LOCAL parents of students living at Swanleigh Residential College in Perth have been devastated to learn the facility will close at the end of the 2010 academic year.
The college’s board made the decision to close after the cessation of the Federal Rural Hostel Funding Scheme, which had provided $400,000 in annual funding to the college.
This resulted in the State Government and LotteriesWest also making the decision to drop funding for the college, and although the Anglican Church provides an additional $400,000 in funding this is not enough to keep the school open.
More than 150 rural students from Years 7 to 12 call Swanleigh home while attending school in the metropolitan area, including many from the Wheatbelt.
Southern Cross resident Rachel Dunbar, Corrigin resident Kelly Mills, Narembeen farmer Kevin Mortimore and Cunderdin’ Teresa Woosnam all have children enrolled to stay at Swanleigh currently or in the future.
They all said that boarding away from home was necessary for their children as their local schools only went up to Year 10, and that Swanleigh was the only suitable residential college in Perth as the others were for specialist programs, single sex or were too expensive.
“There is only one other co-educational residential college, which is Rotary, and this does not offer the same level of pastoral care and support to its students,” Mrs Mills said.
“Otherwise there are private, single-sex boarding schools which are all about double the price.”
While the government has suggested that parents support regional schools and residential colleges, this is not the preferred option for many parents.
The four parents interviewed by the Mercury said they wanted their children to have the opportunity to study subjects and participate in sports and activities, such as hockey, swimming, dancing and music that weren’t available at regional schools and residential colleges.
“Jorden is extremely good at sport and also very good at art and wants to get into a design related career, so I want to give her the best opportunities available,” said Mrs Mills, whose daughter Jorden is enrolled to begin boarding at Swanleigh in 2011 when she begins Year 8.
Mrs Dunbar’s son Ian (Year 10) and daughter Courtney (Year 12) are staying at the college while studying at Swan Christian College, and her daughter Aimee is booked in to start boarding in 2011 when she begins Year 8.
“Courtney studied six TEE subjects this year, as well as playing hockey, basketball, football and netball and succeeding in doing everything she wanted to do, including trying out for the State team in hockey on several occasions, and she couldn’t do all that here in Southern Cross as there is no hockey team,” Mrs Dunbar said.
“Courtney’s words were ‘We’re getting what the city kids take for granted and country kids miss out on’.”
Mrs Woosnam said her son Samuel (Year 10) and daughter Georgia (Year 6) were both enrolled to begin boarding at Swanleigh within the next two years.
“Samuel is thinking of studying law at university and is enrolled in TEE chemistry, biology and human biology, and he also wants to play hockey and soccer which aren’t available in Cunderdin,” she said.
“Georgia has quite a talent for swimming and there is no swimming club in Cunderdin so I was really looking forward to her getting that opportunity at Swanleigh.”
All four parents said the impending closure had given them little choice of what to do, and they might face having to move the whole family, or part of the family, to Perth.
“I’ve already booked Aimee into Swan Christian College, so I’m either going to have to move to Perth for five years so she can still attend there, or I have to look for a different school,” Mrs Dunbar said.
Mrs Woosnam said she was also facing the possibility of relocating for the five years of Georgia’s high school education, which would be a big sacrifice to make.
Mrs Mills said her family was shattered that they would now face the costs of putting three daughters through all-girls private schools at a cost of about $30,000 a year for each daughter.
“How can the government spend money on Subiaco oval, and dedicate $5 million for widening the corners at Barbagello Racetrack, but they can’t provide $500,000 a year for country kids’ education?” she said.
Mr Mortimore’s three sons all boarded at Swanleigh and his daughter Ciara is enrolled to begin Year 8 at Swanleigh in 2014, and he said the closure was worrying.
“Like other farmers around, I’m finding it hard these days, and I don’t really want to send Ciara to a private college, because it’s at least twice as expensive, and I don’t know whether it’s actually twice as good,” he said.
Education Minister Liz Constable’s office said they were unable to comment at this stage.
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