Newlands Primary School P0 Box 778,

"Encouraging Excellence" Tel 9354 292 * Fax 9350 3212

^ ^ Email newlands.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au

Tuesday 15th of June 2010

To Whom It May Concern:

The Newlands Primary School Council wishes to highlight the need for adequate secondary school provision
for children in Coburg and surrounds.

In the last 15 years this region of Melbourne has lost a vast number of secondary schools, including Coburg
High and Moreland College and St Joes, resulting in a lack local option for secondary education for children
transitioning from grade 6.

To the East, Thornbury High will be capping year 7 intakes from 2012, Lakeside is moving further away to
Merrilands and Northland has become a senior high. To the South, Northcote and Brunswick are full with
Northcote turning away hundreds of year 7 applicants each year. To the West, Strathmore is zoned. All of this
adds to the overall picture of a lack of state education providing open entry with secondary options for the
children of this community.

Newlands Primary School Council is aware that local families have real concerns about options for their
children transitioning to secondary school. Our school council would consider Newlands Primary to be a feeder
school to a Coburg High. Many of the families attending this school come from Moreland.

As a Darebin primary school with large numbers of Moreland families we acknowledge the natural
neighbourhood that exists across the municipal boundary .This community is made up of Coburg North,
Coburg, West Preston and parts of Reservoir. We would argue for West Preston population data and enrolment
data to be included in any assessment of need for a high school in Coburg.

As a primary school in a phase of regeneration we at Newlands Primary have a large number of new families
that have come to the area in the last few years .Our prep enrolments have gone from 7 children in 2008 to 18 in
2010 with 30 prospective new enrolments registered for 2011. This is reflected in the other primary schools
across the Moreland Darebin boundary.

We understand and acknowledge the difficulty the government has in keeping up with changing demographics
but we believe it is a reasonable expectation that parents have access to a local high school.

Yours Sincerely

Andrew Higgins
Newlands Primary School Council President