Russell Trood (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise this evening to speak on a little Queensland school with a very big heart. Blackstone State School is situated in the eastern suburbs of Ipswich, in South-East Queensland. It was established by local Welsh coalminers over 200 years ago and since then has remained a focal point of the local community. The strong community atmosphere that exists at the school is as evident today as I am sure it was when the school was founded.

With only 150 students, Blackstone is a small school but, as I have seen myself, it is one of considerable charm and has an energetic school community. The school has a supportive culture, with an exceptional group of teachers, who provide a personal and caring touch in their teaching methods. It is possibly for this reason that the school is one of the best performers for literacy and numeracy in the Ipswich area and more widely throughout Queensland. In the state exams in 2007, 100 per cent of the year 3 students at Blackstone performed better than the national benchmark in reading, writing and numeracy. In year 5, 89 per cent performed better than the national benchmark in reading, 94 per cent in writing, and 67 per cent in numeracy. In year 7, 91 per cent performed better than the national benchmark in reading, 100 per cent in writing and 78 per cent in numeracy.

With such an emphasis on Queensland being a smart state, Blackstone State School is a positive example of what can be achieved in a small school. The great tragedy is that this school is slated for closure by the Queensland Bligh government. This is to be done as part of the Bligh government’s $850 million State Schools of Tomorrow program. Sadly, other schools near to my electorate office will also be closed as part of this program, including Dinmore, Richlands and Inala West state schools. The effect will be, of course, to force the students from these schools to others. There will be massive disruption, and already large schools will become a great deal bigger. The result will be that the students will receive considerably less individual attention than is the case at the moment. I can imagine it will be a huge shock for these students, particularly if they have special needs.

Blackstone State School is often sought after because of its size and its diligent attention to students’ needs. It is not by chance that the school is so small. Its size is an excellent way to create an attractive learning environment. This was the point the Bligh government missed completely when it used the school’s size as a reason for its closure. Indeed, it is schools such as Blackstone which Premier Anna Bligh should regard as a benchmark to improve Queensland’s education system. Few public policy issues are of more importance, because Queensland’s performance in national mathematics, science and literary tests is, regrettably, a disgrace. In 2009, Queensland students had the lowest performance in Australia except for the Northern Territory.

Premier Bligh was so embarrassed about the results that she appointed Professor Geoff Masters to review educational standards. Professor Masters’s report was released last month, and he made five recommendations, including better support and development for school leaders. Professor Masters is aware of a fundamental truth—that all outstanding schools have cultures where the school community has a sense of belonging and pride in their achievements. And, of course, they all have committed leaders whose primary focus is on establishing a quality learning environment.

It is a sign of the Bligh government’s perverse policymaking that Blackstone State School is to close and yet it has all the qualities of an outstanding school as characterised by Professor Masters. Pride in the school is manifest. It can be seen in the support the school has received from the local community, from the current students and parents, from ex-students and parents and even from ex-teachers, all of whom have made their voices heard in protest against the closure.

The Blackstone State School community has been fighting against the closure for over a year, but its pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Sixteen hundred people have signed a petition opposing the decision for closure. The Premier, it seems, is determined not to listen, and the Minister for Education and Training, Mr Geoff Wilson, has contemptuously ignored all calls for a meeting to discuss the school’s future. The school’s teachers have also been gagged and are unable to speak out.

Yet I must say I admire the tenacity of the Save Our Blackstone School Action Group. The group is determined to fight the Bligh government all the way. There is no question that Blackstone State School is a great school, with strong links into the local community. The school has an active P&C Association, and parents participate in decision-making processes to ensure the school achieves its educational objectives. Over half a million dollars in state and federal government funding has been spent on upgrading the facilities, including, as I recall, funds from the Howard government’s excellent Investing in Our Schools Program. The school has won a number of awards, including the prestigious Education Queensland Showcase Award for Excellence in Education.

In the face of all this, the bizarre thing is that the Bligh government is determined that this school shall close. One wonders whether or not it is serious about educational reform. Schools like Blackstone should be encouraged, not closed. They should be made an example, not just in my state but throughout Australia. It is a case of quality, not quantity. Successful schools provide a healthy learning environment and bigger schools do not necessarily mean better schools. Indeed, we Queenslanders would all be better off if there were more schools like Blackstone. I support the retention of the Blackstone State School and wish the school community every success with its campaign to keep its classrooms open and to continue teaching young Queenslanders with the success it has already achieved.