THE Dunwich Secondary Department School on North Stradbroke Island has closed its high school and its six students have been relocated to classes at Cleveland District State High.
Education Minister John Paul Langbroek made the announcement this morning and said the island students had already started studies at Cleveland.
He said the decision to close the Year 8 to 10 secondary program was brought forward from September after the school’s dismal enrolment numbers and following community talks.
“The closure of the secondary program at Dunwich means all secondary students from North Stradbroke Island can access transport subsidies to help cover the cost of travelling to and from Cleveland each day,” Mr Langbroek said.
“More and more parents have been choosing to send their children to Cleveland District State High School because of the wider range of subjects and extracurricular programs available.
“Bringing the closure forward several weeks also makes it easier for all families to access transport subsidies, giving students the opportunity to receive the highest quality education experience possible.
“Dunwich State School and Cleveland District State High School will continue to work together to ensure the educational needs of North Stradbroke Island’s secondary students are supported.”
He said each of the six Dunwich students had successfully moved to Cleveland District State High School, which was a pilot school for offering year 7 in high school starting next year.
The six students had “personalised transition plans” prepared for them to ensure they settled in at Cleveland.
Read the full story on how to get the transport subsidy ferry pass in Tuesday's Bayside Bulletin
