Leave article shows lack of understanding

The article "Holiday Campus" in the Express Advocate of November 2 stated that staff at Umina Campus had 1505 days of leave without pay during 2006.

It also stated that this had resulted in cancelled classes, students sitting in the playground and teachers taking classes for which they are not qualified.

The actual situation is far different.

The 1505 days of leave without pay includes several categories.

Four teachers left the school before the 2006 school year commenced and took leave to go overseas, move interstate, prepare for retirement or try a new career.

They were replaced by full time trained teachers from the start of the year.

Their leave had no impact on the provision of education for our students.

They account for about 50 per cent of these days.

The rest is largely made up of staff who have opted to work three or four days per week in most cases to raise young families.

Such arrangements occur in all schools and facilitate the retention of quality teachers, making a valuable contribution in the public education system.

Arrangements are made at the start of the school year.

Timetables are framed to cater for this and again no classes are affected because of it.

Articles such as this are upsetting for school communities, especially when they do not reflect the true picture through a lack of understanding of the data being used.

People reading this story do not get to hear of the outstanding achievements of young people in our college.

Since the inception of our college, there have been many:

Our academic results in both campuses have shown remarkable development since our college was established.

This applies to Year 8 at Umina and HSC results at our senior campus.

Our sporting teams have won district, regional and state championships in netball, fusball, athletics, soccer, rugby league and rugby union and were even state champions in lawn bowls defeating several selective sports high schools in these competitions.

Our school farm is recognised nationally as one of the best show exhibitors in open classes - not just against other schools.

Our performing arts achievements at each campus have been sensational, backed by students from our vocational education entertainment production crew who perform at industry standard.

Our students have excelled at regional performing arts productions and our combined campus performers scooped the pool at the recent National Kool Schools Competition.

All of this - and lots more - has been made possible by a dedicated staff who provide an amazing array of opportunities for our students, much of which is done in their own time.

They deserve recognition for the great work they are doing in helping to develop the enormous talents of students in our local community.

Frank Gasper Umina Campus principal Brisbane Water Secondary College