Thursday, 6 February 2025

 Sonja TERPSTRA (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (17:28): (1384) My adjournment matter this evening is directed to the Minister for Education, and it concerns the support provided by the Victorian government to the Heatherwood School, a special school in the North-Eastern Metropolitan region, to ensure it continues delivering quality education to students with intellectual disabilities despite facing significant external challenges. Heatherwood School has endured a particularly challenging couple of years. The collapse of the initial builder responsible for delivering stage 2 of their master plan caused significant delays to critical infrastructure works. This setback was further compounded by a tragic fire that severely damaged block A, affecting both the learning environments and the broader school community. Additionally, a smaller fire impacted one of the school sheds. Despite these hardships, the resilience and unity demonstrated by the staff, students and families at Heatherwood School have been nothing short of inspiring.

Heatherwood School has benefited from Victoria’s largest ever single investment in upgrading specialist schools, with 39 schools sharing in $388.8 million. Through this funding the Victorian government has continued to upgrade and modernise Heatherwood School, progressing with the next stage of the school’s master plan. The action I seek from the minister is to outline how the Victorian government will continue to support the Heatherwood special school in delivering quality specialist education, particularly in light of the recent challenges. Additionally, I request the minister to provide an update on the delivery of stage 2 of the master plan to ensure Heatherwood School can continue to thrive and offer the exceptional education its students deserve. I will continue to be a fierce advocate for this wonderful school and its remarkable community. I would just like to thank them again for their patience and support during this difficult time.