Parents and school council members at Hallam Valley Primary School in Narre Warren are angry and disappointed after it was revealed that new boundaries would prevent some of their students from attending Kambrya College from 2007. Left to right, school council president Bruce Verity, James and Thomas Oldfield, Rochelle Verity and school council vicepresident Samantha Oldfield.By Rebecca Fraser
HALLAM Valley Primary School in Narre Warren has been left high and dry.
That is the view of school council president Bruce Verity and vicepresident Samantha Oldfield, who both have children at the school. They claim that new boundaries set out by the Department of Education and Training (DET) will prevent many of the school’s students from going to Kambrya College from 2007.
The Narre Warren residents said the school had been left in the dark because DET had gone back on its promise to keep parents and the school informed of the changes.
The proposed boundary will now be the Berwick town drain line, but Ms Oldfield said the school wanted the boundary to go down Princes Highway, along Narre WarrenCranbourne Road and up Greaves Road.
This would then include a majority of Hallam Valley’s students.
Dr Verity said the boundary change was disappointing because the school had modelled its education philosophy on Kambrya College and had forged strong links because many students would go there after grade six.
“We link together with the same learning philosophies and our students are familiar with their school,” he said.
Dr Verity said many parents now felt uncertain about where their children would go after completing grade six and more than 80 people had turned out to a public meeting last week to discuss the issue.
A petition has also been drawn up requesting an amendment to the boundary.
“They (DET) promised to keep us involved, but they have not kept us involved in the discussion about what happens to our kids and where they go,” Dr Verity said.
Ms Oldfield said Hallam Valley had about 90 children in both grades five and six, and 50 or 60 of those students usually went to Kambrya College each year.
“With the new boundaries, twothirds of these students will be excluded because of where they live,” she said.
“This leaves other students with a choice of only two other secondary schools, one being across a major highway at Fountain Gate and the other a prep to 12 school.
“Kambrya’s reasoning is that they want a boundary set to put a limit on numbers attending the school because there are about 370 year sevens enrolled for 2006.
“We understand they want to make sure that the students attending the school are local. But, we are local and we can’t go.”
Hallam Valley’s school council was to discuss its concerns with DET representatives yesterday.
The outcome of the meeting was not known by the time the News went to print.
