‘People are crying out for something different': Brisbane's shrinking public primary schools
English, a researcher at QUT, said families were increasingly looking for choices that better met their young person's needs rather than automatically choosing the local state school.
She said the pandemic gave parents a 'window' into their child's classroom that exposed bullying and other concerns, and also gave some professionals greater work flexibility.
'They look at the local state school, and they think, you're so constrained by overarching forces of what you can and can't do,' she said.
'They think their child is a square peg in a round hole, and they don't want their child to lose those edges.'
Green said her daughter Pixie, 11, had ADHD and autism and dreaded going to school. But home-schooling meant the 'quirky, sweet kid' who loved reading, writing and music was finally able to be herself.
'There was nothing more you want than for your child's wellbeing to be good,' she said. 'It was heartbreaking what we went through.
'There's not a lot of other options for kids who are struggling in mainstream unless you've got money to maybe go to an independent school.'
Griffith University Professor Beryl Exley said families were making conscious decisions to align education to their students' needs, considering teaching philosophies, logistics, and where their child would thrive academically and socially, with some seeking specialised subjects, inquiry-based learning, or a focus on the International Baccalaureate.
'Many parents and carers are strategically enrolling their children in recognised feeder primary schools to improve their chances of gaining admission to certain state or independent secondary schools,' she said.
Changing demographics, including housing affordability in certain catchments, also had an impact on school trends, English said.
Brisbane families are also having fewer children – there were 416 babies fewer born in 2019 compared to 2016 – but this is offset by increasing migration to the city.
Loading
Some shrinking schools did have smaller Prep cohorts. For example, Aspley State School had 114 Prep students in 2021 and only 84 last year, as it shrunk by 6 per cent overall.
While some state schools shrunk, there were hundreds more students enrolled in private primary schools in 2024 compared with 2021. Some, such as Brigidine College, have recently introduced year 5 and 6 to their high school offerings.
Meanwhile, state schools in the affluent suburbs of Graceville and Ascot had noticeably fewer students enrolled in Year 5 last year compared to Year 4 the year before – suggesting some had left for Year 5 entry at private schools.
The biggest shrink at a state primary school was at Hendra State School – already Brisbane's smallest state primary school – where enrolments halved.
It was not just tiny schools that became smaller, with larger schools shrinking, like Jindalee (down 20 per cent to 587 students), Bulimba (down 18 per cent to 660 students), and Grand Avenue in Forest Lake (down 16 per cent to 983 students).
Enrolment management plans kept a lid on some schools, with strict rules that did not allow children living out of the local catchment area to enrol. For example, Ironside State School had 1080 students in 2021, and dropped 13 per cent to 937 last year.
Some state primary schools bucked the trend, including Pallara State School, which surged by 48 per cent to 1283 students, while Stafford Heights, Hamilton, Petrie Terrace, Moorooka, Kenmore, Newmarket and Mayfield state schools all increased by more than 20 per cent.
Among the top 20 primary schools for growth, six were over-capacity last year – Kenmore, Enoggera, Sunnybank Hills, Mackenzie, Wishart and Brisbane Central state schools.
An education department spokesman said they were committed to ensuring all students had access to a world-class education, and pointed out demand for state schools remained strong, with almost two-thirds of Queensland students attending a state school.
'Many schools are subject to fluctuations in enrolments as a result of demographic factors in the communities they serve,' he said.
'Changes in the school-aged population as well as local population movements affect individual school enrolments.'
The spokesman said the department prioritised relief for schools experiencing catchment pressures by expanding existing schools or building new ones.
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SBS Australia
a day ago
- SBS Australia
#92 Asking for donations (Med)
spk_0 Well, if you ask me, learning English helps me to help others. spk_1 SPS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands and waterways throughout Australia. Josipa Hi, my name is Josipa. Josipa And I made a promise to my friend that I'd help her raise money for a charity that supports homeless families. Josipa A charity is a group that helps people in need. Josipa So I signed up to do a charity run of 10 kilometres because I really believe in what this charity does. A charity run is organized by a charity to raise money. People who take part in the run ask their friends and family to give money to the charity because they're taking part in it. Josipa And are likely to be very exhausted by the experience and even feel some pain. It's like, I'm suffering for this charity, so please give money to them. Josipa Now, I am not a runner. I'm more of a sit down and read a book kind of person. So I will be exhausted, and my feet, my feet are likely to hurt. Josipa But that's not the part I'm worried about. Josipa The hard part, asking people for money. Like, how do you even say it? Hey, would you like to give me money? Nope. That feels weird, too direct, too uncomfortable. It is difficult to ask people to donate. That is, to give something like money, clothes, food, or time to help others. So I started thinking. Josipa There must be a better way to ask, a more polite way, a more English way, and there is. Josipa Allan and Claire showed me in this dialogue that there are some polite and friendly ways to ask for a donation without sounding pushy or awkward. A donation is whatever you give to a charity. You don't get anything for it. You give because you want to help. Now let's listen to Alan and Claire at work. Allan Hey Claire, do you have a minute? Sure, what's up? I'm running a charity cake stall this Friday to raise money for a children's hospital. It's part of the community fundraiser I've joined. Would you be open to making a small donation? Claire Oh, that sounds lovely, Alan, but I've already donated to another charity appeal this week. Sorry. Allan Totally understand, no pressure at all. But if you've got a coin or two to spare, it'll go straight to a good cause. Allan Every bit counts and hey, I'll save you the best cupcake. Claire Alright, you got me. I can't say no to a cupcake. Josipa Alan is organizing a charity cake stall. That's when people bake cakes and muffins, sell them, and give the money to a charity. Josipa Alan is really altruistic. That means he helps others just to do something good, not to get anything back. Hmm. To be completely honest, I'm not sure I'm doing my charity because I'm altruistic. I want to help, yes, but the real reason is it makes me feel good about myself, and that's OK, right? Doing good and feeling good can go together. Josipa Now, let's do some good for our English and learn the phrases from the dialogue. Let's listen again to how Alan asked Claire for a donation. Allan I'm running a charity cake stall this Friday to raise money for a children's hospital. It's part of a community fundraiser I've joined. Allan Would you be open to making a small donation Josipa Before asking for money, Alan explained what the fundraiser was for by saying, Allan I'm running a charity cake stall this Friday to raise money for a children's hospital. Josipa If you are running something, it means you're organizing it, looking after it, or making sure it happens. Josipa Alan is running a charity cake stall, but you can run other things too. For example, if you are running a business, that means you are managing or owning it. Josipa Allan then said, Allan It's part of a community fundraiser I've joined. Josipa A fundraiser is an event or activity that helps collect money to help others, and the community fundraiser is when people in a neighbourhood, school, or local group work together to raise money for something important. Josipa After saying what the money is for, the reason for the fundraiser. Josipa Alan asked Claire. Allan Would you be open to making a small donation? Josipa This is a polite way not to direct or pushy, to ask someone if they're willing to give a little money to help. Would you be open to? It's the same as saying, are you OK with, or would you say yes to? Josipa And making a small donation means giving a small amount to help. Josipa For example, I often make a small donation by giving away clothes that I don't need. I hope that my donations make life a little easier for someone in need. Josipa Now let's hear a few more ways in which we can ask for donations. Claire I've got a little fundraiser going. Any chance you'd like to help? Allan Would you be happy to support this cause? Josipa Any help you can give would mean a lot. Josipa Claire initially said she couldn't donate to Alan's charity, she said. Claire I've already donated to another charity appeal this week. Sorry! Josipa A charity appeal is when a charity asks people to give money or help. They may ask for people's donation in a letter, online, on TV, on the radio, or like Alan did in person. Josipa It's called an appeal because the charity is asking for support. Josipa Allan then said, Allan Totally understand. No pressure at all. But if you've got a coin or two to spare, it'll go straight to a good cause. Every bit counts, and hey, I'll save you the best cupcake. Josipa Notice how Alan showed that he understood Claire's response, but then he tried one more time. Allan But if you've got a coin or two to spare, it'll go straight to a good cause. Josipa That's another good phrase we could use when asking for donations. When we ask someone for a coin or two, we are asking for a small amount of money. We also often use the phrase a gold coin donation. Josipa This means that you don't have to give a large amount like a $5 or $10 note. Josipa And to spare means extra. So if you have some money to spare, that means that you can give, donate a little without causing any problems. Allan said the money he is raising will go straight to a good cause. Josipa A good cause is a project or group that helps people or animals who need support, like a charity or community group. For me, running 10 kilometres will be hard, but, but I believe it will be worth it to support a good cause. Alan also said. Allan Every bit counts. Josipa This means that even a small amount is helpful. Josipa You could also say, Claire A little help goes a long way. Josipa Or if you want to sound more formal, you could say. Allan We appreciate any support you can give. Josipa You know what? After hearing all the great examples Allan and Claire shared in this episode, I feel ready to help my friend make a difference. So why don't you listen to their dialogue one more time while I make some phone calls to ask for donations for my friend's charity appeal. Allan Hey Claire, do you have a minute? Sure, what's up? I'm running a charity cake stall this Friday to raise money for a children's hospital. It's part of the community fundraiser I've joined. Would you be open to making a small donation? Claire Oh, that sounds lovely, Alan, but I've already donated to another charity appeal this week. Sorry. Allan Totally understand, no pressure at all. But if you've got a coin or two to spare, it'll go straight to a good cause. Allan Every bit counts and hey, I'll save you the best cupcake. Claire Alright, you got me. I can't say no to a cupcake. Josipa Hello. We're from SBS. Learn English. I'm. So I got up early, got in my car, and now I'm at Immigrant Women's Speak Out organization in a company of Sunila Kotwal, who is executive officer and works with other women who dedicate all their time to help other women. Josipa Hello, Sunila, how are you? Sunila I'm good, thank you. Josipa Why are your services so important for women who need help? Sunila OK. Immigrant Women Speak Out Association of New South Wales, that's a proper name, has been working to support women experiencing domestic family and sexual violence. Our services exist because we are a specialized service for migrant and refugee women. Sunila Unfortunately, mainstream services don't always work for migrant women, especially for those on temporary visas. Sunila Many of the women who come to us have never asked for help before. Some didn't even know that they could. Sunila They've come from places where services are limited and women are silent. So when they come through our doors, we know that it has taken them a lot to get there. Josipa And what kind of help do you give to women who are leaving family violence or have no safe place to live? Sunila Years ago when women visiting us to seek support, they begged to sleep at our office just to stay safe. That's when we knew that we had to do more. So we opened our own crisis accommodation in 2016, a shelter specifically for migrant women on temporary visas. Sunila We now run 2 crisis accommodations, accommodating 12 single women at any time. Sunila Each woman can stay for up to 6 months while we support them through every step of rebuilding their lives. We provide culturally appropriate support from a caseworker, a counselor. Sunila We provide them groceries, food vouchers, transport cards, and emotional support. We run programs to improve their mental and physical health, such as self-care, gardening, self-defense, and more. Sunila We help women find jobs, help them write resumes, prepare for interviews, and accompany them to the interviews. Sunila We also offer practical skills building in areas like baking, sewing, and alteration to help women earn an income, regardless of their English level. Josipa You also help them with English, don't you? Sunila We do. We run English conversation classes and we also run basic computer classes where we get them email addresses and help them understand what the government emails are asking from them. Can you tell us how can someone in a very practical, concrete way help your organization? What can we do? Sunila There are 2 key ways to support us financially and practically. Financial donations, both one time and ongoing, are essential to keep our services running. Sunila On the practical side, we welcome volunteers to help run our programs. That might mean teaching English, basic computer skills, helping in our garden, or helping us organize one of our 5 annual women's picnics. Josipa And if one wants to join you, try to become a volunteer in your organization where they can find information. Sunila We have a website All the information about the volunteers is available there. Josipa Thank you, Sunila for this interview. Josipa Let's now practice different ways we can ask for donations. Just repeat after Alan and Claire. Claire Would you be open to making a small donation? Allan We appreciate any support you can give. Claire Any help you can give would mean a lot. Allan If you've got a coin or two to spare, it'll go straight to a good cause. Josipa If you'd like to practice your speaking skills, and I really recommend it, listen to our bonus episode. It's short, fun, and great for speaking practice. Practicing out loud really helped me. It gave me confidence to speak to people in English. Josipa You can also check out our socials, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for more tips and fun language learning videos. Just search for SBS Learn English. I'm Josipa. Thank you for learning English with me today. END OF TRANSCRIPT
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘People are crying out for something different': Brisbane's shrinking public primary schools
While home-education surged, the Brisbane School of Distance Education – where learning is delivered through online lessons – had one of the biggest drops, with Prep to Year 6 enrolments declining 26 per cent. English, a researcher at QUT, said families were increasingly looking for choices that better met their young person's needs rather than automatically choosing the local state school. She said the pandemic gave parents a 'window' into their child's classroom that exposed bullying and other concerns, and also gave some professionals greater work flexibility. 'They look at the local state school, and they think, you're so constrained by overarching forces of what you can and can't do,' she said. 'They think their child is a square peg in a round hole, and they don't want their child to lose those edges.' Green said her daughter Pixie, 11, had ADHD and autism and dreaded going to school. But home-schooling meant the 'quirky, sweet kid' who loved reading, writing and music was finally able to be herself. 'There was nothing more you want than for your child's wellbeing to be good,' she said. 'It was heartbreaking what we went through. 'There's not a lot of other options for kids who are struggling in mainstream unless you've got money to maybe go to an independent school.' Griffith University Professor Beryl Exley said families were making conscious decisions to align education to their students' needs, considering teaching philosophies, logistics, and where their child would thrive academically and socially, with some seeking specialised subjects, inquiry-based learning, or a focus on the International Baccalaureate. 'Many parents and carers are strategically enrolling their children in recognised feeder primary schools to improve their chances of gaining admission to certain state or independent secondary schools,' she said. Changing demographics, including housing affordability in certain catchments, also had an impact on school trends, English said. Brisbane families are also having fewer children – there were 416 babies fewer born in 2019 compared to 2016 – but this is offset by increasing migration to the city. Loading Some shrinking schools did have smaller Prep cohorts. For example, Aspley State School had 114 Prep students in 2021 and only 84 last year, as it shrunk by 6 per cent overall. While some state schools shrunk, there were hundreds more students enrolled in private primary schools in 2024 compared with 2021. Some, such as Brigidine College, have recently introduced year 5 and 6 to their high school offerings. Meanwhile, state schools in the affluent suburbs of Graceville and Ascot had noticeably fewer students enrolled in Year 5 last year compared to Year 4 the year before – suggesting some had left for Year 5 entry at private schools. The biggest shrink at a state primary school was at Hendra State School – already Brisbane's smallest state primary school – where enrolments halved. It was not just tiny schools that became smaller, with larger schools shrinking, like Jindalee (down 20 per cent to 587 students), Bulimba (down 18 per cent to 660 students), and Grand Avenue in Forest Lake (down 16 per cent to 983 students). Enrolment management plans kept a lid on some schools, with strict rules that did not allow children living out of the local catchment area to enrol. For example, Ironside State School had 1080 students in 2021, and dropped 13 per cent to 937 last year. Some state primary schools bucked the trend, including Pallara State School, which surged by 48 per cent to 1283 students, while Stafford Heights, Hamilton, Petrie Terrace, Moorooka, Kenmore, Newmarket and Mayfield state schools all increased by more than 20 per cent. Among the top 20 primary schools for growth, six were over-capacity last year – Kenmore, Enoggera, Sunnybank Hills, Mackenzie, Wishart and Brisbane Central state schools. An education department spokesman said they were committed to ensuring all students had access to a world-class education, and pointed out demand for state schools remained strong, with almost two-thirds of Queensland students attending a state school. 'Many schools are subject to fluctuations in enrolments as a result of demographic factors in the communities they serve,' he said. 'Changes in the school-aged population as well as local population movements affect individual school enrolments.' The spokesman said the department prioritised relief for schools experiencing catchment pressures by expanding existing schools or building new ones.
