Last week Education Minister Grace Grace announced that the Equity and Excellence Strategy was entering its final stakeholder consultation process. The strategy focuses on supporting our principals, teachers and support staff to deliver world-class education for our children and young people.
Investment in state schooling infrastructure with a focus on building quality environments conducive to learning for all students is central to this strategy. This means moving away from a cookie-cutter approach to school buildings and delivering classrooms and learning spaces that engage students and provide access to technologies that are essential in current education practices.
Residents of Macalister can see this new approach in some of the key projects that have been built in the past few years. The new learning block at Eagleby South State School is an example of working with the school and the space available to build something that is not only functional but is something that the community can be proud of.
New builds currently underway with the Beenleigh State High School Hall and the Beenleigh Special School learning block are examples of building designs that meet the needs of the school community, and in the case of the high school hall the needs of the wider community, and showcase the school. These are buildings that the students and school community can be proud of.
The other key aspect of the strategy is ensuring that no child is left behind and I can report that Macalister schools are leading the way in inclusive education. Beenleigh is home to the state’s largest Special School having tripled in size in the past 8 years, and I am proud to say that we have been responding with infrastructure builds specific to the student’s needs.
Last week I also had the opportunity in parliament to acknowledge the work of Mt Warren Park State School in supporting and including deaf students in its curriculum. Students there undertake AUSLAN classes to be able to work and learn alongside their hearing-impaired classmates. In solidarity I gave the speech to parliament in AUSLAN, a first for the Queensland Parliament.
