Questions & Answers About the Impact of Mt Lawley Primary School Re-location

Mount Lawley Primary School was largely destroyed by an arson attack on Saturday, 7 July 2012. The primary school will be re-located in temporary accommodation on the soccer oval/"cage" area of Mount Lawley Senior High School. This will last for the period that the primary school will be re-built. It is anticipated that Mount Lawley Primary School will resume operations at the re-built Second Avenue site for the 2014 school year.

The following questions and answers are presented to assist Mount Lawley SHS parents and staff understand the impact on the high school's operations.

Question

Will the Mount Lawley SHS timetable continue as present?

Answer

The timetable, staff and room allocations will continue for Semester 2 as planned. The Mount Lawley PS will have its own student timetable. They will be separate.

Question

What about opening and closing times?

Answer

Each school has separate operating hours and these will continue. The differing times assist with traffic flow and management. The Middle School hours will continue to be 8:30am to 2:50pm and the Senior School, 8:35am to 3:00pm. The hours for Mount Lawley PS will remain 8:50am to 3:10pm.

Question

What about student breaks?

Answer

The breaks for Mount Lawley SHS students will continue as present. The primary school will plan breaks around the high school's times. This will assist with the management of students and address possible concerns of Year 1 mixing with secondary students. Areas in the yard will also be determined as will access to the café for the primary students.

Question

With another school on the site how will traffic management, caused by more parents dropping off children, be managed?

Answer

A comprehensive traffic management plan is being developed by officers from the Department of Education and the City of Stirling. This will be advised when completed.

Question

Parking is a premium at Mount Lawley SHS. How will this be managed, especially for students?

Answer

Parking is also being considered as part of the traffic management plan. At this stage, it is highly likely that Year 12 students will be able to park in the bowling club car park off Woodsome Street. Parking for parents of both schools will also be considered in the traffic management plan.

Question

Will the soccer pitch be re-located?

Answer

The soccer pitch will be established on the top oval. Whether permanent goal posts are erected, or portable ones, will be considered as part of the move. The cost for re-locating the soccer pitch will be met by the Department as part of the project.

Question

If the primary school's computers run off the high school, what will be done to preserve the network?

Answer

The bandwidth into Mount Lawley SHS will be increased to cater for the primary school's usage.

Question

Will the Year 12 examinations, especially the WACE ones, be disrupted?

Answer

No. Mount Lawley SHS has good processes in place to manage examinations. The primary students will follow these processes as do younger secondary students.

Question

How will any conflicts over facilities be resolved?

Answer

If the primary school wishes to use the high school's facilities and they are available, this will be worked out. The current Secondary timetable will continue and students will continue to use the facilities that they now have.

Question

Will the primary school have access to the café?

Answer

Yes, in accordance with current processes and if the primary school principal agrees.

Question

Will the two schools maintain separate P&Cs and School Boards/Councils?

Answer

Yes, both will continue as there are two schools on site. The Mount Lawley Primary School meetings will work around the high school's. If the principal wishes, the high school's facilities may be used for meetings.

Question

Will the noise of primary students interfere with secondary classes?

Answer

Currently, Mount Lawley SHS runs separate breaks for the two components without issue. The primary students will be accommodated in the same way.

Question

What will be done to manage any bullying between older and younger students?

Answer

Both schools will have separate breaks, minimising interactions. Mount Lawley SHS has very good processes with regard to managing bullying due to programming work with ECU and student training programs.

Question

When Mount Lawley PS is rebuilt, what will happen to the transportables and the soccer pitch?

Answer

When the need for the temporary site ceases, the demountables will be removed and the soccer pitch will be restored. This will be done at no cost to Mount Lawley SHS as part of the overall project.