New public preschools for Gosford

and Wyong Electorates

Nearly 50 per cent of new public preschools to be delivered by the NSW Government over the next four years will be located in regional and rural communities, including one in Umina Beach and one in Tuggerawong.

21 February 2024

THE NSW Government has today unveiled the regional and rural locations committed as part of its record $769 million investment to build 100 new public preschools co-located at public primary schools by 2027, including delivering preschools at new public primary schools.

Of the 49 new preschools one new location will be located in both the Gosford and Wyong Electorates.

The expansion of public preschool services will improve access for Coastie families.

Prue Car, Minister for Education and Early Learning said “We made a commitment to build 100 public preschools because we understand the value of public education – and we believe that equity in education starts in the early years.

“Postcodes should not act as a barrier to accessing the best start in life and every child should have access to high quality resources from a young age, including having access to preschool.

“This investment is the biggest investment in public preschools in NSW history, and I am proud that close to half these new preschools will be in the regions.”

Co-locating public preschools with existing schools will ensure children are ready for kindergarten and help busy working families with cost-of-living pressures, and avoid the double drop off, making the transition to school as seamless as possible.

Tara Moriarty, Minister for Regional NSW said “We have been listening to and learning from families, communities and expert educators and teachers as we work towards universal preschool for every child in NSW.

“This is a long-term commitment, and we will work with the whole ECEC sector to support quality, equity, and access in a range of settings so that every child gets a strong start in life and learning.”

Sites were selected by a NSW Department of Education Panel, overseen by an independent chair and probity advisor, based on rigorous assessment criteria which considered multiple factors, including:

• Educational need;

• Child development and socioeconomic data;

• Projected preschool demand;

• Infrastructure feasibility; and

• Insights gained through consultation with industry and stakeholders

The announcement is in stark contrast to the former government, who after 12 years in power only built one additional preschool.

Despite this record, during the election they promised to deliver 500 preschools over the next four years, equating to one every three days. This commitment was made without a proper planning process or community consultation.

Late last year the NSW Government announced the initial 10 public preschool sites.

Liesl Tesch, Member for Gosford, said “This is such a fantastic announcement for the parents of the Gosford electorate.

“I recently ran an early childhood education survey, which heard from parents across the Coast who are struggling to access early childhood education and preschool, often waiting extended periods on multiple waitlists. It is clear that parents are crying out for spaces on the southern end of the Central Coast. Following this survey, I met with Deputy Premier and Minister for Early Childhood Education, Pru Car, who shared my concerns with the availability of spaces on the southern end of the Coast.

“Early Childhood Education and Preschool play a fundamental role in the development of our little learners, while allowing parents the economic freedom of returning to work. I have heard far too often that parents, particularly mothers, are unable to return to work because they don’t have a place for their little one in early childhood education. This is unacceptable.

“This announcement highlights that the NSW Government are listening. We are focused on delivering outcomes for our communities, and this is a significant step in the right direction for providing preschool places in our community.”

David Harris Member for Wyong, said “Locally there is a heavy demand in preschool places and having a public preschool will provide more opportunities for working parents.”

The NSW Government has also committed up to $29.4 million to expand the number of early childhood workers in NSW through a scholarship program, which has seen a record number of applications.

More support classes in mainstream schools for students with disability

The NSW Government is also increasing support for students with disability through an expansion of support classes in mainstream schools. This is part of the NSW Government’s plan to improve equity and ensure every student has access to a high-quality public education.

An extra 243 support classes have been approved to open in 2024, bringing the total to almost 4,500 support classes across all public education settings.

It means more than 1,500 students with a disability will have a place in a NSW public school support class this year.

The majority of these classes will be established in mainstream public schools while 12 additional classes will open in Schools for Specific Purposes (SSPs).

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said “We’re committed to building a more inclusive public education system, providing all students with an education that best meets their individual learning and development needs.

“This additional support for students with disability provides an opportunity for more specialised, intense support for students with disability and those with higher support needs.

“Our new Plan for NSW Public Education has equity as its centrepiece to ensure that every student receives a high-quality education.

“Support classes can only help students if they are adequately staffed by qualified teachers – that’s why we are so focussed on tackling the statewide teacher shortage and doing so is key to the success of these classes.”

 The expansion comes as the NSW Government is tackling a shortage of teachers that has impacted support classes. The NSW Government is deploying a multi-pronged approach to address the challenge, from scholarships and professional learning opportunities to admin reduction and the biggest payrise for NSW teachers in 30 years.

Support classes in mainstream public schools are available for students with moderate to high learning and support needs, such as intellectual and/or physical disability, mental health issues, autism, sensory impairment and behaviour disorders.

There are 206,000 students with disability in NSW public schools, with the majority (86 per cent) learning in a mainstream classroom in a mainstream public school.

Eleven per cent of students with disability attend support classes in mainstream schools and three per cent are enrolled in schools for specific purposes.

Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Inclusion, Kate Washington said “The NSW Labor Government is committed to improving inclusion and accessibility across all mainstream services, including in our wonderful public schools.

“We’re working hard to remove barriers that students with disability face in accessing safe, quality and inclusive education in public schools.

“We want young people with disability to have the support they need to achieve their full potential – increasing support classes is an important step.”