In a refurbished commercial building overlooking a wetland nature refuge in the suburb of Berrinba – in Logan, Queensland – a new school aims to change the way education is delivered to young people in the region.
Arethusa College is an independent school specialising in educating vulnerable young people whose challenging life circumstances make it difficult for them to succeed in a mainstream school setting.
Berrinba is Arethusa College’s eighth south-east Queensland campus and aims to respond to rising parent and community demand for school to be done differently.
Arethusa College Executive Principal Lisa Coles says there are many complex and varied reasons young people disengage or disconnect from education.
“A 2023 Senate inquiry into school refusal turned the spotlight on the growing trend of ‘school can’t’ and its ‘profound impact’ on young people’s learning, health and well-being. The inquiry report made 14 recommendations for governments including developing a national action plan to address school refusal and facilitating ‘more alternative and specialist school settings’,” she told EducationDaily.
“While Australia’s traditional model of schooling serves the majority of young people well, the centuries-old approach to education – bound by timelines and timetables, delivered in large school settings and busy environments – is not responsive or flexible enough to meet the complex mental health, social and welfare needs of some young people.”
That’s why, she says, the college she heads takes “an education+ approach”.
“Our students receive significant wrap around support on campus from welfare workers, counsellors, education support officers, pathway advisors and chaplains, in order to clear their path to learning,” Ms Coles says. “Our classes and campuses are small, and our community is our family.”
Community Open Day invites local families to take a look
Berrinba Campus Principal Lara Smith has worked as a teacher and school leader in Logan for more than 20 years and has been busily preparing for the school’s official opening on 22 January 2024.
“We’ve already enrolled 27 young people from Years seven to 10 for the start of the 2024 school year, which is exciting for them and our college. We expect this number to increase after our first community Open Day on 19 January,’’ she says.
Addressing student disengagement helps kids stay in school
Ms Smith says watching the growing disengagement and detachment of young people from education over the last two decades has caused concern, with Arethusa College’s integrated education and welfare model creating what she believes is a sustainable solution.
“Arethusa College moulds school around the needs of the young person – from the length of their school day or week to how their individual learning program is structured and delivered. The College also provides breakfast and lunch daily to students and staffs its campuses 50 weeks of the year so students can drop in over the school holidays if they need a chat, support, or a safe place to stay for the day.”
Ms Smith said she hopes to incorporate the Berrinba Wetlands Nature Refuge – located on the College’s doorstep – into the school program as well as sports and other activities of interest to the students.
“Many of our students have already indicated their interest in basketball so establishing partnerships with local basketball facilities and clubs will be a priority,” she says. “The beauty of a new campus like Berrinba is that from day one we can build a school culture and program shaped by the needs and passions of our young people. We want to inspire them to dream big and know that they can achieve what they want to in life.”
Rapid growth expected to meet growing community demand
Arethusa College Chief Executive Officer Mick Cross says, based on the speed of growth of other College campuses, he expected Berrinba to grow quickly – with predictions it could reach its 150 – 200 student capacity before the end of the 2024 school year.
“Arethusa College’s growth, and that of other independent Special Assistance Schools like us (there are currently 26 independent Special Assistance Schools operating across 77 campuses in Queensland) is the result of skyrocketing levels of community demand for different types of schooling that are better equipped to deal with the increasingly complex needs of young people,” Mr Cross says.
“We accept our young people as they are without judgement and work with them, their families, and carers to address the complexities they face in order to clear their path to learning.”
Schools like Arethusa College are recognised in the Australian Education Act 2013 as catering for students with social, emotional or behavioural difficulties – but Mr Cross believes it is “a limiting description that fails to adequately capture the complexities faced by our young people or recognise their immense potential”.
Government-funded opportunity for special assistance education
As an accredited Special Assistance School by the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board – the government authority responsible for approving non-government schools in Queensland – it is a condition of Arethusa College’s accreditation that no tuition fees are charged. It’s something that sets the College apart from other independent schools, with students only able to attend following a referral by other schools or recognised agencies.
This is in recognition of the complex family, health, social and learning needs and challenges faced by many of the school’s students, who may have experienced lengthy periods of non-attendance at school.
Across its eight distinctly different south-east Queensland campuses, Arethusa College currently enrols more than 1,200 students and employs more than 250 full-time equivalent staff (including chaplains, counsellors, education support workers, teachers and welfare workers).
Aside from its 75-acre Deception Bay campus that houses around 370 students, the school offers small student cohorts that typically hover between 180-200 students, with small class sizes helping ensure students get the attention needed to support an engaging educational experience.
Students seek support and community connection
Ms Smith said while each student had a unique story and reason for joining Arethusa College, they all wanted to find a connection with and be part of a close-knit and supportive community.
“These young people want to learn. They just need the right environment and support around them to make that happen,” she says.
“I’m passionate about engaging and empowering students to become independent and capable thinkers, who know they are truly special humans worthy of great things in life. I’m excited because I know that we can make a difference in the lives of these young people.”
