Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to pay tribute to an incredible program that I had the opportunity to see firsthand in my electorate last week. It is in Gagebrook, a suburb in the north of Hobart that was settled in the early 1970s as a broadacre public housing estate. The ABS figures indicate it has the lowest average annual income in Tasmania.

The Gagebrook Primary School, under the guidance of Principal John O’Rourke, has set about ensuring that all of their students are provided with every opportunity to make the most of the first six years of education. The school’s Pathways program was designed to help children who are finding it difficult to engage in a normal classroom situation. These children could not learn because they were often sent home for inappropriate behaviour. The behaviour was also disruptive to their classmates. Through Pathways these children are separated from the rest of the class but remain in school. This allows other teachers to focus on the remainder of their classes while the Pathway students receive the special attention they need. There are 10 boys in the class, and to date Pathways has given them more confidence and a greater motivation to learn, as well as measurably improved reading and writing skills.

Earlier this year I was approached by Hamish Cunningham, the coordinator of the Pathways program, with a request for assistance to run a lunch club through the scheme. This demonstrates the vital fundamental life skills that Pathways offers the children at the Gagebrook Primary School. It does not just look at improving the children’s learning; it also focuses on giving them broader social skills. I am informed it has been a tremendous success.

Since Pathways began, the Gagebrook Primary School’s suspension record has seen a dramatic drop from nearly 80 in 2005 to fewer than 25 last year—an impressive achievement by anyone’s reckoning. Pathways has given the children a learning environment in which they feel comfortable, improving the way they behave and their ability to learn.

This program takes a lot of work to run. Under the guidance of Hamish Cunningham, and with the cooperation of the parents, Pathways was established using the school’s existing resources. Its importance has been recognised not just by the local community but also by other schools in southern Tasmania, which are seeking to establish similar programs. Its success is a testament to the incredible work of John O’Rourke, Hamish Cunningham and the other dedicated staff at the Gagebrook Primary School.

When I visited the school last week, the children proudly cooked me a toasted sandwich for lunch. They showed me the work they had been undertaking. They spoke to me confidently about the program, the food they had been cooking and their favourites. They talked about how they now liked coming to school and how different it really is. Initiatives like the Gagebrook Primary School’s Pathways program are helping children to overcome a stigma that some attach to the area and they give the children a real chance. (Time expired)