During Estimates hearings on Thursday 1 August 2024, I asked the Director General of the Department of Education about the overcrowding at Indooroopilly State High School.
You can read my questions and his full response below, or in the official Parliamentary record of proceedings (Hansard) here.
Mr BERKMAN: Thanks, Chair. I have a couple of questions to the director-general around the overcrowding at Indooroopilly State High School. You would be aware, director-general, that the new learning centre—V Block as it is called—was finished in 2020 and I think they were more or less at maximum enrolment capacity from the time students entered those classrooms. There are still issues with shortages of toilets, student support spaces and staffrooms that are impacting students and staff alike. Director-General, why is it taking so long to deliver new permanent buildings at Indro high and why did it take the potential loss of the school library to get the emergency provision of demountables earlier this year?
Mr De’Ath: I thank the member for the question. Indeed, I have been very close to this issue. First and foremost, I would like to really congratulate the principal of Indooroopilly high school who had quite a task on his hands in terms of managing and addressing the issue of a lot of out-of-catchment enrolments and some adherence to the enrolment management plan that needed attention. He has done a very fine job. He is doing a very fine job. He has worked with us very closely. I have spoken with him myself about how we are going and how we are supporting him and the work of the department in doing that.
I am very aware there was a proposal near the end of last year that was not acceptable to the school and the school community. We responded incredibly quickly to that. In fact, I was myself astounded at how quickly we managed to provide a vast amount of classroom accommodation onto that site over that Christmas period so that the school could start in an appropriate way for the coming year.
We continue to work with the principal at Indooroopilly State High School around managing those enrolments. We have made a really strong commitment to continue do that. We will continue to do that and provide the necessary infrastructure along with the appropriate management of their enrolment management plan.
Mr BERKMAN: I have a follow-up question, again to the director-general. I understand that the most recent draft concept master plan from around June this year actually drops the target enrolment capacity from 2,900 in an earlier draft, as largely reflects the current enrolment numbers, to a target enrolment capacity of 2,500 students. Director-General, can you confirm that the enrolment forecasts that the department is relying on are different from the forecasts that the QGSO provided to the department?
Mr De’Ath: What I can confirm is that we are working very closely with the school, looking at a range of pieces of data and information about what the enrolment trend is in the area and within their enrolment management plan. We will continue to work with the school within those boundaries to ensure that is there an appropriate level of accommodation and that roll figure is set based on the evidence that is required to do that.
Mr BERKMAN: With respect, Director-General, the question was very specifically: is the department working with different numbers from those numbers that QGSO forecast and provided to the department?
Mr De’Ath: Again, I have an expectation that the department is working with all relevant data to the issue. It is not just one piece of data that gives us the picture around what an enrolment management plan should look like for a school. If we were to just work on those raw figures and not have those conversations with schools and local government and understand the dynamic of what was happening within those boundaries and outside of those for specialist programs then we would not be doing well. I understand our discussions with the school have been very comprehensive in that regard and look at a range of pieces of evidence.
Ms FARMER: Chair, I wonder if the member wouldn’t mind if I add to that?
Mr BERKMAN: Given the limitations of time, Chair, I would prefer to pass my time to the other crossbench member, the member for South Brisbane, who has questions she wants to ask.