Colleges split $1m grant

By Alison Noonan
TWO local secondary colleges will share in almost $1 million under a new State Government grant.
Lyndhurst Secondary College and Hampton Park Secondary College have been announced as successful applicants for round one funding in the Leading Schools Fund.
Both schools will receive three additional teachers for three years and facilities grants of $494,000 and $500,000 respectively.
The grants will be used to refurbish existing classrooms and acquire or move relocatable building to create spaces for new Learning Communities.
Lyndhust Secondary College principal Steve Phillips said the school was delighted to be included in the first round of funding.
He said the grant would be used to develop a flexible learning centre focused on improving curriculum delivery to year nine students.
“It is an open learning space that will change the way we teach at year nine.
“We will use the extra teachers as mentor teachers and rotate them through that centre,” he said.
Mr Phillips said research showed that years eight and nine were important levels to keep students engaged in schooling.
“Research and data shows that years eight and nine are levels where kids performance tends to drop off and they become less engaged in schooling.
“We are working to keep kids at school and improve numeracy and literacy skills through developing more efficient teaching practices,” he said.
The schools are two of 71 across the state to share in more than $24 million in facilities funding designed to reward schools that are working hard to improve student learning.