The community has been invited to have its say about high school education in the Kogarah-Rockdale area, with schools taking part in consultations relating to educational offerings for years 7-12 in the area.
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The NSW Department of Education is seeking people's views about enrolment decision-making and feedback on a range of proposals for future arrangements at James Cook Boys Technology and Moorefield Girls high schools.
Consultation was recently undertaken on proposed changes to co-educational high school intake areas across the inner west, inner south west and inner south of Sydney. The consultation did not bring clarity on access to co-educational settings for families living in the intake area for James Cook Boys Technology High School and Moorefield Girls High School, the department stated.
This new consultation aims to give the community a chance to voice its opinions on co-educational and single-sex options.
The department is also collecting feedback on proposals to retain the current offering of single-sex education at both schools, retain single-sex education at both schools, but increase the opportunities for shared gender settings, including coeducational classes for years 11 and 12.
It also wants to hear from the public about a proposal to merge the two schools to establish a co-educational school at the current site.
Students, parents/carers and staff from primary schools and high schools can participate in the consultation process. The community and special interest groups are also being invited to have their say.
A parent who spoke to the Leader said she disagreed with converting Moorefields into a co-educational school.
"There is already a co-ed option in the area. Removing the choice of a government all girls' high school, which is not selective will disadvantage girls for generations to come. Removing choice is not progress," Una Keane said.
"We will be losing the choice of offering families both in and out of area the opportunity to attend a successful, smaller single sex school, which offers an alternative to the larger co-ed schools in and out of the area.
"Not everyone in the community has the finances to pay for private schools which are traditionally single sex schools. It would be a shame to create a private vs public divide when the Kogarah area is so fortunate to have so much choice. The only other single sex alternative is the selective school (St George Girls), which is not accessible for the majority of students."
Community consultations end on December 15.
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