Page 3409 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 18 September 1990
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MINISTER FOR HEALTH, EDUCATION AND THE ARTS
QUESTION WITHOUT NOTICE - 29 MAY 1990
School Counsellors
Ms Follett asked the Minister for Health, Education and the Arts the following question on may 29, 1990:
What is the cost of school counsellors who are working with children who are located in new schools, and that has resulted from the most recent round of school closures, and what is the estimated cost of counsellors for the proposed closure of up to 25 schools?
Mr Humphries - The following response is provided to Ms Follett,s question:
Guidance and Counselling resources are generated by the total enrolment of students in the system. Thus if the total number of students remains the same, school amalgamations would not affect the counselling resources available. The ratio of students to counsellors would remain unchanged.
Counsellor time is allocated to schools according to student enrolment in the school. For example, currently a school of 250 students generates approximately one day peer week of counselling; a school of 500 students two days, a school of 750 students three days.
It is generally recognised that counsellor effectiveness in a school is enhanced by greater availability to students and staff. Smaller schools have often referred to the perceived inadequacy of one day per week only of counselling. Thus the greater amount of time available to a larger amalgamated school should lead to a more effective use of counsellor time.
It is possible that in the short term, as does occur with changes such as moving home of changing school, the amalgamation process may generate from students and concerned parents a greater need for counselling services. In this case, a re-ordering of counsellor priority tasks would take place.
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