Moree Secondary School campuses will be merged into one, community decides location

It's been a long campaign. The college has been split between two campuses since the school was created two decades ago.

The Year 10 to 12 students attended the Albert Street campus and Year 7 to 9 students were at the Carol Avenue campus.

Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall joined Mayor Mark Johnson, staff, parent and school community representatives for the announcement, where he commended the persistence of the community over many years to achieve the outcome.

"The community has consistently advocated for all students to be together on one site and I am delighted we've able to deliver this for current and future students," Mr Marshall said.

"This outcome comes in large part from the ongoing efforts of the P&C Association and the local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG), who have pushed for the consolidation since 2017.

"The time of students and staff moving from one side of the town to the other every school day, as well as wasteful duplication, is almost at an end - and not before time!

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"I am thrilled with this outcome and while it was a while coming, people power has once again prevailed."

And the good news does not stop there.

It has been agreed that the school community will decide which of the two campuses will host the new high school, rather than the Department of Education.

"It's so important the community has ownership of the new high school we will create, not just its name or the uniform, but importantly, on which of the two existing campuses it will be situated," Mr Marshall said.

"The school community will have an opportunity to respond to a survey to choose the preferred campus for the new school.

"This is a critical aspect of the school consolidation and I urge the school community to have their say.

"Once the site has been chosen by the community, further announcements will be made, including the timeframe for the consolidation and new infrastructure to be constructed for the new school."

Moree Secondary College P&C Association President Kelly James was the driving force behind the campaign to merge the campuses.

"An overhaul to Secondary Education in Moree is long overdue, and this is a massive and welcome step in the right direction," Mrs James said.

"It is an important outcome to ensure the future growth of our school, our town and our shire."

Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell said it is important to adapt and change to best suit the school community.

"The NSW Government is focused on ensuring students across the state have the best school experience and this is an important decision for the future of education in Moree," Ms Mitchell said.

"I look forward to working with the local community to ensure the right decision is made and the school has the resources they need to relocate to one site."

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