The merger of Armidale’s public high schools did not come as a surprise when it was announced in 2017.
Former Parents and Citizens president Andrew Simpson says all that’s keeping his children at Armidale Secondary College is their friends.But, in recent months, the amalgamated “super-school”, Armidale Secondary College , has made headlines in local papers for all the wrong reasons, with reports of violent incidents and bullying.Students have now been on the new campus, built on the site of the former Armidale high school, for two years.
There are other, more serious concerns. A mental health clinician in the community who works with students at the school, speaking to Guardian Australia on condition of anonymity, said there was a month’s wait to see the school’s counsellors, a claim the department countered by saying that at-risk students were not waiting a month.
“Any report of potential self-harm by students is dealt with immediately through the wellbeing and counselling teams,” a spokesperson said. “Armidale Secondary College also has 24/7 access to a senior psychologist to support students in crisis.” “Because they have no other choice, parents continue sending their kids to an environment that brings out the worst in them,” she said.When the local MP, the Nationals’ Adam Marshall, announced in 2017 that the Duval and Armidale high schools would merge, he said the result would be a “school like no other” in country NSW, setting a “new benchmark” on how they should be designed and operate.
Australia Australia Latest News, Australia Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: FinancialReview - 🏆 2. / 90 Read more »