Fitzroy High School (re-named Fitzroy Secondary College just before it was shut down) was forcibly closed by the Kennett Liberal government 8 years ago. The site was occupied by the local community for over a year to prevent the site being sold to developers.
The site was offered to the John Batman T.A.F.E. but was abandoned by them after several years as cuts to their funding left them unable to sustain the site.
In 2000 a concerned mother rang the local M.P., Richard Wynne, after her 10 year old son came home with a jar of hydrochloric acid he found in the chem. lab of the school. The school had been abandoned still full of equipment, including library books, desks & chairs, cameras, photocopiers etc. All of the historical objects like photographs, award boards and trophies had been left where they were when the school closed. Richard Wynne swiftly organized a rescue party to salvage what was left and arranged for the Department of Education to properly secure the site. Although the Labor government of Steve Bracks was now in government, the school site was still on the Department of Education's books to be sold.
Richard Wynne arranged a meeting for the local community to discuss the fate of the site. This led to the Minister of Education, Mary Delahunty, setting up a Review Panel to report to her on options for using the site. The review panel included local community representatives, local school principals and bureaucrats from the Department of Education. The Review panel report, Enhancing Public Education in Inner Northern Melbourne, was completed December 2000 and submitted to Mary Delahunty.
Have a look at Recent History for more information.
On Sunday, 1st April 2001, Richard Wynne, local member of parliament
announced Mary Delahunty had agreed 'in principal' to a school being
opened on the site. She confirmed this in the media that evening.
Read the media reports: Herald
Sun, ABC Radio,
ABC TV, The
Age.
It was reported that the school would be for years 7 to 10, not be opened until 2004, and that a final decision would be made within 6 months.
However, the fight was not over. The community wants a year 7 to
12 school opened in 2003.
The principals of surrounding secondary colleges were not happy with the
decision and started to take action behind the scenes to ensure it would
never happen. They began to lobby the education department (DEET),
writing letters and seeking meetings with senior decision makers.
This was noticed by the community and media. Read a letter to The
Melbourne Times by a community
member, and replies
by Northcote High and Collingwood college, and response
from the community.
Late May Steve Bracks, the Premier, let it slip that the government intends to open Fitzroy High, but meanwhile the principals continue to agitate within the education department.
By September 2001 internal reports on the feasibility of re-opening the school instigated by the Minister for Education were completed. The community waited patiently for some sort of announcement.
On Sunday 21th October 2001 the Minister for Education announced on the school grounds that the school would be re-opening, possibly 2003, but 'guaranteed' by 2004. The atmosphere on the day was fantastic, with people who were involved in the original sit-in, and old students, attending.
The Minister announced in state parliament on the 31st October, (during question time), that the school would be re-opening and that a 'Planning Committee' was to be set up to oversee the process. The Minister said in Parliament that she had directed that three committee members of Community for Fitzroy High be on the planning Committee.
It took a further 6 weeks for the bureaucrats at DET (Department of Education & Training) to organise the first meeting of the Planning Committee.
The DEET planning committee has been meeting on average fortnightly since the beginning of 2002. The committee has developed an Education Specification to describe the new school, and an area brief so the architects can develop a Master Plan. The Master Plan has been endorsed by the committee but must be approved by DET and will form the basis for building work on the site.
The master plan was finally approved on 11th June 2002.
Also in June 2002 DET facilities branch dashed any hope of opening
in 2003 by informing the planning committee that:
"Facilities will not recommend to the minister that students be on site
during construction in 2003".
For the lastest information check out the News section.
Enhancing Public Education in Inner Northern Melbourne, Report of the Fitzroy Secondary College Site Review Panel; Department of Education, Employment and Training, Victoria; Melbourne; December 2000; ISBN 0 7594 0140 3
The Department of Education Employment & Training (DEET)
has placed a copy of the full report on their web site. You will need
Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print it. You can get Acrobat Reader from
Adobe.
The report is quite large (1.8 Mb) so may take a while to download.
Get the report from: http://www.deet.vic.gov.au/deet/media/reports/index.htm
We also have it on this web site in case you can't get it from DEET, get it from here, Full Report.
Some highlights: Précis of Recommendations, Enrolment data, Implementation
"In June 2000, the Victorian Minister for Education, the Hon. Mary Delahunty, appointed a review panel chaired by the Hon. Barry Pullen, to consider potential future educational uses for the former Fitzroy Secondary College site. The school had been closed in late 1992 as part of the former Kennett Government's school reorganization processes.
The panel's clear preference is for an Education Innovation and Action Research Centre to be established on the site.
The aim of the centre is to improve the quality of public education in the inner Northern Melbourne region.
The model preferred by the panel represents an exciting opportunity to meet the demand of the local community for a new Years 7-12 school."
What is "Action Research"? From the report...
In 1953:
"Action research is the process by which practitioners attempt
to study their problems scientifically in order to guide, correct, and
evaluate their decisions and actions." (Stephen Corey, 1953)
In 1992:
"Action research in education is study conducted by colleagues
in a school setting of the results of their activities to improve
instruction." (Carl Glickman, 1992)
In 1994:
"Action research is a fancy way of saying let's study what's
happening at our school and decide how to make it a better place."
(Emily Calhoun, 1994)
"5.3 Conclusions from enrolment data
"5.4 Looking to the future"
"Several local secondary colleges in the area have restrictive enrolment policies in place due to approved enrolment ceilings. This adds to the perceived lack of choice among parents seeking secondary education for their children. " [Princes Hill, University High, Northcote High, Kew High]
"Parent perception and choice are at some odds with the department of education, employment and Training data which identifies adequate excess capacity at other local secondary schools to meet any increase in the short to medium term." [Collingwood College, Brunswick College]
"The panel is concerned that such a policy will not be able to adequately address the stated needs of parents and may lead to increased enrolments at non-government schools."
"Local secondary colleges with static or declining enrolments over recent years perceive the opening of any new school within the general area as posing a threat to their endeavours to increase local enrolments and perhaps even their future viability." [even though the closing of Fitzroy Secondary College did not improve those schools situation]
The logistics of establishing the new centre on the site are quite formidable. The panel has established that there is strong community support for the concept and interest from a number of educational providers to be involved."
"The panel recommends that, following a decision to support the proposal in principle, early action is crucial to facilitate timely and effective implementation. Because the involvement of the community is crucial to the success of this venture, the panel recommends the establishment of an interim site council early in 2001 to work with the implementation team during the development phase."
"Adult educational and vocational education and training studies could begin early, along with community access to, say, a community room, and continuing use of the gym.
In 2002, a Years 7-12 school could commence, rolling out a year level each year, or possibly two at a time, if deemed practicable, in consultation with other local secondary schools (e.g. 7/8 in 2002).
A range of activities, including formal network provisions for middle years and alternative programs, would commence in 2002."
Community for Fitzroy High School members of the Planning Committee have been
pressing for the early appointment of a Principal and interum school council.
Normal DET process is for the Principal to be appointed one term before the
commencement of a new school. This means the Principal would be unknown at the
time people will be making a decision about which school they will enroll their
children, around May-June 2003.
Richard Wynne, our local state member, has been trying hard to get a commitment
on this issue, but DET seem to believe they are unable to make an exception.
If you want to see a Principal appointed by second term 2003 (i.e. June 2003)
write to the Minister for Education and let her know your views.
Although it may not appear to be doing any good, writing letters does work. All the letters sent to Mary Delahunty and Steve Bracks made them aware, and their minders, it is not just a few agitators who are interested in the school re-opening.
To ensure your letter gets a public airing email a copy of your letter to comment@fitzroyhigh.org.au and it’ll be put up on the web site under the Letters section.
Write a letters to Lynne Kosky, and the Premier, Steve Bracks
Points to Make
The Melbourne Times, P.O. Box 208.,
Carlton
South 3053
Letters Editor, The Age, 250 Spencer St., Melbourne 3001; fax 9601 2414; email letters@theage.fairfax.com.au
|
The Hon L Kosky MP (Lynne) Minister for Education and
Training Phone: 9637 3196 |
The Hon. Steve Bracks MP Premier
of Victoria
Fax: 9651 5054 |
If you are a parent at a primary school seek out other
parents at that school who want to become involved in helping and form a contact
group. Your group can then disseminate information to other parents, and
be a conduit for the wishes, hopes and opinions of parents from your school.
If you don't know of anyone else at your school who may want to be involved send
us an email noting your school and
contact details. We will do what we can to match people up.
Send you email address to comment@fitzroyhigh.org.au and be added to an email mailing list that will keep you up to date with developments.
| Community for Fitzroy High | comment@fitzroyhigh.org.au | |
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