Stanley community moves to reopen school

The Stanley community came to the almost unanimous decision to move to reopen Stanley Primary School at a community meeting on Sunday. Stanley Collective (formerly known as the SRCI) member Dannielle Bell said this decision has and will continue to provide a really fantastic chance for the Stanley community to come together. At the moment, having no primary school in Stanley means all students either travel on the bus, or have to get driven everyday in order to get to school. Dannielle said that this means some kids end up travelling on the bus for up to an hour. “It’s a long day for little kids to be going in and out of Beechworth on a bus service,” she said. She said that going to school out of Stanley has also meant children have less of an opportunity to connect with others in the Stanley community. In recent years, Dannielle said Stanley has seen an influx of young families to the community, with the Stanley playgroup currently home to about 20 children. “Reopening the school here is a great opportunity for young primary school aged kids [in the Stanley area] to grow and connect in their own little community,” she said. “But I think even almost equally as important, it just creates a lot of points of connection for the community and allows for the community to engage.” Dannielle said that the general community feelings around reopening the school have been incredibly positive. “A survey from about a month ago got around 95 responses… and the big indication from that was that there was a drive to reopen the school,” she said. Dannielle said the survey also told them that there were already up to 27 potential re-enrolments if the school was to reopen. “It’s been a really unifying process for the community," she said. "People are generally really supportive and working in the same direction... it’s been a really heartwarming response.” Stanley Primary School has been “de-staffed” since 2012, when there were 11 students enrolled. It’s never been officially closed, but with the license expiring next year, Dannielle said that a decision needed to be made or they risked losing the opportunity to put the school back in operation. In 2019, there was an attempt to reopen the school in a campaign that was gaining momentum, but it was paused due to the pandemic. Dannielle said the next steps to reopening the school will involve a process of assessments including building assessments, demographic assessments and projections of viability for the future of the school. If all goes smoothly, they are hopeful for a 2027 opening for the school. Dannielle said she felt the opening of a primary school was providing hope for the growth of the Stanley community. “Schools generate community,” she said.

Stanley community moves to reopen school

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