Ms SCRYMGOUR - 2010-10-27
Can you outline to the House how the Alice Springs Youth Action Plan is supporting efforts to get children to school and keep them engaged in education?
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arafura for her question. Improving school attendance and combating truancy is a key aim of the Alice Springs Youth Action Plan. Also, the No School, No Service initiative through the youth action plan has been very successful, with over 100 businesses in Alice Springs being involved and signing up to the voluntary scheme. Under the voluntary code of practice, local retailers are able to refuse service to any school-aged child under the age of 15 in a shop without adult supervision during school hours.
As we have heard from the minister for Education today, school truancy is a very important issue we need to deal with. Regarding the issue of youth and their antisocial behaviour, the Every Child, Every Day attendance strategy he launched today, and the No School, No Service code sends a strong message that wagging school is not cool. The No School, No Service code has been so successful it is being adopted in other centres such as Palmerston and Katherine.
Under the Alice Springs Youth Action Plan, we have seen the creation of the Centralian Middle School in Alice Springs. This has also seen an increase in enrolments, better resourcing throughout public schools in Alice Springs, and targeting education programs to students. We now have around 370 students enrolled at CMS. The resources and classrooms being provided are first class. I have visited and talked to teachers in some of the programs such as the Clontarf Football Academy and the Girls at the Centre program. I know the member for Braitling has also been there. We have talked to students and staff about those particular programs and the great work they are doing in addressing school attendance and retaining those kids in the education system.
I urge the member for Araluen, as the member for Braitling and I have, to go to CMS and look at the great facilities this government is investing in for our public education. It is also important the member for Araluen talks to a few people about the youth action plan. I am happy to organise a briefing for her. Some of the things she is saying about the youth action plan are wrong, particularly about the closure of ANZAC Hill High School. It is not closing, it is providing an alternative education program next year, which is aimed at bringing those hard-core, disengaged kids back into the education system - something we talked about this week and last week when discussing the Growing them strong, together report.
Along with our aim to re-engage those hard-core problem kids, there will also be wraparound education services to complement the youth hub. That will be established at the ANZAC Hill campus. Through the youth action plan, this government is committed to Alice Springs and to getting kids to school every day, which is so important to the Northern Territory’s future.
ANSWER
Madam Speaker, I thank the member for Arafura for her question. Improving school attendance and combating truancy is a key aim of the Alice Springs Youth Action Plan. Also, the No School, No Service initiative through the youth action plan has been very successful, with over 100 businesses in Alice Springs being involved and signing up to the voluntary scheme. Under the voluntary code of practice, local retailers are able to refuse service to any school-aged child under the age of 15 in a shop without adult supervision during school hours.
As we have heard from the minister for Education today, school truancy is a very important issue we need to deal with. Regarding the issue of youth and their antisocial behaviour, the Every Child, Every Day attendance strategy he launched today, and the No School, No Service code sends a strong message that wagging school is not cool. The No School, No Service code has been so successful it is being adopted in other centres such as Palmerston and Katherine.
Under the Alice Springs Youth Action Plan, we have seen the creation of the Centralian Middle School in Alice Springs. This has also seen an increase in enrolments, better resourcing throughout public schools in Alice Springs, and targeting education programs to students. We now have around 370 students enrolled at CMS. The resources and classrooms being provided are first class. I have visited and talked to teachers in some of the programs such as the Clontarf Football Academy and the Girls at the Centre program. I know the member for Braitling has also been there. We have talked to students and staff about those particular programs and the great work they are doing in addressing school attendance and retaining those kids in the education system.
I urge the member for Araluen, as the member for Braitling and I have, to go to CMS and look at the great facilities this government is investing in for our public education. It is also important the member for Araluen talks to a few people about the youth action plan. I am happy to organise a briefing for her. Some of the things she is saying about the youth action plan are wrong, particularly about the closure of ANZAC Hill High School. It is not closing, it is providing an alternative education program next year, which is aimed at bringing those hard-core, disengaged kids back into the education system - something we talked about this week and last week when discussing the Growing them strong, together report.
Along with our aim to re-engage those hard-core problem kids, there will also be wraparound education services to complement the youth hub. That will be established at the ANZAC Hill campus. Through the youth action plan, this government is committed to Alice Springs and to getting kids to school every day, which is so important to the Northern Territory’s future.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016