Rosemeadow Public School P&C president Tammy Scowcroft says local parents are “fuming’’ over a state government policy aimed at cracking down on out of area school enrolments.
Under the policy parents could be forced to send their children to different schools.
“It’s not good at all. Our parents are absolutely horrified,’’ says Ms Scowcroft.
“We have a huge amount of parents that have children with issues – particularly single mums and single dads.
“If you have a student in a support unit and have another child who can’t go to the same school, you then have to rely on other people, buses, taxis or even Ubers to get children where they need to be,” she said.
The changes outlined by the NSW Department of Education state “like other non-local students, siblings may not be enrolled at a school [that] has reached its cap or local enrolment buffer”.
Caps will determined by the number of permanent classrooms posing a major problem for schools like Rosemeadow Public that have a significant number of demountable classrooms.
Almost one third of classrooms at Rosemeadow Public School are demountables.
The policy has come under fire from the Labor opposition, including local MP Greg Warren and education spokesperson Prue Car.
“It’s clear this Liberal government is more focused on causing parents and students unnecessary stress, rather than focusing on building strong vibrant school communities,’’ says Mr Warren.
“Many schools in Campbelltown are falling apart and still aren’t fully air-conditioned – the government should address those issues first.
“This policy shows just how out of touch the Liberals are with communities in Western Sydney like Campbelltown.”
Ms Car said: “This is a bad decision by a Liberal Government that doesn’t listen – plain and simple.
“The Liberal Government began this enrolment crackdown without consulting with parents and school communities and without assessing the impact on busy working families and families with children with learning support needs.
“It is causing families in Campbelltown and across Sydney undue stress with this unfair enrolment crackdown.”
