blurring the northern boundaries

 “[P]erformance, pleasant feel (atmosphere/ethos) and proximity.” (Kenway and Bullen,2001: 130) have been identified as the three main factors of school choice.

 In this blog, I will address the issues of school choice and the blurred boundaries in a literal sense of enrollment catchment areas and metaphorically in decision-making process of school choice.

“Havoc wreaked the hills” (Lindeback, 2012) is an over exaggeration. The change in catchment area between West Pennant Hills and Cherrybrook only really affected two local primary schools (West Pennant Hills primary and Cherrybrook primary). In terms of high schools, this change made no impact because Pennant Hills High and Cherrybrook Technology High accepts almost everyone and are not very strict with their boundaries. For me, I live in Pennant Hills and Pennant Hills High School (the high school I attended) was only a 30 seconds j walk across a semi busy street or a 3-5 minute walk using footpaths and waiting at the crossings. On my small street alone, there are children that have been sent or are still currently going to Cherrybrook Technology (despite the monstrosity that is Boundary Road during peak and school pick up hours).

These schools have a huge catchment area because it is two of a few co-ed, non selective, public high schools in the area. That is every other school in the area, is either gender specific (e.g. Cheltenham Girls) or selective (e.g. Hornsby Girls) or private (e.g. Barker College) or religious (e.g. Mt St benedicts) or a Rudolf Steiner school (e.g. Lorien Novalis). So it is understandable for them to blur the boundaries in order for competition to occur between the two high schools.

One of my neighbours was bullied a bit when in year 2 and 3, so the mother was concerned for her kid’s future and asked about the Pennant Hills High School when her child was in year 6. Of course I was bias and talked of its aesthetics and that it shouldn’t be too different from Cherrybrook Technology. The mother then raises the issue of the school fire in 2001. I find this interesting because it wasn’t until that day I realised that my high school was negatively defined by the fires of 2001 that “destroyed approximately one-third of the school and caused millions of dollars worth of damage. (Tink. A, 2001)” This fire occurred outside school hours in which the culprit was unidentified (or my way of saying, there is no proof that it was a Pennant Hills student) and if you Google ‘pennant hills high school fire’, there are no news reports about it; the best I could find was the website I just quoted from previously and yet my neighbour saw it as a representation of an unsafe school environment.

For me, it becomes interesting because I then raise the issue that there was a scissor stabbing incident in 2006 and another incident earlier that year (2010) where a student threatened a bully with a knife at Cherrybrook technology. The mother gave me a blank stare of cluelessness followed by a response indicating that she was unaware of the incident. This kid now goes to Cherrybrook Technology.

Data in Browne’s article “Upwardly mobile inundate north shore schools” indicates an increased movement towards the north shore into the catchment areas of the five comprehensive schools. In another article “Search for offices to rent as schools run out of space,” Browne raises the issue that there is not enough room to accommodate for the increase in children, and that it is being considered for the department of education and communities to lease out some offices for schools to use.

To combine all these ideas together, it suggests that performance is the main driver of school choice, taking precedence over the other two named factors. With these increasing numbers and the physical inability to provide classrooms for children, I question whether the government should have stricter regulations on schools accepting those beyond the border?

Browne, R. (2012) Search for offices to rent as schools run out of space Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/search-for-offices-to-rent-as-schools-run-out-of-space-20120925-26jfn.html#ixzz29gPRAzjq. Sydney Morning Herald, [online] 26th September. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/search-for-offices-to-rent-as-schools-run-out-of-space-20120925-26jfn.html [Accessed: 13th October 2012].

Browne, R. (2012) Upwardly mobile inundate north shore schools. Sydney Morning Herald, [online] 27 September. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/upwardly-mobile-inundate-north-shore-schools-20120926-26li7.html [Accessed: 13th October 2012].

Nick, L. (2012) The Hills District. EDST2070GROUP2, [blog] 8th October 2012, Available at: www.edstgroup2.blogspot.com.au [Accessed: 13th October 2012].

Parliament.nsw.gov.au (1997) Pennant Hills High School Fire - 20/06/2001 - PRIV - NSW Parliament. [online] Available at: http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/hansart.nsf/V3Key/LA20010620037 [Accessed: 13 Oct 2012].