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To: Minister of Education- Adrian Piccoli, Director of NSW Public Schools - Sylvia Corish

Younger siblings must not be excluded after Public School boundary changes.

Ensure that siblings from families made "out of catchment area" by recent boundary change are allowed to enrol at the same school as their older siblings, so families are not forced into the position of either having to send very young children to different schools, or moving all their children to a new school.

Why is this important?

Schools in the Inner West are experiencing increasing enrolment numbers. Catchment areas are being reduced for schools under enrolment pressure. Families finding themselves involuntarily placed out of catchment due to boundary change, are being told that their younger children are now not allowed to attend school with their older siblings. These measures are unreasonable and unjust.
Families who have had long associations with the school, and children who have built friendships and trust with the school are being forced to leave by the exclusion of younger siblings. After boundary change, consideration is not being given to the younger siblings made out of zone. Only children yet to start school from within the new catchment are being guaranteed enrolment.
More border changes are coming and the group of families finding themselves in this unwelcome position is going to grow.
We support the changes that need to occur to control school numbers but solutions must take into account the welfare of existing pupils and their families.

Please respect our children's and families need to be able to attend the same primary school.
Respect our families' association with the school community.
Don't force families into a position where they have to withdraw their children from the school they love in the middle of their schooling.

How it will be delivered

Hand delivered to Minister of Education- Adrian Piccoli, and Director of NSW Public Schools - Sylvia Corish.

Updates

2016-08-14 21:58:13 +1000

1,000 signatures reached

2013-10-25 00:58:17 +1100

Thank you to everyone who has supported the petition. Some siblings recently made out of area by boundary change have just been offered 2014 places at ANPS. The support and opinion of the community has been vital in affecting this change.
However, there are other families affect by the recent boundary change who have siblings who will seek entry to the school in future years. They still have remain without any assurance of being able to school their children together at ANPS.

2013-09-06 12:59:54 +1000

PLEASE SIGN PAPER PETITION AT ANNANDALE NORTH PUBLIC SHCOOL MINI-FETE ON SATURDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER.
Thank you for signing this petition. The response has been amazing.
We aim to submit this petition to the Minister of Education in Parliament asking him to change Department of Education policy so that siblings can go to school together after boundary change.
BUT THE PETITION MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH HAND WRITTEN SIGNATURES to be legally valid.
Please, if you attend the mini-fete at Annandale North Public School on Sat 7th September (it is a polling station on election day), take time to sign the paper petition EVEN IF YOU SIGNED THE ONLINE VERSION.
Thank you once again for trying to keep brother and sisters together at primary school.
Catherine

2013-09-04 08:59:42 +1000

500 signatures reached

2013-08-29 13:38:32 +1000

100 signatures reached

2013-08-29 11:12:01 +1000

50 signatures reached

2013-08-29 09:31:58 +1000

25 signatures reached

2013-08-29 08:52:04 +1000

10 signatures reached