The Rock Central School Federation Representative Vicky Donoghue outlines her concerns to Director-General Michael Coutts-Trotter.

D-G to look at classroom formula

By Nicole Calnan

Two infants classes are forced to share a classroom for a primary literacy program because of the loss of a demountable classroom, Director-General Michael Coutts-Trotter witnessed at The Rock Central School on July 20.

He also heard about the difficulties housing a number of secondary classes in the middle of the area where infants and primary classrooms are.

Mr Coutts-Trotter said he would look into the school facilities standards for central schools, because there was no stand-alone 'formula' for central schools. (Currently DET implements a primary room allocation formula for the primary department and secondary room allocation formula in the secondary department rather than having a room allocation formula to recognise the unique nature of central schools.)

After countless invitations from both the staff and the P&C following the removal of a demountable classroom from The Rock Central School, Mr Coutts-Trotter visited the school, meeting with the principal and three representatives from school's P&C.

After a tour of the school, Mr Coutts-Trotter addressed the staff. He said the demountable taken from The Rock (to Young Public School where three classrooms had been lost in a fire) was the only one available and also acknowledged the problems created since its removal.

During his visit, Mr Coutts-Trotter also discussed proposed refurbishments and its impact on the school.

At the end of term 2 the Department of Education and Training provided to The Rock Central School a refurbishment plan which included significant renovations to the science lab; relocation of the chemical store, sick bay and cleaners' room; new cooking and preparation benches in the food technology room; relocation of the secondary teachers' office and the removal of a wall to create an additional learning space; relocation of the resource room and staff kitchen area to make way for the secondary teachers' office; the addition of a kitchen area to the present staffroom (with the area to become a designated staffroom); and improvements to current storage facilities including an additional double sized garage storeroom facility.

Mr Coutts-Trotter committed that the remaining demountable would become a 'permanent' structure at the school and would not be removed, the science lab would not be 'cut in half' as had been proposed and the other refurbishing would go ahead at an estimated cost of between $150,000 and $200,000.

While the proposed changes are not perfect and while the school would have been happy to have a demountable back, the school community views what Mr Coutts-Trotter has committed to as a bittersweet victory and hope that the work will start as soon as possible. They are also comforted by the fact that it has been recognised that there are no "surplus" rooms at The Rock.

Nicole Calnan is a Country Organiser.

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