TAMWORTH’S biggest primary school has almost 40 per cent more students than its closest competitor, new figures have revealed.
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In the latest census figures from the Department of Education and Communities,Tamworth Public School has been named as the city’s most populated primary school.
The February figures were released by the department of education this week, with the Napier Street school recording 912 enrolments for the school year.
Tamworth South Public School is the second largest campus with a census count of 655 however enrolment numbers have fallen by 11 per cent at the school since 2014. West Tamworth Public School has 386 students and Oxley Vale has 340.
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Meanwhile student numbers in the Tamworth district’s smaller schools remained stable. Oxley High School is the only school in Tamworth to record numbers in excess of 1000 students with 1006 students enrolled at the school this year.
The 2018 figures are an increase of four per cent from last year while the school’s population has grown by almost 10 per cent since 2014. Tamworth High School’s latest enrolment figures have recorded almost 700 students for the school year while Farrer High School’s enrollments reached 604 for the year.
Student numbers at Peel High School have jumped by 14 per cent over four years with 718 students enrolled this year.
A department spokesman said there were no fixed caps on enrolments at NSW Public Schools.
“The Department of Education monitors population and development trends so that it can plan to meet enrolment needs in schools across NSW,” he said.
“To do so the department regularly consults with relevant departments and agencies such as the Department of Planning and Environment, local councils and local developers.
“The department uses numerous strategies to manage fluctuating enrolment demands in the short to medium term including enforcing the department’s school enrolment policy to restrict out of area enrolments, reviewing school catchment boundaries to improve utilisation across schools in a local area; and providing additional demountable facilities—classrooms and specialist spaces as required.
I”n cases of sustained and stable enrolment increases, the department provides additional permanent facilities, or new schools, as necessary.”
