The Rockliff Liberal Government is progressing its election commitment to invest in the North West Support School, including upgrades at the Burnie campus and development of a new Devonport campus on a new site.
A dedicated education leader, based in the region, has been appointed to work closely with the School Principal, the school community and other stakeholders for both projects.
Minister for Education, Children and Youth, Roger Jaensch, said separate project working groups, which will include school and parent/carer representatives, will be established for each of the Burnie and Devonport projects.
“Our Government will continue to work closely with the school community as we progress both projects, with regular updates provided via school channels,” Minister Jaensch said.
Minister Jaensch also announced that each campus will have a full-time, on-site school nurse, commencing as soon as possible.
“The Principal and School Association have advocated for an increased nurse presence to support NWSS staff with the complex needs of many of their students and this also came up in the recent consultation process,” Minister Jaensch said.
“Nurses play an important role in ensuring the health and wellbeing of our students, as well as peace-of-mind for their parents and carers, which is why we are ensuring each campus will have a full-time school nurse,” he said.
Consultation with the school community will be a key priority for the Government as the redevelopment of the North West Support School proceeds.
“Our Government has listened to the feedback of parents, carers, staff and the broader community during the consultation on the Penguin site and, as a result, that option is now off the table.
“This consultation process provided valuable feedback about the infrastructure and facilities the school community would like to see as part of the redevelopment of the two campuses and these insights will feed into the next stages of the process,” Minister Jaensch said.
“Our Government is getting on with the job to deliver contemporary facilities for our learners and their families, as well as the wider school community.”
