the $2.3 million for the school in the 2018–19 state budget for performing arts, food technology and music facilities. So that is the capital story with those three schools, and it is important.

We have experience in shifting enrolments and pride in local schools, be it through planning and infrastructure investment, strong leadership at the school or both. There are schools like Beaumaris college and Preston High School which we reopened after they were closed and neglected. We reopened those schools, and they are so popular—more popular than ever. We have so many examples of schools with strong leadership where we have seen dramatic shifts in community pride and enrolments, like Greensborough secondary college, which you, Speaker, would be aware of; Mordialloc College—my colleague the member for Mordialloc is in the chamber; Mount Alexander College; Reservoir High School; and St Albans Secondary College. I have also had some discussions over recent months with the member for Ripon about schools in her community about this very issue: how we address enrolments and how we improve community pride in and perceptions of those schools.

Perceptions can turn around. It might take a year or two—it lags behind the excellent work that is happening in the school—but it can turn around, and they will go from residualised schools to schools of choice. The way to do that is that you back the community, you back the school leadership and you invest in them, and you ask them what they need to make the improvements at their schools. Mount Alexander College—and I encourage all members to look at the story of this fantastic school—is one of the best examples of how we can turn community perceptions around and a school can go from a residualised school to a school of choice, which is what we want for every government school in the state, indeed every school.

We are working closely with schools across the Pascoe Vale electorate to continue to make all schools schools of choice. Dr Lisa Vinnicombe has been appointed as the principal of John Fawkner secondary college following the appointment of the previous principal as the inaugural head of the new Greenvale Secondary College. Dr Vinnicombe was previously assistant principal at University High School. Her thesis, which she completed for her PhD studies, was on effective change management in schools, so a perfect appointment for that school. Glenroy College is being fantastically led by Graham Stevenson, an experienced former principal who has recently been in a regional leadership role. Mr Stevenson has returned to a principal’s role to lead Glenroy College, and he is doing a great job.

Dr Vinnicombe and Mr Stevenson join Kay Peddle, the principal at Pascoe Vale Girls secondary college. Ms Peddle has been principal since 2015 and has achieved outstanding results, with 26 per cent of year 7 students achieving in the top two bands of NAPLAN reading in 2021, up from 17 per cent in 2019—a brilliant achievement. I am particularly enthusiastic about the science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, or STEAM, program offered at Pascoe Vale Girls, which provides the students with hands-on experiential learning opportunities in science and technology, so excellent programs and outstanding student outcomes.

As the member for Pascoe Vale has rightly said, our government girls schools are a popular choice for many families, and I want to make it absolutely clear that Pascoe Vale Girls secondary college will remain a girls-only school. Providing the option for a girls-only school means parents in the northern suburbs of Melbourne have exactly the same opportunities as families living near the Canterbury Girls Secondary College, Melbourne Girls College, Mentone Girls Secondary College or Matthew Flinders Girls Secondary College. In addition, to make Pascoe Vale Girls a co-ed school would result in a significant reduction in the Coburg High School and Strathmore Secondary College zones, which many in the community would not support.

The Department of Education and Training is working with John Fawkner secondary college, Glenroy College and Pascoe Vale Girls secondary college to expand their current programs to ensure every student is provided with the best possible support to reach their full potential. For example, Glenroy College will ensure more students can access the Victorian high-ability program by offering the mentoring and tutoring support they need to ensure they can benefit from this highly successful program. Across the three schools students are now offered instrumental music, interschool sports and lunchtime and after-hours extracurricular activities, including programs such as drama and debating. The department is working with the schools to expand these programs further. The principals of all three schools have commenced planning to determine how they can maximise the benefits of the new single VCE for all their students. This includes new opportunities for vocational education and training as well as planning for the provision of more senior secondary subjects. All three schools work with their local primary schools to make sure that every student graduating primary school, no matter their circumstances, knows that they will be able to reach their full potential in each of these three secondary colleges.

The department is continuing to work with the local community to celebrate the successes of the schools and to address any concerns. I have directed my department to continue to work with local community groups, such as the RISE group in the Moreland area and, importantly, with my colleague the member for Pascoe Vale and others in the other place to ensure we are delivering the quality of education local families have a right to expect, and we will ensure that happens. I thank the member for raising this matter with me.

The member for Narre Warren South raised the issue of the fantastic upgrade to Kambrya College, which received $18.94 million in the most recent budget, and asked me to outline any further information or steps that will be taken to make this project a reality. Member for Narre Warren South, I have visited Kambrya. This is a fantastic school, and I am really excited, particularly with the VCE vocational major. This is already an exceptional school when it comes to both VCE and VCAL, and with this reform of senior secondary Kambrya will be one of the leaders in this state, I am sure. It is a great school, and I am delighted that through the advocacy of the member for Narre Warren South and the school community we have been able to deliver this funding. It builds on previous investments that we have made. The new senior learning block at Kambrya College received $3 million in the 2016–17 budget, and now this additional funding will deliver an extra 400 student places, so we will replace temporary buildings and build more permanent classrooms.

In terms of the process, architects will be appointed by August of this year. We have really sped up the process from the budget announcement to the turning of the sod and to the ultimate opening of the new facilities. We will have the architect by August. We will have the builder in the second half of next year—as close to the middle of the year as we can, but in the second half of next year—and be completed by quarter 3 of 2025. The appointment of the architect and then that engagement is often the most exciting process before you actually get the students into the new facilities. There will be priorities and ideas that the school have but there will also be some innovative ideas that will come from the architects, and that is a really exciting design process. So that is the pathway for Kambrya, and my congratulations to the school leadership, the school council and the broader school community on what will be a massive transformation, really matching the quality teaching and education that I know occurs at Kambrya with the very best facilities. So again, I thank the member for Narre Warren South for raising this adjournment.

Eight other members have raised particular matters with ministers: the member for Murray Plains with the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, the member for Bayswater with the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, the member for Ripon with the Minister for Health, the member for Gembrook for the Premier, the member for Burwood for the Minister for Higher Education, the member for Prahran to the Premier, the member for Nepean to the Minister for Planning and the member for Benambra for the Minister for Planning. I will ensure those matters are addressed and responded to.

The SPEAKER: The house now stands adjourned.

House adjourned 5.35 pm until Tuesday, 21 June.