Today, I am pleased to announce that in a Tasmanian first the Launceston City Campus will be transformed into a stand-alone Big Picture Demonstration School in 2016.
The Inveresk campus will be converted into a school with a dedicated principal as part of a five year pilot to be assessed by the Peter Underwood Centre for Educational Attainment.
This is fantastic news for the staff, students and supporters of the City Campus, which has played an invaluable role in developing personalised education programs for its students.
The Big Picture Demonstration School will build on this, with the added advantage of having a dedicated principal to focus solely on the interest of the school and drive leadership from the top.
Currently, City Campus is a campus of Kings Meadows High School and has multiple principals from the north of the state overseeing it, in addition to work at their base high schools.
The school will continue to offer Big Picture education for students from Years 9 to 12, but will have its own student enrolment guidelines to ensure it can continue to provide a valuable alternative and personalised approach to learning.
I would like to thank the school community, students, parents and staff for working constructively in helping to forge a future for the school that will better meet the needs of its students.
Ensuring the best outcome for the students has always been my number one priority, and I am very pleased that through collaborative discussions we have reached this outcome.
It is also exciting to involve the Peter Underwood Centre for Educational Attainment in this pilot. The centre will evaluate the outcomes of the school, to ensure it continues to support students to reach their full potential.
The Tasmanian Big Picture Demonstration School is only the fourth of its kind in Australia, with existing schools in Victoria, Western Australia and New South Wales.
Other Tasmanian schools including Kingston High School, Montrose Bay High School, Ogilvie High School and Sorell School will continue to offer Big Picture learning unchanged in 2016.
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