The closing of Duval High School brought much anxiety to our town.
How was a huge school built at the Armidale High site going to possibly work? Putting the entire town’s public high school students together was just asking for trouble in my opinion.
Two public high schools enabled students and families to have a choice…that choice was taken away. Many students adapted well to the new environment but many more did not.
Now there is a large cohort of high school aged students completing their years 10, 11 and 12 at TAFE. While this is great for TAFE, we are unable to offer the complexity and variety that a high school can, therefore students are missing out on this.
I believe housing developers have been a large part of closing Duval High right from the start. They can make a lot of money out of turning the site into yet another new residential area.
I propose that the state government revamp and re-open Duval as either a year 7-12 high school again or even as a Senior College of years 11-12. This would take a lot of pressure from the Armidale Secondary College as they would havre much fewer students, resulting in a more practical environment.
As a community Armidale and the surrounding areas must consider the future of public education in our town, therefore students deserve to be a part of that consideration in any decision made about the Duval site.
Got something on your mind? Go on then, engage. Submit your opinion piece, letter to the editor, or Quick Word now.
While I agree to the extent that the Duval campus be opened up, the focus should be on Yrs 6-8. Middle Schools are wonderful at transitioning students to High School expectations and routines without the dominance of Yrs 9-12 in the playground. By Yr 9, most students are hitting their straps in the growth dept. It would also save those kids on the North side from wasting time cruising round town on the buses if their school was nearer to home. That was the thinking when Duval was established in the first place. AHS consolidated for senior years, when core subjects are refined and electives chosen, makes sense to allow a broader elective offering.
Agree
? what is it if not a school
Nick Jones they wanted to build community housing
Nick Jones it hasn’t been a school for a couple of years now
Oh my
Agree
Agree again
Agree
Heck no. There’s a heap of schools in Armidale. Compared to HOW MANY HOMLESS SINGLES AND FAMILIES.
Coral Coogan and where are the children of the families going to go to school ? ASC is already bursting at the seams and all the other schools that you mentioned have high school fees
Kylie Wanschers the two are not mutually exclusive. There is a need for families to be housed as well as children to be able to attend a school where they feel safe. Perhaps future housing developments could include a small community school to provide for both needs of these families. There would still be larger schools as another option for those who don’t fit into that model but I think it could create closer & healthier communities.
Agree turn it back into a school.
My old high school.
Nathan Rixon mine too
Not sure how opening up Duval again is going to change students and teachers bad behaviours .
Totally agree 👍
Definitely agree. there needs to be two public high schools in Armidale.
I thought it was full of asbestos.
Chrissy Rowe Perkins its all concrete and brick
Such a great educational institution. Whilst i attend AHS back in the day, Duval High should be reinstated.
The Education Department should reveal the academic studies that prove huge unmanageable schools that police have to patrol are a better educational environment for students compared to smaller schools. The amalgamation of Duval and Armidale High could only be a result of corruption. An inquest is due!
There needs to be two public high schools in Armidale
High school definitely
There have been problems at Armidale Secondary College from day 1. Clearly some students can’t handle the bigger school. A group I am involved in has experienced vandalism from students who can’t manage learning in the combined high school. Duval needs to be upgraded and reopened as an alternative public high school.
How many schools does a town of 25,000 need? I counted some 17 schools so maybe there should be a few more close or merge.
Simon Reed On average, there’s a public high school for every 17,000 residents in NSW; the ratio of public primary schools to high schools is usually about 4:1. Most of Armidale’s schools are close to capacity.
Simon Reed, most of the secondary schools in Armidale are private schools and many people are unable to afford them! We need to reinstate Duval as a secondary high school!
Simon Reed there is a little difference between primary and secondary
Bring back Duval as a public high school!! ASC was a huge mistake!
Armidale had two public high schools which were outstanding till the ‘no community consultation & no care for the concerns of all’ decision was made. Shameful. My own kids went through AHS & I know many who went through Duval. All high achievers & more importantly all good, caring citizens who gave to this community many times over. The schools were a good & manageable size. There were staff & school heads who had lived here long term, put their own kids through these schools & who deeply cared. When my own kids went through I always say you would not have bettered the schools & teachers in the state & results supported that.
I love Armidale. It’s our community.ASC was a fiasco before the building started. That’s NOT to say there aren’t great students & teachers still. There are. I know that. But our town & community is far better served by two schools & zero self serving politicians & greedy developers. Put Armidale first. 💗🌿🕊️
We need another high school especially with the influx of immigrants.
Strongly agree