feasibility study for a co-located high school at james...

FINAL REPORT OCTOBER 2012

Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at

James Cook University, Townsville

Report prepared for the James Cook University

High School Reference Group

Marsden Jacob Associates

Financial & Economic Consultants

ABN 66 663 324 657

ACN 072 233 204

Internet: http://www.marsdenjacob.com.au

E-mail: [email protected]

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Victoria 3124 AUSTRALIA

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Queensland, 4000 AUSTRALIA

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Facsimile: +61 7 3229 7944

Perth office:

Level 1, 220 St Georges Terrace, Perth

Western Australia, 6000 AUSTRALIA

Telephone: +61 8 9324 1785

Facsimile: +61 8 9322 7936

Sydney office:

Rod Carr

Telephone: +61 418 765 393

Contact: Gene Tunny, Senior Consultant, Brisbane office

Cover: Lennon Hall, St Augustine’s College, Cairns, an example of a modern multipurpose facility designed by

MMP Architects.

This report has been prepared in accordance with the scope of services described in the contract or agreement between

Marsden Jacob Associates Pty Ltd ACN 072 233 204 (MJA) and the Client. Any findings, conclusions or recommendations only

apply to the aforementioned circumstances and no greater reliance should be assumed or drawn by the Client. Furthermore,

the report has been prepared solely for use by the Client and Marsden Jacob Associates accepts no responsibility for its use by

other parties.

Copyright © Marsden Jacob Associates Pty Ltd 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Executive summary ................................................................................................................ i

1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1

1.1 Terms of Reference ..................................................................................................................... 1

1.2 Context ....................................................................................................................................... 2

1.3 Purpose of the report ................................................................................................................... 5

1.4 Approach to the feasibility study ................................................................................................. 6

1.5 Structure of the report ................................................................................................................. 6

2. Demographic and economic trends in Townsville and North Queensland .......................... 7

2.1 Economic drivers and trends ........................................................................................................ 7

2.2 Demographic trends .................................................................................................................... 8

3. Overview of Townsville high schools ............................................................................. 10

3.1 State High Schools .................................................................................................................... 10

3.2 Projected enrolments in Townsville region .................................................................................. 13

3.3 North Queensland private schools .............................................................................................. 17

4. Potential market for a JCU High School......................................................................... 19

4.1 North Queensland State High School students .......................................................................... 19

4.2 North Queensland private school students ................................................................................ 21

4.3 Boarding school students........................................................................................................... 22

4.4 Students from North Queensland and neighbouring regions ...................................................... 23

4.5 International students ............................................................................................................... 24

4.6 Indigenous students .................................................................................................................. 26

4.7 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 26

5. Best practice model and education program options ..................................................... 28

5.1 Possible contributions of a university school at JCU ................................................................... 28

5.2 Approach 1 – A Queensland Academy ........................................................................................ 29

5.3 Approach 2 – A ‘lighthouse’ school ............................................................................................. 39

5.4 Approach 3 – A centre for school-industry links .......................................................................... 41

5.5 Approach 4 – A University High School ...................................................................................... 43

5.6 Conclusions regarding a best practice model ............................................................................. 46

6. Defining the options .................................................................................................... 47

6.1 Criteria for success for a co-located high school ..........................................................................47

6.2 Assessment of educational models against the criteria .............................................................. 48

6.3 Issues for consideration in defining options ................................................................................ 49

6.4 Architecture and pedagogy ........................................................................................................ 57

6.5 Teacher professional development ............................................................................................ 60

6.6 Options for the feasibility study ................................................................................................. 62

7. Options for a co-located JCU High School ..................................................................... 67

7.1 Option 1 – University High School with refurbishment of existing buildings .................................67

7.2 Option 2 – University High School on greenfield site ................................................................... 73

7.3 Option 3 – Full-sized co-located high school ................................................................................78

7.4 Option 4 – Without project case ..................................................................................................78

8. Technical feasibility ..................................................................................................... 79

8.1 Condition assessment of Western Campus buildings ...................................................................79

8.2 Technical feasibility – common issues across options ................................................................. 80

9. Economic and financial feasibility ................................................................................. 85

9.1 Economic feasibility ................................................................................................................... 85

9.2 Comparison of options using cost-benefit analysis ..................................................................... 90

9.3 Threshold level of benefits ......................................................................................................... 93

9.4 Potential benefits from co-location of a high school in a knowledge precinct ..............................97

9.5 Financial impact on Queensland Government ...........................................................................104

9.6 Financial feasibility – common issues across options ................................................................. 107

10. Conclusions and recommendations ............................................................................. 109

10.1 Summary of conclusions of feasibility study ..............................................................................109

10.2 Summary of project risks .......................................................................................................... 111

10.3 Recommendations ................................................................................................................... 113

References ........................................................................................................................ 116

Appendix A: James Cook High School Reference Group ....................................................... 119

Appendix B: Consultations ................................................................................................ 120

Appendix C: Map of Western Campus ................................................................................. 122

Appendix D – Cost estimates from Quantity Surveyor ..........................................................123

Appendix E – Lifecycle cost estimates ................................................................................ 127

LIST OF TABLES Page

Table 1: Population projections .............................................................................................................................. 9

Table 2: Current enrolments at Queensland State High Schools in Townsville, as at 3 July 2012 ............................ 10

Table 3: Adjusted school capacity to accommodate year 7s .................................................................................. 12

Table 4: OESR projected enrolments at Queensland State High Schools in Townsville .......................................... 13

Table 5: Non-State High Schools, Townsville ....................................................................................................... 17

Table 6: Outcomes of Queensland State High Schools, 2011 ................................................................................ 19

Table 7: Outcomes of Townsville State High Schools, 2011 .................................................................................. 20

Table 8: Other broader NQ High Schools with large numbers of high achievers (>20 OP1-5s in 2011).................... 24

Table 9: Selected schools and urban area populations .......................................................................................... 27

Table 10: Enrolments and outcomes: Townsville schools and Queensland Academies, 2011 ................................. 30

Table 11: Subject offerings of the Queensland Academies .................................................................................... 33

Table 12: Main destination of Year 12 completers, 2011 ....................................................................................... 44

Table 13: Criteria for a successful co-located high school – can the different models meet the criteria? ................. 48

Table 14: Issues for consideration ........................................................................................................................ 49

Table 15: Boarding and enrolment numbers for State boarding schools, 2012 ...................................................... 53

Table 16: Overview of GriffChem, GriffBio and Griffith Eng .................................................................................. 56

Table 17: Secondary teachers in State High Schools, Queensland......................................................................... 62

Table 18: Key features of options ......................................................................................................................... 64

Table 19: Option 1 – GFA available by facility type, m2 ......................................................................................... 71

Table 20: Option 2 –GFA available by facility type, m2 ...........................................................................................77

Table 21: Land area of selected Queensland High Schools ................................................................................... 82

Table 22: Quantity Surveyor CAPEX estimates for options 1 and 2 ....................................................................... 86

Table 23: Extrapolation to cost of full high school................................................................................................. 87

Table 24: Examples of staffing at different high schools, FTEs, 2011 ..................................................................... 88

Table 25: Allowance for additional costs of co-located high school ....................................................................... 88

Table 26: Summary of costs of options for JCU High School ................................................................................. 89

Table 27: Main assumptions ................................................................................................................................. 92

Table 28: Required threshold level of benefits ...................................................................................................... 95

Table 29: Potential benefits in terms of lifetime earnings ..................................................................................... 95

Table 30: Estimated time profile of CAPEX associated with options ................................................................... 105

Table 31: Recurrent financial impact on Queensland Government ...................................................................... 106

Table 32: Queensland Government balance sheet impacts ..................................................................................107

Table 33: DETE capital budget ............................................................................................................................107

Table 34: Pros and cons of JCU High School options ........................................................................................... 110

Table 35: Assessment of project risks ................................................................................................................. 112

Table 36: Details of consultations ...................................................................................................................... 120

LIST OF FIGURES Page

Figure 1: JCU campuses and study centres .............................................................................................................. 3

Figure 2: JCU Discovery Rise development ............................................................................................................. 4

Figure 3: Projected population growth, 2011 to 2031 ............................................................................................... 8

Figure 4: State High Schools in Townsville with catchment boundaries ................................................................. 11

Figure 5: Percentage of students from outside catchment at Townsville State High Schools ................................. 12

Figure 6: Population by age group ........................................................................................................................ 15

Figure 7: State High enrolments and resident student numbers, 2011 ................................................................... 16

Figure 8: State High enrolments and resident student numbers, 2031 ................................................................... 16

Figure 9: OP1-5s at Townsville State High Schools ................................................................................................ 20

Figure 10: OP1-5s at Townsville Catholic Schools .................................................................................................. 21

Figure 11: OP1-5s at Townsville Independent Schools ........................................................................................... 21

Figure 12: Boarding students at schools within the Townsville LGA, 2012.............................................................. 22

Figure 13: Boarding students at non-State schools within Queensland, 2012 ......................................................... 23

Figure 14: Boarding students at non-State schools within Queensland, 2006 to 2012 ............................................ 23

Figure 15: International students visiting short-term at Townsville State High Schools .......................................... 25

Figure 16: Full-time international students at Queensland State High Schools ...................................................... 25

Figure 17: Structure of IB Diploma ........................................................................................................................ 32

Figure 18: JCU High as a regional hub ................................................................................................................... 45

Figure 19: Net recurrent income of selected schools, 2010 .................................................................................... 50

Figure 20: Examples of innovative learning spaces ................................................................................................ 59

Figure 21: Examples of ICT rich and innovative learning areas, Dandenong High School, Victoria .......................... 67

Figure 22: Examples of a modern multipurpose facility at St Augustine’s College, Cairns ...................................... 68

Figure 23: 3D concept design of option 1 – refurbishment of Western campus ....................................................... 69

Figure 24: 2D concept design of option 1 – refurbishment of Western campus ...................................................... 70

Figure 25: Example of a breakout space, Marysville Getchell High School, Washington, USA ................................ 74

Figure 26: 3D concept design of option 2 – Greenfield to west of Western Campus ............................................... 75

Figure 27: 2D concept design of option 2 – Greenfield to west of Western Campus ............................................... 76

Figure 28: Examples of condition of Western Campus building 251 ....................................................................... 80

Figure 29: Matrix of precinct developments ........................................................................................................ 100

Figure 30: Types of university-industry interaction contributing to innovation - US and UK firms' survey responses

(% of companies)................................................................................................................................................ 102

Abbreviations

ADO Australian Defence Organisation

ASMS Australian Science and Mathematics School

CAPEX Capital expenditure

DETE Department of Education, Training and Employment

FNQ Far North Queensland

FTE Full-time equivalent

GFA Gross floor area

GRP Gross Regional Product

IB International Baccalaureate

ISSU Indigenous Schooling Support Unit

JCU James Cook University

JMSS John Monash Science School

MJA Marsden Jacob Associates

NBN National Broadband Network

NQ North Queensland

OESR Office of Economic and Statistical Research

OPEX Operating expenditure

p.a. Per annum

PL Professional Learning

PLC Professional Learning Centres

PV Present value

QA Queensland Academy

QACI Queensland Academy for Creative Industries

QAHS Queensland Academy for Health Sciences

QASMT Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technology

QMEA Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy

QRC Queensland Resources Council

QSA Queensland Studies Authority

QUT Queensland University of Technology

RATEP Remote Area Teacher Program

SDE School of Distance Education

SHS State High School

UQ University of Queensland

VU Victoria University

VUSC Victoria University Secondary School

James Cook University High School Reference Group

Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville ES.i

Executive summary

The Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment (DETE) has commissioned Marsden Jacob Associates (MJA) “to scope and build the business case to establish a collocated high school at James Cook University in Townsville”.1 In undertaking this assignment, MJA was assisted by Mitchell Brandtman, MMP Architects, and Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Queensland, Rob Gilbert.

Purpose of this Feasibility Study Report

The purpose of this report is to present MJA’s feasibility study of the options for a high school co-located at James Cook University (JCU), with a view to determining whether there is a business case to establish a co-located high school. The report is based on an on-site condition assessment at JCU, desktop research and analysis, as well as on consultations with 20 principals of State and private secondary schools across Queensland, JCU officials, government agencies, including Skills Queensland, and industry representatives, including Townsville Enterprise and the Queensland Resources Council (QRC).

Context

A co-located JCU High School would form part of the broader JCU Discovery Rise project, which aims to establish a Knowledge Precinct in Townsville centred on the JCU campus and encompassing the nearby Townsville Hospital. The Hornery Institute’s report A University School for Townsville’s Knowledge Precinct notes:

The primary driver for a University School is to increase participation in higher education and learning within the region. Current participation rates are around 5% below the national average.

Indeed, the educational performance of the broader North Queensland (NQ) region, which may be taken as encompassing the Far North and Mackay, is also relatively low (Figure ES1).

Figure ES1: Main destination of Year 12 completers, 2011 - percentage attending university

0 10 20 30 40 50

Wide Bay-Burnett

Fitzroy-Central West

Mackay

West Moreton

Far North

Darling Downs-South West

Northern-North West

Sunshine Coast

Qld average

Gold Coast

Brisbane

%

Source: DETE, Next Step 2011: A report on the destinations of Year 12 completers from 2010 in Queensland, p. 59.

1 Queensland Government, 2012, First 100 days: Final Report, p. 12.


Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville ES.ii

In addition to the need to improve educational outcomes in North Queensland, other important considerations include recent developments in:

� e-learning and the potential for the National Broadband Network (NBN), noting that Townsville was the fourth site in mainland Australia to be connected to the NBN;

� direct entry and fast tracking of senior secondary and university studies, such as the arrangements relating to GriffBio and GriffChem;

� school-industry links, such as those occurring at Aviation High and the Gateway Schools networks;

� teacher professional development, which is strongly supported by industry bodies such as the QRC through the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA); and

� the establishment of the three selective-entry Queensland Academies (QAs) in South-East Queensland, which offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) rather than the standard Queensland Studies Authority (QSA) curriculum.

Demographics

Townsville is projected to experience strong population growth over the next twenty years, from around 191,200 people in 2011 to 295,700 people in 2031, according to Queensland Treasury’s Office of Economic and Statistical Research (OESR). The projected average annual growth rate over 2011 to 2031 is 2.2 per cent for Townsville, compared with 1.8 per cent for Queensland as a whole. Projected population growth is particularly strong in the Mt Louisa and Northern Beaches areas, and on the south-eastern outskirts where there is an anticipated major development, Rocky Springs, which may eventually house over 20,000 people (Figure 3).

Figure ES2: Projected population growth, 2011 to 2031

Source: MJA, 2012, based on OESR, 2012.


Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville ES.iii

Other developments that are not included in the current population projections from OESR include Discovery Rise at JCU, which is expected, over 15 years, to grow to 7,500 to 10,000 people living in a mixed-use development on the Douglas campus of JCU. If Discovery Rise does not grow to this projected size, population growth in the areas surrounding JCU is expected to be only modest.

Hence the pattern of Townsville’s projected population growth would tend not to support the building of a new high school co-located with JCU, and hence any high school proposal must be differentiated from a standard high school.

A further consideration supporting this view is that there are a number of State High Schools in Townsville currently with student numbers substantially below their capacity (Figure ES3).

Figure ES3: State High Schools in Townsville

Source: DETE, 2012.


Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville ES.iv

Potential educational models for a JCU High School

The potential educational models considered for a co-located JCU High School are listed below and discussed more fully in the report. These models were reviewed by the University of Queensland Emeritus Professor of Education, Rob Gilbert.

� 1. A Queensland Academy offering the IB to selected year 10-12 students on the existing QA model. Given the centrality of this approach to recent discussions, considerable attention is given in this analysis to the Academy model and the experience of the existing Academies (see summary of review below).

� 2. A ‘lighthouse’ school for research, development and professional learning with a focus on education issues and practice significant to the North Queensland region, such as rural education or Indigenous education.

� 3. A centre for school-industry links in areas of significance to the region, such as mining, tourism or defence.

� 4. A University High School as a hub for promoting educational outcomes across the NQ region, attracting talented students to JCU and offering them accelerated opportunities to access University studies in designated academic areas.

As noted above, these options are not mutually exclusive. For example, approach 4 (A University High School) may be designed to encompass elements of approaches 2 (a lighthouse school), and 3 (a centre for school-industry links).

Review of the Queensland Academy model

Broadly, the review of the Academy model, led by Emeritus Professor Rob Gilbert, found that there are serious doubts about the likelihood that an Academy model would add value to the North Queensland educational landscape. Further, significant ongoing issues with Queensland Academies also mean the Academy model is likely to be unsuitable for implementation in NQ. These issues include:

� two of the Academies, the Queensland Academy for Creative Industries (QACI) and the Queensland Academy for Health Sciences (QAHS), run significantly below capacity of 450 students, with student numbers in the range of 300-350; and

� due to the intense demands of the IB Diploma, which provides little time for extra-curricular activities, initial aspirations around the Academies having a close relationship with universities have not been achieved to the extent desired.

Hence, we do not recommend adopting the QA model (or the IB on its own) at a JCU High School. Nonetheless, the review of the Academies, especially consultations with current Academy Principals, yielded valuable lessons for the design of a JCU High School, including that:


Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville ES.v

� attention needs to be paid to the branding of a school, as schools perceived to be highly specialised may not be attractive to parents or students wanting broader educational experiences; and

� explicit partnerships with universities around direct entry and fast-tracking would be crucial to the marketing and viability of the school.

This has informed our development of options for the feasibility study.

Criteria for a successful co-located high school

Based on the review of the Academy model, and consultations with the Reference Group, a number of criteria for success for a high school co-located with a university were developed. A successful co-located high school would:

� offer a full curriculum, featuring special courses relevant to the region and aligned with the university’s research strengths;

� create a value-adding partnership through, e.g.:

− pedagogy research opportunities;

− teacher exchange opportunities for professional development; and

− interactions of school students with university researchers;

� promote the transition of students to university who would not otherwise go – i.e., increase the percentage of school leavers going on to university in the region;

� raise aspirations and expectations of people in the community for higher education;

� provide flexibility in the curriculum to allow innovative courses that allow fast-tracking and credit for university studies;

� provide pathways to either academic or employment outcomes;

� provide linkages with the university that are a normal part of the school timetable;

� have the necessary facilities, while sharing available amenities, such as sporting fields and libraries, and specialized research facilities with the university; and

� be sustainable without impacting on the viability of surrounding State and non-State schools.

These criteria informed the selection of a model for a co-located high school, which is set out below. This model was selected for the purpose of developing explicit options to explore in the feasibility study.

The University High School model

Based on our review of the Academy model, other research, consultations and the criteria above, we have developed options around Approach 4 – a University High School. It would offer the QSA curriculum rather than the IB, which our review has found to be unsuitable for a JCU High School. The advantages of the University High School approach include:


Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville ES.vi

� it is broad enough to encompass elements of a lighthouse school and school-industry links and does not run the risk of being unattractive because of a narrow specialisation;

� the identification of the school as a “University High School” would make it more attractive to families with high aspirations and would support the viability of the school;

� the QSA curriculum provides opportunities for fast tracking (i.e. acceleration through school subjects so students can study university subjects in senior secondary) and direct entry to university, as seen with GriffBio and GriffChem, which comprised a re-design of the Biology and Chemistry curricula at participating Gold Coast schools to enable recognition by Griffith University; and

� because it is not based on the IB, the University School would not need to be highly selective and hence can develop selection criteria for students aligned with the objectives of the school to improved educational outcomes across North Queensland (i.e., it can select students with potential for university studies who may currently not aspire to them and who would benefit from the University High School experience).

While the school could have a boarding element, it would also include additional roles around e-learning and teacher professional development, to ensure that the benefits accrue not just to those students who attend the school but to students throughout North Queensland. Hence, the school could operate as a regional hub (Figure ES4).

Figure ES4: JCU High as a regional hub

JCU

campus,

Mt Isa

JCU High

School,

Townsville

Mt Isa

secondary

schools

Cairns

secondary

schools

JCU,

Townsville

JCU

campus,

Cairns

Mackay

secondary

schools

JCU,

Mackay

campus

Source: Professor Rob Gilbert and MJA, 2012.


Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville ES.vii

Potential benefits from co-location in a knowledge precinct

There may be significant benefits arising from a co-located high school that are difficult if not impossible to quantify with any reliability, including the two-way exchange of knowledge between teachers and students at a co-located high school and JCU. Certainly there are benefits from the co-location of facilities already occurring at JCU, through:

� the practical co-location of the Townsville Hospital with the JCU Faculty of Health (across the road from each other); and

� the co-location of ACT for Kids (formerly the Abused Child Trust) with JCU’s social work and psychology schools on the Douglas campus.

Professor Jeff Loughran, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Science and Engineering made the following observations regarding the potential benefits from a co-located JCU High School:

There are many opportunities for students studying in a high school in close proximity to a research active university like JCU. The Faculty of Science and Engineering [FSE] at JCU has around 170 academic and research staff working on challenging science topics from anti-matter to climate change. This list scales significantly when one considers the four other Faculties covering medicine health and molecular science, law business and creative arts, and arts education and social science.

JCU's focus is the tropics, a part of the world dominated by growth and grand challenges. JCU's reputation in the life sciences is rated in the top 200 in the world. In specific areas, we rank in the top few in the world: No. 1 in coral reef studies; No. 2 in climate change research; very high in aquaculture. We are No. 1 in Australia in environmental science and management.

Imagine teaching science in close proximity to some of the best researchers in the world (over 180 academics and research scientists and engineers and around 400 PhD students in FSE alone).

Imagine having access tours to world class labs, inspirational scientists and engineers, students from across the world, all only a few minutes away. This is an opportunity which is of enormous benefit from an educational standpoint.

Options explored in the Feasibility Study

Based on the analysis of demographics and our review of the Academy model and alternatives for a co-located high school, and in consultation with the Reference Group, we have selected three JCU High School options for further consideration in the feasibility study, as outlined below. We have also included sub-options for Options 1 and 2 which do not include boarding.

� Option 1: Refurbishment of Western Campus to create a 400-500 student school (boarding for 100).

− Option 1a: Refurbishment of Western Campus to create a 400-500 student school (without boarding).

� Option 2: Greenfield build of a 400-500 student school (boarding for 100).

− Option 2a: Greenfield build of a 400-500 student school (no boarding).


Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville ES.viii

� Option 3: Full High School of 1,200 student capacity (boarding for 100).

� Option 4: Without project case (which would not preclude non-infrastructure developments such as greater use of e-learning or the use of JCU accommodation when students are not there).

Option 1 is most consistent with the original Hornery Institute and JCU vision for the school to make use of vacated Western Campus buildings. The site could comfortably house a school of 400-500 students.

Option 2, a greenfield build, is an important comparator to a refurbishment option, to test whether a refurbishment of the Western Campus site is cost-effective. Also, importantly, the school may be better designed to create innovative and flexible learning spaces if there is a greenfield development.

Option 3, a full High School, is necessary to consider because the commitment to explore the feasibility of a co-located high school may be interpreted to include the consideration of a standard size high school, typically of 1,200 student capacity, co-located with the university.

Option 4, the without project case, is included as an option to compare other options against, as the Government always has the option not to proceed with the High School if there are not demonstrable net economic and social benefits to the community that justify the expenditure of public funds on the project rather than competing priorities. In this case, the Government may wish to consider the opportunities to connect students with JCU via e-learning or through short residential courses on the campus, taking advantage of the 1,462 beds on campus, the majority of which are free during university vacation periods.

Key features of the co-located high school options (Options 1 to 4) are presented in Table ES1.


Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville ES.ix

Table ES1: Key features of options for a JCU High School

Option Infrastructure Educational program

1. Refurbishment High school of 450 students

Boarding facilities for 100

Innovative learning areas &

ICT rich environment

Re-use of Western Campus

academic buildings

QSA curriculum

Fast-tracking & direct entry

arrangements with JCU

Entry by application but not

strictly on academic criteria

Close cooperation with JCU on

teacher professional

development, including the

hosting of practicum visits by

teachers from other schools

2. Greenfield High school of 450 students




Use of greenfield site to

west of Western Campus

academic buildings

QSA curriculum



Entry by application but not

strictly on academic criteria






3. Full high school High school of 1,200

students




Use of greenfield site and

potentially existing Western

Campus academic buildings

QSA curriculum



Limited number of places by

application, but not strictly on

academic criteria

Bulk of places for students

within relevant catchment area






4. Without project case None / minimal Opportunities to connect

students with JCU via e-learning

or through short residential

courses on the campus, taking

advantage of the 1,462 beds on

campus, the majority of which

are free during university

vacation periods

Source: MJA, 2012.


Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville ES.x

Where would the students come from?

Options 1 and 2 (a 400-500 student University High School) would both be expected to draw significant numbers of high achievers from existing State High Schools in Townsville, particularly Pimlico and Kirwan State High Schools. They would also likely attract students from private schools in Townsville, whose parents may be attracted by a less expensive though high quality education option. That said, there are significant doubts around whether sufficient students will be attracted to a JCU High School to ensure its ongoing viability, which would require around 150 students per year level.

Based on the identification of significant numbers of high achievers at boarding schools in Townsville and cities in the broader region, it is possible that sufficient numbers of students may attend a JCU High School if it has boarding facilities. There is also the prospect of attracting international students through JCU’s Singapore campus, although they may crowd out boarding opportunities for regional and remote students.

Based on an analysis of Townsville State High Schools, even for the 400-500 student options, it is unlikely that sufficient numbers could come from Townsville High Schools without having a large, adverse impact on local High Schools by taking away proportionately large numbers of the top achievers.

While it is not possible to forecast the composition of student numbers at a JCU High School, based on consultations and analysis of enrolment data, it is possible that the different groups of students may include:

� students from existing Townsville State High Schools – possibly between 25 to 50 students per year level if the school took 5 to 10 per cent of the students at Townsville State High Schools who would eventually receive an Overall Position (OP) score;

� students from existing Townsville private schools – possibly another 25 to 50 students, an estimate informed by both consultations with Townsville private school principals and the observed impact of the Queensland Academies which drew up to half of their students from private schools;

� students from boarding schools outside Townsville (including Indigenous students from Cape York) – possibly another 20-40 students, which would be typical of boarding school numbers per year level at other boarding schools in Townsville and would represent a market share of around 2-3 per cent of the total Queensland boarding market; this would not be implausible if there was a quality State high school boarding option that charged lower tuition fees than a private boarding school;

� students from State High Schools outside Townsville – a very small number as the families of the students may not have the means to cover the boarding charges; and

� international students who have been attracted via JCU’s international network of campuses such as in Singapore – an unknown number that could range from very few to several dozen, based on the varying experiences of existing Townsville State High Schools, other high schools across Queensland and co-located high schools in other States.

Therefore, on optimistic assumptions, an enrolment of 150 students in each year level across years 10 to 12 could be obtained, but there are obvious risks involved, and more so if there are no boarding facilities.


Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville ES.xi

For the full high school (Option 4), the high school would need to have its own catchment boundary and would necessarily take substantial numbers of students from nearby high schools. By defining a catchment, a full high school could obtain sufficient number of students, but it may seriously threaten the viability of nearby Heatley and Thuringowa High Schools, both of which are currently operating significantly below capacity.

Costs, benefits and risks

Capital and operational costs

Estimated costs, in terms of both capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operational expenditure (OPEX) of the JCU High School options, relative to the without project case (i.e. option 4) are presented in Table ES2.

There is currently no funding within DETE’s budget forward estimates that is allocated to a co-located high school at JCU. Hence, the Government would either need to provide new funding or defer other future school developments across Queensland, some of which may be responding to pressing needs based on population growth.


Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville ES.xii

Table ES2: Summary of costs of options for JCU High School

Option CAPEX

$

Maintenance

p.a.

$

OPEX

(standard)

p.a.

$

OPEX

(prof.

develop.)

p.a.

$

OPEX

(boarding)

p.a.

$

Total OPEX

p.a.

$

OPEX

savings at

other

schools p.a.

$

Incremental

OPEX p.a.

$

1. Refurbishment 26,996,900 347,728 4,770,000 500,000 1,000,000 6,617,728 3,780,000 2,837,728

1a. Refurbishment (without boarding) 21,162,363 272,577 4,770,000 500,000 - 5,542,577 3,780,000 1,762,577

2. Greenfield 35,437,300 454,045 4,770,000 500,000 1,000,000 6,724,045 3,780,000 2,944,045

2a. Greenfield (without boarding) 27,118,530 347,460 4,770,000 500,000 - 5,617,460 3,780,000 1,837,460

3. Full SHS 64,731,278 1,362,136 12,720,000 500,000 1,000,000 15,582,136 10,080,000 5,502,136

Source: MJA, 2012.

Notes: a. For options 1 and 2, MJA estimated average maintenance p.a. from Mitchell Brandtman’s lifecycle cost estimates (see Appendix E). Technically, MJA estimated annual equivalent

values of the present value of Mitchell Brandtman’s lifecycle cost estimates assuming a discount rate of 8 per cent.

b. Maintenance p.a. for option 3 is an MJA extrapolation of the maintenance p.a. for option 2 (assumed to be three times the annual maintenance for option 2).

c. OPEX (standard) p.a. is based on average OPEX per student (excluding maintenance) at Townsville State High Schools provided by DETE.

d. OPEX (prof. develop.) is the allowance for the additional professional development activities of a JCU High School.

e. OPEX savings at other schools is based on average staff costs per students at Townsville High Schools (data provided by DETE), recognising that other elements of OPEX may be less

sensitive to changes in student numbers.


Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville ES.xiii

Potential benefits

Based on a literature review and consultations, the main incremental benefits that would arise from a JCU High School comprise:

� Increased university participation – from encouraging students to attend university who would not otherwise;

� Professional development benefit – potentially very significant; according to a 2007 US Education Department review, substantial professional development of teachers can result in improvements of average student performance by 21 percentile points (Yoon et al, 2007);2

� Fast-tracking benefit – from earlier completion of university studies and more time in the labour force;

� Higher quality schools facilities benefit – as there is some evidence that student performance is linked to air quality, ventilation and thermal comfort of school buildings (Schneider, 2002);

� Innovative learning facilities benefit – benefits in terms of educational outcomes and ultimately lifetime earnings through school facilities that improve innovative learning practices including collaborative group learning, immersion in an ICT-rich environment, and team teaching, among others (see OECD, 2011);

� Sharing of facilities benefit – through school students being able to take advantage of university facilities, including specialised research labs and sporting facilities; and

� Other co-location benefits – such as the knowledge transfer that can occur through the co-location of a school and university and the potential impact on innovation and research.

As there appears to be a high level of agreement among stakeholders that a JCU High School would not be a selective high school, we are not assuming any selective education benefits. In any case, the literature is ambiguous on the effectiveness of selective education, as noted by the 2002 Vinson Inquiry in NSW.

Based on the estimated CAPEX and OPEX for different options, the required threshold levels of benefits are set out in Table ES3.

Table ES3: Required threshold level of benefits

Option Present

Value (PV)

of CAPEX

$M

PV of OPEX

$M

PV of total

costs

$M

Equivalent

annual cost

$M

1. Refurbishment 21.2 27.9 49.1 5.0

1a. Refurbishment (without boarding) 16.6 17.3 33.9 3.4

2. Greenfield 27.8 28.9 56.7 5.8


3. Full high school 50.8 54.0 104.9 10.7

Source: MJA, 2012.

2 Further, Leigh and Mead (2005, p. 3) report evidence that students can move from the 50th to the 55th percentile

if a teacher moves from the 50th to the 90th percentile.


Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville ES.xiv

The benefits of increased tertiary attainment are arguably the simplest to estimate and potentially the largest, as obtaining a university degree can have a large impact on lifetime earnings. University graduates have higher lifetime earnings than non-university graduates on average. Based on ABS census data, we assume this uplift is in the order of $15,000 p.a.3 We further assume that 10 per cent of students attending JCU High School would not have otherwise attended university (i.e. around 15 graduates p.a.). For options 1 and 2, over 20 years, this would equate to a present value benefit of around $17.8 million, as the number of additional graduates accumulates and the additional benefit each year grows (Table ES4).

Table ES4: Potential benefits in terms of lifetime earnings

Assumed additional students who graduate

from university

Option 10 per cent

of students

$M

25 per cent

of students

$M

50 per cent of

students

$M

1 & 1a. Refurbishment 17.8 44.4 88.8

2 & 2a. Greenfield 17.8 44.4 88.8

3. Full high school 23.7 59.2 118.4

Source: MJA, 2012.

Comparing the estimated benefits from the potential uplift in lifetime earnings shows that the assumed percentage of students who are encouraged to attend university due to attending JCU High, and who would not otherwise have attended university, needs to be very high (and perhaps implausibly so) for this benefit alone to justify the cost of the high school. There is a high risk that outcomes of the required magnitude are unachievable.

This suggests that high values would have to be placed on the professional development and other benefits of a co-located high school for the JCU High School options to be economically feasible. The analysis suggests that options 1 and 2 (particularly the sub-options without boarding) are more likely to be economically feasible than option 3. We have not attempted to quantify the professional development and other benefits of a JCU High School because of the lack of clear methodologies for doing so and to avoid the risk of measuring the unmeasurable.

Project risks

There are a number of significant risks to the feasibility of a co-located JCU High School, including risks to its technical, economic and financial feasibility (Table ES5). Most substantially, there are risks around whether a JCU High School will attract:

� sufficient numbers of students (i.e. 150 students in each year level); and

� the composition of students required to render it economically feasible – i.e. a significant proportion of students who would not otherwise have gone to university.

At the same time, even though it may not attract sufficient students to be viable, it may still have adverse impacts on existing Townsville high schools, particularly State High Schools such as Pimlico and Kirwan, by taking the academic cream away.

3 Based on Labour Market Research Unit, 2008, “Queensland’s Qualification Profile”, Queensland’s Labour

Market Progress: A 2006 Census of Population and Housing Profile, Issue no. 4, Queensland Government Department of Education, Training and the Arts, p. 10.


Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville ES.xv

Another way of expressing these risks is that it is possible a JCU High School would simply attract high-performing students from existing Townsville high schools who would go on to university anyway.

Table ES5: Assessment of project risks

Risk Likelihood Potential for mitigation

Technical

1. If refurbishment option is

chosen, unobserved structural

weaknesses may become apparent

once work commences.

Medium High. It is likely the additional costs would

be covered by the project contingency

cost estimated by Mitchell Brandtman.

2. School does not attract 150

students per year level which is

necessary to offer full curriculum.

Medium Unclear. The school will need to develop

strong linkages to JCU and market these

to potential students.

Economic and financial

3. School does not attract

sufficient students to ensure

viability.

Medium Difficult to assess. The school may need to

be marketed aggressively in domestic and

international markets to attract sufficient

students, given the small population of

the surrounding region compared with

other regions with co-located schools.

4. School simply attracts students

who would have attended

university anyway and would have

been high achievers at existing

schools.

High Low. It is expected that high performing

students (and their parents) at existing

Townsville schools will be most attracted

to the co-located high school and the

possibilities for fast-tracking of tertiary

studies.

5. The school has adverse impacts

on existing schools in Townsville.

High Low. It is apparent that a high proportion

of JCU High School students would come

from Pimlico and Kirwan and place at risk

the reputations for academic, musical and

sporting excellence these schools have

established.

6. The cost of the project is

significantly higher than estimated.

Low High. Cost estimates by Mitchell

Brandtman include a 15 per cent project

contingency, which is designed to cover

budget over-runs.

7. Sufficient revenue from parental

contributions or charges for

community use of facilities cannot

be secured to cover the additional

costs of a co-located high school.

Medium Medium. The JCU High School could

charge a modest fee similar to

Queensland Academies of up to $2,000

per annum, which would be very

competitive with private schools in

Townsville. Also JCU may make a financial

contribution for joint use of any

multipurpose facility.

8. The unmeasurable benefits of

co-location are not as significant as

expected.

Medium Medium. This largely depends on the

commitment of DETE and JCU to

encouraging and facilitating cooperation

and interactions.

Source: MJA, 2012.


Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville ES.xvi

It is important that these risks are taken into account in the cost-benefit analysis, even though they cannot be quantified. Decision makers should bear in mind the risks when considering whether the unmeasurable and intangible benefits of the project, including equity benefits, could be sufficient to justify its costs.

Financial impacts on the State Government

At this stage, it appears the Queensland Government would need to meet the full cost of capital expenditure under whichever option is chosen, as JCU sees its contribution as occurring in-kind through the provision of land (and any buildings contained on them) to the project. Hence, the Government would need to spend from $21 million to $65 million in CAPEX, depending on the option, to construct a JCU High School.

Assuming that, from the time of a Government decision, it would take around six months to one year to complete the professional services associated with the design phase of the project, and then up to 18 months to build the high school, the Government would potentially experience the following financial impacts (Table 30).

Table ES6: Estimated time profile of CAPEX associated with options

Options 2012-13

$M

2013-14

$M

2014-15

$M

Total

$M

1. Refurbishment 1.1 9.4 16.6 27.0

1a. Refurbishment (no boarding) 0.9 6.8 13.5 21.2

2. Greenfield 1.4 12.3 21.7 35.4

2a. Greenfield (no boarding) 1.1 8.7 17.3 27.1

3. Full high school 2.6 22.4 39.7 64.7

Source: MJA, 2012.

Note: Assumes decision on JCU High School is made in late 2012 or early 2013. Professional services expenditures

are assumed to be split evenly between 2012-13 and 2013-14. One-third of construction CAPEX is assumed to occur

in 2013-14 and two-thirds in 2014-15.

The recurrent financial impact on the State Government is different from the impact that the additional OPEX would suggest, because the State Government provides greater funding to State Schools than to private schools per student. Assuming the difference in State Government funding per student is around $6,000 p.a., based on data reported on the My School website, the cost of having, say, 100 students at a JCU High School who would otherwise have been at a private school is $0.6M p.a.

The proportion of students attending a JCU High School who may otherwise have attended a non-Government School is potentially high – for example, the Principal of the Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technology (QASMT) estimates that around 50 percent of her students came originally from a private school. Hence, we simulate the financial impact of the JCU High School options on the State Government under a range of scenarios around the fraction of students who would otherwise have attended a private school (10 per cent, 25 per cent and 50 per cent) (Table ES7). For simplicity, the table below does not report the impacts for Options 1a and 2a.


Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville ES.xvii

Table ES7: Recurrent financial impact on Queensland Government

Proportion coming from non-Government schools

Options Item 10 per cent 25 per cent 50 per cent

1. Refurbishment OPEX p.a. $6,617,728 $6,617,728 $6,617,728

less OPEX saving at other State

High Schools p.a. $3,402,000 $2,835,000 $1,890,000

less financial assistance to non-

Government schools saving $90,000 $225,000 $450,000

Impact on recurrent costs $3,125,728 $3,557,728 $4,277,728

2. Greenfield OPEX p.a. $6,724,045 $6,724,045 $6,724,045


High Schools p.a. $3,402,000 $2,835,000 $1,890,000




3 Full high school OPEX p.a. $15,582,136 $15,582,136 $15,582,136


High Schools p.a. $9,072,000 $7,560,000 $5,040,000


Government schools saving $240,000 $600,000 $1,200,000


Source: MJA estimates, 2012.

Assessment of JCU High School options

The feasibility study has not been able to demonstrate expected measurable net economic and social benefits from a co-located JCU High School. Any decision to build a co-located high school would need to rely on the expectation of large, unmeasurable benefits from teacher professional development and co-location within a knowledge precinct.

Based on the analysis undertaken in this feasibility study, options 1 and 2 (refurbishment and greenfield, respectively) appear superior to option 3 (full high school), and option 2 may be considered superior to option 1 if a high value is placed on maximising the potential for innovative learning spaces and ensuring the school is aesthetically pleasing so that it attracts sufficient students to ensure its viability (Table ES8). Option 3 (a full high school) appears less attractive than the other options, given its large CAPEX and doubts about whether it is necessary in that location based on Townsville’s projected population growth.

It remains an open question, however, whether constructing a co-located JCU High School is the most cost-effective means to address the relatively low matriculation to university in North Queensland. The Government may wish to consider opportunities that arise from e-learning and the use of JCU’s existing boarding facilities during university vacations – e.g. to offer residential courses for secondary students designed to familiarise them with the university environment and hence later enrolment in university.


Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville ES.xviii

Table ES8: Pros and cons of JCU High School options

Option Present value

of additional

costs

$M

Pros Cons

1. Refurbishment 49.1

($33.9M

without

boarding)

Least expensive of infrastructure options.

Potentially can achieve aims of lifting university matriculation in North

Queensland and enhancing teacher professional development. Also

there may be significant though unmeasurable benefits of co-location

through two-way knowledge transfer through co-location.

Modest student numbers (450) means more likely to achieve

enrolment targets than option 3.

Slight environmental benefit from re-using concrete shells of existing

Western Campus buildings.

Significant risks to DETE and the Government, including that it

adversely impacts on existing schools at same time as does not obtain

sufficient enrolments.

Using existing shells of buildings reduces flexibility to develop

innovative learning spaces.

Refurbished buildings may look less aesthetically pleasing than option

2 buildings on a greenfield site and may be less attractive to students.

2. Greenfield 56.7

($39.3M

without

boarding)

Provides ultimate flexibility to provide purpose-built facilities with


Similar educational benefits as option 1, though the potential to offer

more flexible, innovative learning spaces may result in slightly higher

benefits.

Buildings may be more aesthetically pleasing than option 1 buildings,

helping to attract students.

Significant risks to DETE and the Government, including that it

adversely impacts on existing schools at the same time as does not

obtain sufficient enrolments.

More expensive than option 1.

3. Full high school 104.9 May relieve pressures on other high schools.

A University High School covering years 7-12 could yield benefits by

providing students with early exposure to university life and

educational and research opportunities.

Large CAPEX that may be unnecessary, given stricter enforcement of

enrolment management plans and the possible construction of a

Rocky Springs SHS that would reduce pressures at other schools.

Not the best location for a new SHS, given location of population

growth in Townsville.

4. Without

project case

0.0 No additional cost.

Does not preclude non-infrastructure responses such as e-learning and

use of existing JCU accommodation when vacant for residential

courses for secondary students.

Does not address lower matriculation to university in North

Queensland.

Source: MJA, 2012.


Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville ES.xix

Recommendations

Recommendation 1: The Government note the significant benefits that could arise from the application of the co-located University High School model developed in this feasibility study.

A co-located high school at JCU’s Townsville campus could act as a “lighthouse school” in North Queensland, demonstrating evidence-based teaching practices in an innovative environment and encouraging tertiary attainment in North Queensland, which is currently lower than the State average. The school would benefit from:

� gifting of land on which it would be built;

� sharing of existing facilities on the JCU campus, including libraries, ovals, a swimming pool, a drama theatre and specialised research labs;

� capitalising on international networks created through JCU’s presence in Singapore and other international markets; and

� importantly, being able to draw on the human and intellectual capital readily available to its staff and students through its co-location on the JCU site.

The school would be an important contribution to the Townsville Knowledge Precinct being developed, which already capitalises on the value of co-location, and includes the Townsville Hospital, CSIRO, AIMS, Tec-NQ, ACT for Kids, JCU research entities and other new elements in development.

Through the use of either new or existing boarding facilities on campus, a JCU High School would provide opportunities for students across the broader North Queensland region, particularly to Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in rural and remote areas. It would also provide the opportunity to cultivate ‘international mindedness’ through the recruitment of international students, paying particular attention to JCU’s international market and opportunities therein.

The benefits of co-location with JCU in Townsville’s Knowledge Precinct are potentially important. These benefits would include the two-way transfer of knowledge between JCU High School teachers and students and JCU researchers. In particular, co-located high school students and teachers would benefit from access to JCU academics and researchers who are world leaders in marine, environmental and health sciences, with a strong representation in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The two-way transfer of knowledge would occur through interactions that are both formal (e.g. joint research projects and guest lecturers) and informal (e.g. meetings in the cafes and libraries). These interactions are much more likely in a co-located high school.

There are also important regional benefits that could flow from raising the standard and profile of State education and creating the first State school of its type outside of South-East Queensland. By acting as a “lighthouse school”, a JCU High School could contribute to improving educational outcomes across North Queensland.

Although the University High School model presented in this report was developed in the context of this feasibility study, the model is potentially of wider application and may be relevant to university campuses in other centres, such as Cairns and other regional cities.


Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville ES.xx

Recommendation 2: The Government note the identified risks and costs involved in a co-located high school in Townsville and, on the balance of the costs versus benefits, not commit funding to the proposal in the short to medium-term, while recognising that the benefits of the project are such that the opportunities for a co-located high school in regional cities such as Townsville should be reconsidered in the future.

While a co-located high school at JCU’s Townsville’s campus may be technically feasible (i.e., there are buildings available for refurbishment and sufficient space for a greenfield site), there are doubts about its economic and financial feasibility at this time. Based on the analysis in this report, there is potential for a University High School to improve educational outcomes in North Queensland, but there are risks it would adversely impact on existing State and private high schools in Townsville and still may not reach its enrolment targets.

That said, it is evident a rationalisation of high school enrolments is needed to resolve enrolment anomalies in State high schools across Townsville, particularly low student numbers at Heatley Secondary College and Thuringowa SHS and large numbers of out-of-catchment enrolments at Kirwan and Pimlico SHSs, which have a relatively superior academic performance. This feasibility study has assumed that the rationalisation of high school enrolments in Townsville, to balance enrolments to capacity, would occur through the enforcement of Enrolment Management Plans (EMPs). That is, the study has assumed existing Townsville State High Schools remain open. Any rationalisation that involved a reconfiguration of current State High Schools in Townsville would mean that the feasibility of a JCU High School should be re-examined.

The feasibility study has assessed the quantifiable costs and benefits using cost-benefit analysis. This approach has limitations when it comes to a co-located JCU High School, however, where the potential benefits are challenging to estimate, and their realisation depends on the achievement of JCU’s vision of a Townsville Knowledge Precinct.

In its consideration of a co-located JCU High School, the Government may wish to consider, in addition to the measurable economic and financial considerations:

� the unmeasured co-location benefits noted under Recommendation 1; and

� the equity benefits that could accrue from the co-located high school through its potential contribution to lifting matriculation to university in North Queensland.

Noting that our understanding of the potential market for a JCU High School will increase over time, it may be beneficial to re-examine the feasibility of a co-located high school at JCU’s Townsville campus (or elsewhere in North Queensland) in the future.


Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville ES.xxi

Recommendation 3: The Government note the unique opportunities available through a partnership between JCU, DETE Schools of Distance Education and the network of high schools across North Queensland to extend innovative delivery of educational programs for improving higher education participation without additional infrastructure.

Through the Reference Group and public consultations, a number of opportunities to improve educational outcomes in North Queensland were raised. The opportunities, which are not mutually exclusive, include:

� a virtual JCU High School, involving extensive use of online delivery, similar to delivery by Schools of Distance Education, including online bridging courses to university studies and online introductory JCU courses for fast-tracked senior students across Queensland; and

� the use of JCU boarding facilities, particularly when JCU students are home for the holidays, to accommodate high school students from across the region who are undertaking short courses (e.g. in a summer semester) on the JCU campus.

Taking up these opportunities would involve substantially smaller outlays than the options examined in this report, although they may not attain the full range of benefits of co-location discussion under Recommendation 1.

Recommendation 4: The feasibility study should be made available for public access via the DETE website.

In the interests of transparency and to promote public awareness of educational issues and opportunities in North Queensland, the feasibility study should be publicly available.


Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville 1

1. Introduction

The Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment (DETE) has commissioned Marsden Jacob Associates (MJA) “to scope and build the business case to establish a collocated high school at James Cook University in Townsville.”4 In undertaking this assignment, MJA was assisted by Mitchell Brandtman and Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Queensland, Rob Gilbert.

1.1 Terms of Reference

The terms of reference provided by DETE are reproduced below.

As a mandatory requirement the Consultant is required to deliver a business case and associated reports for a co-located high school at James Cook University comprising of the following key activities:

1. Investigate the academy model concept currently delivered in South East Queensland and the appropriateness for a similar model / concept being delivered in North Queensland.

2. Include the three academy models from South East Queensland as detailed below:

� Kelvin Grove - Creative Industries;

� Toowong - Science, Mathematics and Technology; and

� Southport - Health Services.

3. Conduct a demographic analysis of forecasted growth and future school needs in the Townsville area;

4. Conduct / participate in high level consultation;

5. Develop education/select program options for a select school in Townsville;

6. Complete a feasibility study on the proposed infrastructure at James Cook University, Douglas Campus. The feasibility study is required to include:

� Identified options for the refurbishments versus new builds, including student accommodation; and

� Estimates of the capital costs for the refurbishments versus a new build.

7. Undertake a cost benefit analysis and assessment of value for money of a co-located school;

8. Investigate funding options including local, state and federal government;

9. Develop a Terms of Agreement outlining James Cook University tenure conditions and estimated costs associated with the Terms of Agreement;

10. Deliver a business case and final report;

11. During the term of the contract the Principal may request that additional activities and/ or specifications be included within the evaluation and report process.

4 Queensland Government, 2012, First 100 days: Final Report, p. 12.



1.2 Context

1.2.1 Election commitment

Context for the feasibility study is provided by the Government’s election commitment, which clarifies the Government’s expectations regarding the school:

A CanDo LNP Government will ensure we have a world class education system that ensures our children can excel.

The LNP is committed to providing real opportunities for Queensland school children to excel and make the most of their education.

As part of our commitment to science and technology an LNP Government will extend linkages between our world class universities and secondary schools.

An LNP Government will fund a study to scope and build the business case to establish a Co-located High School at James Cook University.

This will include opportunities for regional and rural students to also access the facility, through the inclusion of boarding facilities.

This feasibility study will focus on partnership opportunities with James Cook University, as this university has indicated support for such cooperation.5

This provides important parameters for the feasibility study. This commitment suggests expectations around excellence, which suggests more than a standard High School, and the need to provide boarding facilities to provide opportunities for regional and rural students.

1.2.2 Existing co-located high schools

There are already a number of co-located high schools in Australia, including:

� Queensland Academy for Creative Industries (QACI) at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Kelvin Grove;

� Queensland Academy for Health Sciences (QAHS) at Griffith University’s Gold Coast campus;

� Chancellor State College at Sunshine Coast University;

� John Monash Science School at the Clayton campus of Monash University in Melbourne;

� University High School, which neighbours the University of Melbourne in Melbourne, although it operates also as a standard high school with a catchment area and a high proportion of its students come from the local area;

� The Australian Science and Mathematics School (ASMS) at Flinders University in Adelaide; and

� University Senior College at the University of Adelaide in Adelaide.

There is, however, no co-located high school outside of South-East Queensland (SEQ) in Queensland. As the largest university outside of SEQ, James Cook University (JCU) is clearly a possible candidate for a co-located high school (see Box 1).

5 LNP, 2012, Linking Schools to Universities.



Box 1: James Cook University

James Cook University was established in Townsville in 1970 and moved to its Douglas campus in 1982.

It has expanded to include other campuses in Cairns, Brisbane and Singapore, and smaller study centres

in Mt Isa, Mackay and Thursday Island (see below).

Figure 1: JCU campuses and study centres

Source: JCU website, 2012.

In 2011, the university had 13,800 domestic students and 5,800 international students, with 10,400

domestic and 1,500 international students studying at the Douglas campus in Townsville. There are

around 2,300 students in Cairns and also another 2,300 in Singapore.

The university employs nearly 5,000 staff, with around 3,700 in Townsville, 1,100 in Cairns, and 200 at

other campuses.

JCU notes that it is “One of the world’s leading institutions focusing on the tropics”, and it is ranked in

the top 4 per cent of the world’s tertiary institutions according to the highly respected Shanghai Jiao

Tong University rankings.

JCU is renowned internationally for tropical and environmental science and has a range of specialised

research facilities, including the Orpheus Island Research Station on the Great Barrier Reef.

Source: JCU website and Wikipedia, viewed September 2012.



1.2.3 Discovery Rise, Townsville’s Knowledge Precinct and a co-located high school

A co-located high school at JCU may be seen as consistent with the Discovery Rise mixed use development on the Douglas Campus, which aims to establish JCU and its surrounding area, which includes the Townsville Hospital, as Townsville’s Knowledge Precinct. The Discovery Rise development also encompasses a new building complex for JCU’s School of Education, due to be opened in 2013, which is designed to promote innovative teaching practices.

According to the non-for-profit urban development consultancy, the Hornery Institute, the objectives of Discovery Rise are to:

Deliver a mixed use community based around learning and knowledge industries.

Link people with education, research and knowledge industries.

Improve pathways to participation in education and employment in high value knowledge industries and

Have a residential population of over 7,000, over 10,000 students and 5,000 workers.6

Discovery Rise involves both re-development of the current JCU campus and the establishment of new areas, including residential developments, to the west and south of the campus (Figure 2).

Figure 2: JCU Discovery Rise development

Source: JCU, 2012.

The Townsville Knowledge Precinct is intended to be similar to knowledge precincts previously established in South-East Queensland. As observed by the Hornery Institute:

6 Hornery Institute, 2012, A University School for Townsville’s Knowledge Precinct, p. 3.



To date the Queensland State Government has also supported development of High School Centres of Excellence (Academies) in each of the two other Knowledge Precincts, QUT Kelvin Grove Urban Village (Qld Academy of Creative Industries) and Griffith University Gold Coast (Qld Academy of Health Sciences).7

That is, the Hornery Institute views a co-located high school as an important element of a Townsville Knowledge Precinct. The benefits of including a co-located high school in a Knowledge Precinct would presumably include the ability to attract high school students interested in pursuing early exposure to university studies and life, and through the interactions that can occur between the high school students and staff and university researchers.

The prospect of a co-located high school is part of JCU’s Discovery Rise Project Summary, which notes:

JCU is currently in negotiations with Queensland Department of Education and Training to establish a school in the soon to be vacated Western Campus Buildings. The objectives include the establishment of a State School of academic excellence, support for other schools in the region to strengthen their academic program, support students from lower socio economic backgrounds to increase their educational outcomes and access to higher education and providing practical training and research opportunities for JCU’s teacher education program.8

Hence, an important part of the feasibility study into a co-located high school is establishing the suitability of the Western Campus Buildings proposed to house a co-located high school (see Appendix C, Map of Western Campus).

1.3 Purpose of the report

This report presents the feasibility study of a co-located high school at JCU in Townsville and explores the business case for such a high school. Feasibility studies typically cover three broad aspects of a project’s feasibility:

� Technical feasibility – whether it is possible to make the investment or undertake the project, given constraints based on the site, planning and transport issues, etc, and whether it is possible to operate a school on the site on an ongoing basis (taking into account whether there will be sufficient student numbers);

� Financial feasibility – whether the project’s capital expenditure (CAPEX) and ongoing operational expenditure (OPEX) can be financed; and

� Economic feasibility – whether the project yields net benefits (i.e. stacks up) from the community’s point of view, where the relevant community for this feasibility study is the Queensland population.

Given a co-located high school has not previously been scoped out, this study is best thought of as occurring at the concept stage. It is too early in the process to present one definitive model with detailed floor plans and definitive cost estimates. Hence the purpose of this report is to encourage community discussion and inform Government decision making around whether a particular option should be pursued and developed in more detail, with a definitive performance

7 Ibid. 8 JCU, undated, Discovery Rise Project Summary, p. 10.



brief developed that an architect could respond to with detailed designs, working in close consultation with the project proponents.

1.4 Approach to the feasibility study

In undertaking this study, MJA has been guided by a JCU High School Reference Group, comprising representatives from DETE, JCU, the Member of Parliament for Townsville, the Hon. John Hathaway MP, and other stakeholders (see Appendix A). At regular meetings, at least fortnightly, the Reference Group has provided feedback on options to consider and advice on individuals and organisations with which to consult.

The report is based on research and analysis to date, as well as on consultations with principals of State and private secondary schools across Queensland, government agencies, including Skills Queensland, and industry representatives, including Townsville Enterprise and the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) (see Appendix B).

1.5 Structure of the report

The report is structured as follows:

� Section 2: Demographic and economic trends in Townsville and North Queensland;

� Section 3: Overview of Townsville High Schools;

� Section 4: Potential market for a JCU High School;

� Section 5: Best practice model and education program options;

� Section 6: Defining the options;

� Section 7: Options for a co-located JCU High School;

� Section 8: Technical feasibility;

� Section 9: Economic and financial feasibility; and

� Section 10: Conclusions and recommendations.



2. Demographic and economic trends in

Townsville and North Queensland

2.1 Economic drivers and trends

Townsville, situated in the tropics, is North Queensland’s largest city, with a population of around 191,000 persons in 2011.9 Townsville has a diverse economy, with key drivers consisting of the following sectors:

� defence and government administration: Townsville is one of Australia’s key defence centres, housing the defence force base, Lavarack Barracks, and the RAAF Base Townsville. The Australian Defence Organisation (ADO) in Townsville employs over 6,000 local residents, and supports almost 8,000 partners and dependent children.10 In total, the Defence Organisation community in Townsville constitutes about 9% of the total population.

� mining, manufacturing and minerals processing: Townsville is the main service centre for the North and North West Queensland minerals province, which lies inland of Townsville and is the second largest minerals mining region in the world. The region contains over 28% of the world’s known zinc reserves, as well as major deposits of silver, lead, copper, iron ore and phosphate. North Queensland’s three major minerals processing facilities are located in Townsville: Sun Metals zinc refinery, Xstrata copper refinery and Queensland Nickel’s Yabulu nickel refinery.

� education and research: Townsville is a major research and education hub. As well as James Cook University, the following institutions are located in Townsville: CSIRO, the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), the Marine and Tropical Science Research Facility, Barrier Reef TAFE and an Australian Technical College. Townsville attracts a significant number of national and international students. Townsville City Council and other observers have commented that there is great development potential in the areas of tropical science and medicine, marine biology and renewable energy.

� tourism-related industries: Townsville’s attractions and its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef makes it a key tourist location. Tourism Australia considers that tourism is a growing industry in the Townsville region and calculates that it accounts for 5% of the region’s economic value and 7% of regional employment.

� the Port of Townsville: the Port of Townsville’s port is the third largest in Queensland and “one of Queensland’s most important export gateways”, handling goods and products for the North West minerals province. The Port handles almost $3.5 billion worth of exports annually and contributes 12% of Queensland’s export cargo by value. The 2007 Port of Townsville Master Plan identified the potential for trade through the Port to treble in the next 25 years. Improved transport and storage facilities and new berthing facilities – including a cruise and military ship terminal – have been scheduled for development, to facilitate the expected growth.

9 OESR, 2012. 10 Welters and Delisle (2011) note that ADO Townsville employed 6,180 workers (5,730 uniformed members and

another 450 non-uniformed members) in 2007 according to the Defence Census 2007.



2.2 Demographic trends

Townsville is projected to experience strong population growth over the next twenty years, from around 191,200 people in 2011 to 295,700 people in 2031, according to Queensland Treasury’s Office of Economic and Statistical Research (OESR). The projected average annual growth rate over 2011 to 2031 is 2.2% for Townsville, compared with 1.8% for Queensland as a whole. Projected population growth is particularly strong in the Mt Louisa and Northern Beaches areas, and on the south-eastern outskirts where there is an anticipated major development, Rocky Springs, which may eventually house over 20,000 people (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Projected population growth, 2011 to 2031

Source: MJA, 2012, based on OESR, 2012.

Other developments that are not included in the current population projections from OESR include Discovery Rise at JCU, which is expected, over 15 years, to grow to 7,500 to 10,000 people living in a mixed-use development on the Douglas campus of JCU. If Discovery Rise does not grow to this projected size, population growth in the areas surrounding JCU is expected to be only modest, as shown in Figure 3 above.

Rest of North Queensland

In addition to Townsville, other areas of North Queensland have been experiencing significant population growth, particularly the Mackay region. Both Townsville and Mackay LGAs were



ranked in a grouping of the ten largest population increases in LGAs, with Mackay experiencing an increase of 1,434 persons between 2010-11 and ranking 9th among the top ten, and Townsville ranked 6th, with an increase of 2,408 persons between 2011-11.11

North Queensland’s other significant population centre, Cairns, was the 8th largest LGA by population as at 30 June 2011 in Queensland (with Townsville ranked 6th). In 2010-11, the Cairns LGA had a population of 162,740 persons, although its population growth rate did not place it in the top 10 LGAs by population increases.

Current populations and population projections for the broader Statistical Areas Level 412 of Cairns and Mackay are shown below (Table 1). Mackay SA4 is expected to experience growth of 2.2 per cent, higher than the state average (1.8%) over 2011-2031, with Cairns SA4 experiencing growth slightly below the state average, at 1.5 per cent over the period. All regions in North Queensland have experienced some recent reductions in the rate of population growth over the past year, compared with the previous five years, presumably as a result of the economic slowdown generally.

Table 1: Population projections

2011 2021 2031 Average

Annual

Growth Rate

2011-2031

Average

Annual

Growth

Rate 2006-

2011

Cairns SA4

(Cairns, Innisfail, Cassowary

Coast, Port Douglas,

Daintree, Tablelands (East),

Kuranda)

248,484 291,460 333,699 1.5% 1.5%

Mackay SA4

(Mackay, Isaac and

Whitsunday)

180,417 233,543 279,819 2.2% 1.4%

Townsville SA4

(Townsville, Charters

Towers, Ayr, Ingham)

237,460 290,403 346,263 1.9% 1.4%

Source: OESR 2012, Queensland Government Population Projections, Medium series.

11 OESR, Population Growth: Regional Queensland 2010-11. 12 The SA4 regions are the largest sub-State regions in the Main Structure of the Australian Statistical Geography

Standard released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. SA4s generally have a population over 100,000 persons and are analogous to Statistical Divisions defined under the superseded Australian Standard Geographical Classification.



3. Overview of Townsville high schools

This section presents an overview of current schools in Townsville and North Queensland, recognising that impacts on existing schools are an important consideration for the feasibility study.

3.1 State High Schools

3.1.1 Current enrolments

Currently, there are seven State High Schools in Townsville. The State High Schools are non-selective and are required to take students residing in the catchment areas. Students are generally within the catchment of the high school that they live closest to, and this criterion defines the catchment boundaries in Figure 4 (over the page).

There is a large variation in student enrolments and hence in the capacity utilisation at Townsville’s seven State High Schools (Table 2). While Kirwan State High School (SHS) has enrolments above its capacity, all other schools are below capacity, with Townsville and Thuringowa SHSs at just above half their capacities. Overall, there is currently an underutilisation of capacity at Townsville State High Schools

Table 2: Current enrolments at Queensland State High Schools in Townsville, as at 3 July 2012

School Year opened Enrolments Capacity Utilisation

Per cent

Heatley Secondary College 1968 696 1,427 48.8

Kirwan SHS 1979 2,213 2,044 108.3

Northern Beaches SHS 1997 522 868 60.1

Pimlico SHS 1959 1,522 1,717 88.6

Thuringowa SHS 1987 549 1,078 50.9

Townsville SHS 1924 622 1,230 50.6

William Ross SHS 1991 930 1,084 85.8

Total 7,054 9,448 74.7

Source: DETE, 2012.



Figure 4: State High Schools in Townsville with catchment boundaries

Source: MJA, 2012 based on DETE catchment boundaries supplied by OESR.



Largely, the variation in capacity utilisation is due to a large share of out-of-catchment enrolments at Pimlico and Kirwan, which have reputations as schools of academic and music excellence and sporting excellence, respectively (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Percentage of students from outside catchment at Townsville State High Schools

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

North. Beaches

Thuringowa

William Ross

Pimlico

Townsville

Heatley

Kirwan

Per cent

Source: DETE, 2012.

As the feasibility study needs to consider developments into the future, and at least the next 20 years, we need to take into account the planned incorporation of year 7 into High School that will occur in 2015.13 We have assumed that school capacity will be augmented, where necessary, to accommodate the incorporation of year 7s (Table 3).

Table 3: Adjusted school capacity to accommodate year 7s

School Capacity Forecast

Year 7

enrolments

Adjusted

capacity

2015

Heatley Secondary College 1,427 109 1,427*

Kirwan SHS 2,044 449 2,493

Northern Beaches SHS 868 122 990

Pimlico SHS 1,717 311 2,028

Thuringowa SHS 1,078 143 1,078*

Townsville SHS 1,230 153 1,230*

William Ross SHS 1,084 215 1,299

Total 9,448 1,502 10,545

Source: MJA estimates based on DETE School Profiles, 2012.

* Owing to significant under-utilisation of capacity, we have assumed there is no capacity augmentation at

Heatley Secondary College or Thuringowa SHS.

13 As part of the Flying Start for Queensland Children program, the previous Queensland Government committed

to moving year 7 into High School, aligning Queensland with other States in having six years of High School.



3.2 Projected enrolments in Townsville region

3.2.1 OESR projections

To understand the future balance between enrolments and capacities at Townsville High Schools, and hence potentially the demand for a new High School, we sought projections of school enrolments at existing High Schools over the next two decades (Table 4). This suggests that, in the aggregate, capacity will be slightly lower than total enrolments, but there is a large variation in the pattern across schools. The Office of Statistical and Economic Research (OESR)’s extrapolation of trends suggest that William Ross would grow substantially beyond its capacity, requiring DETE to augment school capacity or use Enrolment Management Plans (EMPs) to encourage the redistributions of students elsewhere.

Table 4: OESR projected enrolments at Queensland State High Schools in Townsville

School Adjusted

capacity

(est.)

2016 2021 2026 2031

Heatley Secondary College 1,427* 736 829 846 808

Kirwan SHS 2,493 2,396 2,704 2,813 2,739

Northern Beaches SHS 990 616 756 880 901

Pimlico SHS 2,028 1,659 1,841 1,929 2,019

Thuringowa SHS 1,078* 596 678 715 698

Townsville SHS 1,230* 724 860 975 1,167

William Ross SHS 1,299 1,055 1,308 1,728 2,317

Total 10,545 7,782 8,976 9,885 10,651

Source: OESR and MJA estimate of capacity adjusted for year 7s, 2012.

*Owing to significant under-utilisation of capacity, we have assumed there is no capacity augmentation at Heatley

Secondary College or Thuringowa SHS.

Thus, based on these projections, it does not appear necessary for DETE to build a new State High School of the typical size of 1,200 to 1,500 students (see Box 1 on DETE’s School Distribution Policy, which is currently in draft form, pending approval).



Box 2: School distribution policy (draft)

DETE’s policy regarding when new schools are to be established is outlined in its State School

Distribution Policy. The policy regarding establishment of state primary and secondary schools is

outlined below.

New Primary Schools P-7:

When making the decision as to whether or not a further school can be justified in a given urban area,

sufficient evidence needs to be provided to demonstrate the following:

� that a new school in this particular location would be able to be forecast to achieve resident

student numbers that peak at about 1000-1100, and;

� which subsequently settle to an average of 670 per annum;

� over the twenty years from the year of the proposed new school’s opening; while

� leaving the existing key school of the area similarly viable – that is, able to achieve 670 students

per annum over the period covering twenty years from the opening of the new school.

New Secondary Schools P-12:

The above principles are also applied to State secondary schools. However, the relevant numeric

parameters are that the new secondary school is expected to rise to 1,500 to 1,700 resident students,

and to settle over the remainder of the 20-year period to 1,100 students per annum.

Source: DETE, 2012

Impact of Discovery Rise

OESR has advised that its demographic projections do not take into account the Discovery Rise project. OESR has noted:

Discovery Rise was not taken into account in the 2011 edition population projections, as council advised that this project had not reached the approval stage at that time and was not included as part of the regional plan at that point. The project’s status will be revisited with council for the upcoming 2013 edition projections.14

Advice from JCU is that Discovery Rise will be included in the new Townsville City Council regional plan that is currently being prepared and, hence, Discovery Rise will be included in the 2013 update of OESR’s population projections.

Discovery Rise potentially adds 7,500 to10,000 people to the suburb of Douglas in Townsville, but there would be far fewer families with high-school-aged children than may be expected based on the total population, given it is a mixed-use development that is expected to attract postgraduate students and early-career academics. This expectation is reflected in projections of the expected population composition by the Hornery Institute (Figure 6), when it is fully developed (i.e. by the mid to late-2020s).

14 Email from OESR Team Leader, Projections, 27 August 2012.



Figure 6: Population by age group

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

0 - 4 5 - 14 15 - 19 20 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54 55 - 64 65 - 74 75+

Townsville

Discovery Rise

Per cent

Source: Hornery Institute, 2009, p.2.

Note: The Hornery Institute document does not provide the year for which these projections were prepared.

Based on the Hornery Institute projected age composition, and noting that Discovery Rise could have a population of between 7,500 to 10,000, there are possibly around 2,500 to 3,300 people at Discovery Rise aged 35-59 years old. Based on Qld population data, eventually (by the mid to late 2020s) there may be up to 600-800 school-aged children and young adults aged 13 to 18 years. Of these, an expected 400-500 would attend a State High School. This would not be a sufficient number of students to support a State High School, and these additional numbers would have to be absorbed by other high schools.

The implication of Discovery Rise is that, should it proceed and grow to 7,500-10,000 people, it may slightly increase the pressure on the projected capacity of current State High Schools in Townsville, and may lend support to a case for a modest increase in aggregate capacity from a JCU High School. However, if Discovery Rise does not develop to its potential population of 7,500-10,000, the area surrounding JCU will experience only modest or moderate growth, as noted above.

3.2.2 Internal DETE projections of resident student numbers

DETE has produced internal projections of resident student numbers in the catchments of different State High Schools – i.e., the number of students that attend a State High School by the catchment they actually live in. These are relevant because, if there is stronger enforcement of EMPs in the future, as intended, enrolment numbers at the different high schools would move closer to the resident student number estimates. As noted above, some schools, such as Kirwan and Pimlico, have many more students than would be expected based on State High School students residing in their catchments, but some schools, such as Heatley and Thuringowa, have many fewer students than expected (Figure 7).



Figure 7: State High enrolments and resident student numbers, 2011

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

SHS students in catchment

Enrolments

Source: DETE and OESR, 2012.

The stricter enforcement of EMPs would relieve some of the projected pressure on Kirwan, Pimlico and William Ross over the next twenty years (Figure 8). Based on resident student numbers, William Ross’s enrolments would approach 2,000 by 2031, with a large part of the increase due to population growth in the south-eastern outskirts of Townsville, associated with the Rocky Springs development, 15 kilometres from the CBD, and with an expected population of twenty to thirty thousand people. According to advice from DETE, due to its distance from William Ross, it is expected that, should the development proceed, it would require its own State High School to service it, and this would mean that enrolment numbers at William Ross in 2031 would be substantially lower than projected in Figure 8.

Figure 8: State High enrolments and resident student numbers, 2031

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000 DETE SHS students in catchment

projections

OESR enrolment projections

Source: DETE and OESR, 2012.



3.3 North Queensland private schools

3.3.1 Current enrolments

Townsville has a larger number of non-Government Schools than State High Schools, although in total these non-Government schools have fewer enrolments of high school aged students than do State High Schools (Table 5). Many of the non-Government schools offer pre-school to year 12 (i.e., P-12).

Table 5: Non-State High Schools, Townsville

School Location Type Enrolments

2011

Senior

Secondary

certificates

awarded

2010

Senior

Secondary

completions

2010

Catholic

Ignatius Park College Cranbrook 8-12, boys 836 124 137

Ryan Catholic College Kirwan P-12 1,913 176 190

St Anthony’s Catholic College Deeragun P-12 1,193 27 41

St Margaret Mary’s College Hyde Park 8-12, girls 654 111 116

St Patrick’s College Townsville CBD 8-12, girls 292 38 46

Independent

Annandale Christian College Annandale P-12 484 21 24

Calvary Christian College Mt Louisa P-12 671 34 44

Shalom Christian College Condon P-12 383 4 17

Tec-NQ Douglas 11-12 245 88 95

The Cathedral School Mundingburra P-12 1,011 80 102

Townsville Flexible Learning

Centre

West End

8-12, special 107 0 4

Townsville Grammar School North Ward P-12 1,435 143 151

Total 9,224 846 967

Source: My School website, accessed 29 July 2012.

OESR does not currently produce projections of enrolments for non-State schools, although it is expected it will need to in the future, if it is to service the Queensland Schools’ Planning Commission (see Box 3).



Box 3: Queensland Schools’ Planning Commission

The Queensland Government is establishing the Queensland Schools’ Planning Commission (QSPC) to:

...streamline and coordinate the planning and future needs of schools in Queensland.15

The QSPC covers both State and non-State schools, and will analyse demographic trends with a view to

allocating public funding to where it is most needed:

[Minister Langbroek] said the Commission would analyse the current planning and

financial systems of schools and provide recommendations on how to increase efficiency

and help cut red tape.

He said the Commission would also look at population trends and school capacity to help

guide future planning.

“From this analysis, the Commission will produce a Queensland schools infrastructure

demand map which will help us identify the schools that are most in need of funding and

support,” he said.16

The establishment of the QSPC is in recognition of the fact that demographics are the fundamental

driver of the need for new investment in school facilities.

15 Minister for Education, Training and Employment, Queensland Schools’ Planning Commission given green

light, media release, 26 June 2012. 16 Ibid.



4. Potential market for a JCU High School

Based on the experiences of the Queensland Academies, students for a co-located High School at JCU are likely to come from both the State and non-State School sectors. In consultations, Academy Principals indicated that around half of their students commencing year 10 were previously at a private school. Hence, it is important to consider both State and non-State schools. Given that the co-located JCU High School is intended to be a school of excellence, we review the educational performance of different schools in Townsville and the broader NQ region, recognising that boarding is a potential market.

4.1 North Queensland State High School students

North Queensland high schools perform below those in metropolitan Brisbane, although at around the State average (Table 6).

Table 6: Outcomes of Queensland State High Schools, 2011

Region Awarded

senior

statement

Received an

OP

Percentage Received

OP1-5

Percentage

Central Qld 2,149 855 39.8% 111 13.0%

Darling Downs South

West 2,133 967 45.3% 142 14.7%

Far North Qld 1,829 760 41.6% 105 13.8%

Metropolitan 7,319 3,810 52.1% 692 18.2%

North Coast 5,944 2,738 46.1% 327 11.9%

North Qld 1,673 778 46.5% 109 14.0%

South East 6,093 2,296 37.7% 264 11.5%

Qld 27,140 12,204 45.0% 1,750 14.3%

Source: DETE, 2012.

Within Townsville, only a small number of State High schools have any significant academic “cream”, based on numbers receiving an OP score of 1-5, which is the finest category the data at the top can be broken down into (Table 7).17

17 The Queensland Government has commissioned a review of the Overall Position (OP) system for tertiary

entrance, which has a three-year timeframe. While it will have implications for the assessment of students at a JCU High School, it does not have implications for the school’s educational model.



Table 7: Outcomes of Townsville State High Schools, 2011

School Received an

OP

Received an

OP1-5

Percentage

receiving

OP1-5

Heatley Secondary College 23 3 13.0

Kirwan SHS 120 19 15.8

Northern Beaches SHS 30 0 0.0

Pimlico SHS 190 37 19.5

Thuringowa SHS 28 0 0.0

Townsville SHS 49 9 18.4

William Ross SHS 69 6 8.7

Total 509 74 14.5

Source: DETE, 2012.

The number of OP1-5s awarded at Townsville State High Schools has been reasonably stable over time, with the largest concentrations of OP1-5s at Pimlico and Kirwan State High Schools.

Figure 9: OP1-5s at Townsville State High Schools

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

2009

2010

2011

No. of OP1-5s

Source: QSA, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

Consultations with principals at both State and non-State Schools in Townsville suggest that Pimlico and Kirwan would be most affected in terms of enrolments by the opening of a JCU High School. It is likely that Pimlico would be affected more, given its higher numbers of high achievers, and also its more favourable socio-economic composition. It is likely that more parents at Pimlico will be willing to pay whatever fees and charges are associated with a co-located JCU High School than parents of students at Kirwan.

In summary, a JCU High School would bring significant risks to DETE in terms of its potential impact on existing State High Schools in Townsville.



4.2 North Queensland private school students

Based on the experience of the Queensland Academies, significant numbers of students may be drawn to a JCU High from private schools, given that it would promise a high quality education at a fraction of the cost of a private school. For example, a Queensland Academy charges up to $2,000 per annum while Townsville Grammar and The Cathedral School in Townsville charge up to $9,000 per annum. Hence, it is important to review potential impacts on the existing private schools, both Catholic and Independent, as a co-located high school at JCU runs the risk of affecting the viability of some non-State schools as well.

Numbers of students achieving OP1-5s at non-State schools are reasonably consistent over time, with the largest numbers at the Townsville Grammar School, The Cathedral School, and Ryan Catholic College (Figure 10 and Figure 11).

Figure 10: OP1-5s at Townsville Catholic Schools

0

5

10

15

20

25

Ignatius Park Ryan St Anthony’s St Margaret

Mary’s

St Patrick’s

2009

2010

2011

No. of OP1-5s

Source: QSA, 2012, 2011 and 2010.

Figure 11: OP1-5s at Townsville Independent Schools

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Annandale

Christian

College

Calvary

Christian

College

Shalom

Christian

College

The Cathedral

School

Townsville

Grammar

2009

2010

2011

No. of OP1-5s

Source: QSA, 2012, 2011 and 2010.



4.3 Boarding school students

A number of students may be attracted to a JCU High School as boarders, given that boarding is a State-wide market and parents may be attracted by a cheaper alternative to private boarding schools (while noting there are two State boarding schools, Spinifex in Mt Isa and Dalby State High School, which serve distinct needs in their communities). Within Townsville, schools that offer boarding include Townsville Grammar, The Cathedral School, St Patrick’s College and Shalom Christian College, and there are around 120 boarders in each year level across years 9 to 12 (Figure 12). Numbers in year 8 are slightly lower. There appears to be a reluctance to send year 7s away to boarding but no real concern from years 8 to 12. It is unclear whether this will change when year 7 becomes part of high school.

Figure 12: Boarding students at schools within the Townsville LGA, 2012

35

98

116121 120 123

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Year 12

Boarders

Source: Office of Non-State Education, 2012.

Boarding numbers across Queensland show the same pattern (Figure 13), and indicate a much larger market, obviously, with Townsville schools only accounting for around 10 per cent of the boarding market at non-State schools.



Figure 13: Boarding students at non-State schools within Queensland, 2012

243

980

1,071

1,2141,292

1,218

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Year 12

Boarders


It was noted during consultations that boarding is either a declining or flat market, and boarding numbers for Queensland support this view, with an over 2.5 per cent decline in year 10-12 boarders since the financial crisis in 2008 (Figure 14). This introduces a risk to any co-located high school proposal that relies on boarding numbers to ensure its viability, as it is possible that boarding numbers across Queensland may further decline in the future.

Figure 14: Boarding students at non-State schools within Queensland, 2006 to 2012

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

4,500

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

7-9

10-12


4.4 Students from North Queensland and neighbouring

regions

As a JCU High may offer boarding facilities, and may have a broader regional focus than just Townsville, it is possible that students may come from Cairns, Mackay and Rockhampton, for



example. Hence, we have investigated which schools in neighbouring regions have significant numbers of high achievers (Table 8). This suggests considerable potential to attract students away from the three major private schools with boarding facilities in Mackay and Rockhampton, extending the risk from a co-located high school to the non-State school sector outside Townsville. Depending on the model adopted, and particularly if it is not necessarily academically selective, the school may potentially impact on three boarding schools in Charters Towers, 137 kilometres south west of Townsville. Across years 10-12, there are around 220 boarding students in Charters Towers, with around 65 to 80 student boarders in each year level.18

Table 8: Other broader NQ High Schools with large numbers of high achievers (>20 OP1-5s in 2011)

School Location OPs

2011

OP1-5s

2011

Boarding

Far North

Atherton SHS Atherton 63 20 No

Cairns SHS Cairns 139 22 No

St Augustine’s Marist Brothers College Cairns 94 26 Yes

St Mary’s Catholic College Cairns 108 24 No

Trinity Anglican School Cairns 63 20 No

Mackay

Whitsunday Anglican School Mackay 63 21 Yes

Fitzroy and Central West

The Cathedral College Rockhampton 77 20 Yes

The Rockhampton Grammar School Rockhampton 155 56 Yes

Source: QSA, 2012, Year 12 Outcomes 2011.

4.5 International students

Data from Education Queensland International shows there are only one or two international fee paying students completing senior secondary in a Townsville State High School (Pimlico SHS) each year. International students are much more likely to come to Townsville State High Schools on a temporary basis, with six-month enrolments being common. Kirwan High has received around 20 to 30 international students on a short-term basis per year in recent years (Figure 15).

18 Based on data provided by the Office of Non-State Education.



Figure 15: International students visiting short-term at Townsville State High Schools

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12

Pimlico

Kirwan

no.

Source: Education Queensland International, 2012.

According to advice from Education Queensland International and consultations with non-Government school principals, the appreciation of the Australian dollar has had a significant impact on international student enrolments. Indeed, full-time international enrolments in years 11 and 12 in Queensland State High Schools have declined from around 730 in 2009-10 to 650 in 2011-12 (Figure 16).

Figure 16: Full-time international students at Queensland State High Schools

0.00

0.10

0.20

0.30

0.40

0.50

0.60

0.70

0.80

0.90

1.00

1.10

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1,000

2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12

no. $US/$A

International

students (lhs)

Exchange

rate

Source: Education Queensland International, 2012.

Nonetheless, there remains the potential to attract a significant number of international students if a high-quality school is developed and it can be marketed through JCU’s network of international campuses and study centres. Other co-located high schools have had some success in attracting international students. For example, University Senior College in Adelaide has 70 international students, primarily from South-East Asia, across years 11 and 12, out of a total enrolment of 434 in 2011. Also, ASMS in Adelaide has around 15-20 international fee paying students across years 10 to 12 each year.



Of course, there is a risk that sufficient international students may not be attracted to a JCU High School, particularly if the Australian dollar remains high, and hence decision makers should not place too much weight on potential international student numbers in drawing conclusions regarding the viability of the project.

4.6 Indigenous students

According to DETE’s Indigenous Schooling Support Unit (ISSU), a JCU High School could be an option for its nearly 300 students from Cape York that attend boarding schools across Queensland each year. The ISSU seeks out boarding schools with fees set at levels that can be covered by levels of government assistance that are available to remote Indigenous students. Depending on the level of student and boarding fees, a JCU High School may potentially be an attractive option for remote Indigenous students. ISSU noted, however, that the pastoral care needs of Indigenous students are typically higher than other boarders, which has implications for the cost of provision.

As the JCU High School would not be totally academically selective, but would include a criterion recognising the potential for the school to lift a student’s aspirations for tertiary study, the selection criteria for a co-located high school are not expected to be a barrier for the participation of Indigenous students supported by ISSU.

A JCU High School may also be attractive to students who are assisted by the Cape York Institute. Currently there are around 30 students from Cape York who the Institute has assisted to gain entry to (and financial assistance to attend) boarding schools across Queensland.

4.7 Conclusions

Based on the identification of significant numbers of high achievers at boarding schools in Townsville and cities in the broader region, it is possible that sufficient numbers of students may attend a JCU High School if it has boarding facilities. Based on an analysis of Townsville State High Schools, it is unlikely that sufficient numbers could come from Townsville High Schools without having a large, adverse impact on local High Schools by taking away proportionately large numbers of the top achievers.

The potential market for a JCU High School is expected to grow over time in line with population growth. For example, with the population of high-school-aged children in Townsville projected to increase by around 35% over the next twenty years, it is expected that:

� school leavers gaining an OP1-5 at State High Schools will increase from around 70-75 to around 100 per annum; and

� school leavers gaining an OP1-5 at non-Government high schools will increase from around 110 to around 150 per annum.

Likewise the population of high-school-aged children in other regions will increase and provide a larger pool of potential boarders at a JCU High School.

However, the total population of the region will remain below the populations of urban areas that currently support schools that may be thought of as sharing similarities with a JCU High School (Table 9). In particular, the Queensland Academy for Health Sciences (QAHS) at the Gold Coast has enrolments below its capacity.



Table 9: Selected schools and urban area populations

School Urban area Year levels Enrolled

students,

2012

Urban area

population,

2011

QACI Brisbane 10-12 347 2,150,000

QASMT Brisbane 10-12 452 2,150,000

QAHS Gold Coast 10-12 318 527,000

Australian Science and Mathematics

School Adelaide

10-12 324* 1,263,000

University Senior College Adelaide 11-12 434* 1,263,000

John Monash Science School Melbourne 10-12 650 4,169,000

University High School Melbourne 7-12 1,201* 4,169,000

Source: DETE, ABS cat. no. 3218.0 and desktop research, 2012.

*Enrolment data from My School are for 2011.

In summary, there are significant doubts about whether there would be a sufficient market for an Academy-style school in Townsville, and hence a JCU High School may need a broader focus, including being less selective than the Academies and offering an educational program that attracts international and Indigenous students.

Even if there is a broader focus, in light of the analysis in this section, there remains a risk that a JCU High School would not meet enrolment targets yet at the same time would affect the viability of some State and non-State schools by attracting students away from them.



5. Best practice model and education

program options

This section presents research and analysis on a best practice model and education / select program options for a JCU High School. This section was prepared by University of Queensland Emeritus Professor Rob Gilbert (excluding Box 4 and Box 5).

5.1 Possible contributions of a university school at JCU

The JCU Department of Education and Training Draft Partnering Framework Stage 2 Document identified the following objectives for the partnership between JCU and DETE (The Hornery Institute 2011, p. 6):

� Establish State Schools of academic excellence at both Townsville and Cairns JCU campuses.

� Appropriately share resources and facilities.

� Support other schools in the region to strengthen their academic program.

� Support students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to increase their educational outcomes and access to higher education.

� Provide a high quality general academic program with specialist streams linked to JCU’s strengths and expertise.

� Position JCU and the Department of Education as drivers of regional development.

These objectives translate into a number of possibilities for a school at JCU, which are broadly canvassed in the Draft Partnering Framework document, and the implications of which are discussed below. A University school could contribute to education in North Queensland in a range of ways, and it is particularly important to note that these options are not mutually exclusive. The options for a JCU school considered here are listed below and discussed more fully on the following pages.



� 1. A Queensland Academy offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) to selected years 10-12 students on the existing Queensland Academy (QA) model. Given the centrality of this approach to recent discussions, considerable attention is given in this analysis to the Academy model and the experience of the existing Academies.

� 2. A ‘lighthouse’ school for research, development and professional learning with a focus on education issues and practice significant to the North Queensland region, such as rural education or Indigenous education.

� 3. A centre for school-industry links in areas of significance to the region, such as mining, tourism, or defence.

� 4. A University High School as a hub for promoting educational outcomes across the North Queensland region, attracting talented students to JCU and offering them accelerated opportunities to access University studies in designated academic areas.

As noted above, these options are not mutually exclusive. For example, approach 4 (A University High School) may be designed to encompass elements of approaches 2 (a lighthouse school) and 3 (a centre for school-industry links).

5.2 Approach 1 – A Queensland Academy

The Queensland Academies (QAs) are small (up to 450 students) and selective schools across years 10-12, which offer the IB Diploma curriculum. It is important to note that these three characteristics of the QAs are not necessarily related, as a non-selective school may offer the IB. The three QAs are:

� Queensland Academy for Creative Industries (QACI) in Kelvin Grove, Brisbane, with 347 enrolled students;

� Queensland Academy for Health Sciences (QAHS) in Southport, on the Gold Coast, with 318 enrolled students; and

� Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technology (QASMT) in Toowong, Brisbane, with 452 enrolled students.

The size of these schools is somewhat arbitrary, and a number of Queensland State and non-State secondary schools across years 8-12 offer the IB Diploma and/or other IB programs to selected students of varying degrees of exclusiveness, usually in parallel with the Queensland Studies Authority (QSA) curriculum.

The effects of school size on results/outcomes are difficult to measure. One review of over 30 years of research found that school size is an indirect benefit in that it allows particular kinds of positive school environments and relationships to be developed, but that unless they are, size alone does not improve outcomes (Darling-Hammond, Ross and Milliken, 2006/2007). The review found research studies which argued that the ideal school size ranged from 400 to 6-900. A review of more recent studies offered more specific suggestions, arguing that secondary schools serving exclusively or largely diverse and/or disadvantaged students should be limited in size to about 600 students or fewer, while those secondary schools serving economically and socially heterogeneous or relatively advantaged students should be limited in size to about 1,000 students (Leithwood and Jantzi, 2009). A recent New York study of the effects of establishing a new range of ‘small schools of choice’ showed a 10% improvement in key indicators in schools of around 400 students (Bloom et al., 2010). On balance, the decision to hold the QAs to 450 students is supported by the evidence.



148 schools in Australia offer one or more of the IB programs (81 Primary, 45 Middle Years, 62 Diploma). Fourteen Queensland schools offer the IB Diploma, including Cairns State High School and the Townsville Grammar School.

Table 1 presents data on the student numbers and outcomes in Townsville schools and the QAs.

Table 10: Enrolments and outcomes: Townsville schools and Queensland Academies, 2011

District/School Student

Education

Profile

No.

OPs

awarded

% OPs IBDs

awarded

OP1-5 or

equivalent

%

IBD

>36

points

*

%

Townsville All Schools 1,925 1,107 58 - 13

Townsville State High Schools 1,038 509 49 - 15

North & North West Region 2,430 1,481 61 - 14

QACI 84 - - 67 - 10

QAHS 76 - - 44 - 25

QASMT 125 - - 89 - 55

Source: QSA Year 12 Outcomes 2011 (* IBD >36 points)

(http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/downloads/publications/qsa_stats_yr12_outcomes_11.pdf)

Note: IBD>36 is not strictly comparable with OP1-5 as an OP5 is more comparable with an IB Diploma score of 34.

The table shows in the first column the number of students enrolled in year 12 in the various districts and schools. This is followed in columns 2 and 3 by the number who were awarded OPs (for those doing the QSA curriculum) and the IB Diploma (for Academy students). It is relevant to note that a significant proportion of year 12 students are not eligible for an OP, and presumably are not aiming for University entry through the standard route (though it is possible to gain University entry in other ways). One challenge for JCU is to increase the numbers of students in North Queensland who choose programs which qualify them for an OP.

For the Academies, it is worth noting that not all students who attend them qualify for the Diploma. Given the highly select nature of the Academy enrolment, this may be seen as surprising. However, it is in part a result of the fact that some students, who may not score highly on the Diploma, can gain a higher Tertiary Entrance Rank by applying on the basis of subject results alone. The final two columns show the numbers of students gaining OPs 1-5, or IB Diploma points over 36. It should be noted that these thresholds are not precisely comparable, as an OP 5 is more comparable with an IB Diploma score of 34. Overall, however, the table gives some indication of how the Academy students compare with the North Queensland students attending conventional State and non-State secondary schools.

5.2.1 International Baccalaureate programs

The IB Diploma was developed in Switzerland in 1968 to prepare expatriate European children for university. While its foundation qualification was the Diploma, the IB Organisation now offers a primary years (PYP), middle years (grades 6-10) (MYP) and Career-related Certificate (IBCC) programs.



IB Diploma program

The IB website states that:

The IB Diploma Programme is designed as an academically challenging and balanced programme of education with final examinations that prepares students, normally aged 16 to 19, for success at university and life beyond. The programme is normally taught over two years and has gained recognition and respect from the world's leading universities.

IB Diploma students study six courses, chosen from six academic areas structured according to the hexagonal diagram below, which also shows the three core requirements. Normally, three of the six subjects are studied at higher level (courses representing 240 teaching hours), while the remaining three subjects are studied at standard level (150 teaching hours).

The core requirements are the Extended Essay based on independent research through an in-depth study of related to one of the chosen subjects; Theory of Knowledge, a course on the nature of knowledge; and Creativity, Action, Service involving students in projects beyond the classroom.

Students take written examinations at the end of the program, marked by external IB examiners. Students also complete assessment tasks in the school, which are either initially marked by teachers and then moderated by external moderators or sent directly to external examiners.

The curriculum options for the three Queensland Academies reflect the special focus of each Academy, as shown in Table 11. However, the table also shows that the differences across the Academies’ curricular offerings are not great.

It is relevant to note here that the IB Diploma program is a demanding academic program largely because of the age cohort for which it is designed, which the IB Organisation identifies as 16-19 year olds. It is not strictly a program for gifted students, but would be more accurately described in the Australian context as a program for highly able and motivated students who are able to achieve at high levels.



Figure 17: Structure of IB Diploma

Source: IB Organization.



Table 11: Subject offerings of the Queensland Academies

QACI QAHS QASMT

Group 1 English English English

Group 2 Second language: Mandarin,

Spanish or French

Second language: French or

Mandarin

Second language: French, German,

Mandarin (all Beginner & Advanced) or

Spanish (Beginner only)

Group 3 Business and Management,

Environmental Systems and

Societies

Business and Management,

Psychology

Business and Management,

Psychology, History

Group 4 Design Technology, Biology,

Chemistry or second Group 6

subject (must do Environmental

Systems and Societies in Group 3)

Biology, Chemistry, Physics Biology, Chemistry, Design Technology,

Physics

Group 5 Mathematics Mathematics Studies Mathematics, Computer Science

Group 6 Visual Arts or Film or Theatre Arts

or Music

Music, Biology, Chemistry,

Physics

Music or second subject from Groups

3, 4 or 5

Core (All compulsory) Theory of Knowledge (ToK),

Creativity, Action, Service (CAS),

Extended Essay

ToK, CAS, Extended Essay ToK, CAS, Extended Essay

Source: desktop research.


Feasibility Study for a Co-located High School at James Cook University, Townsville 34.

IB Career Related Certificate

In 2010, the IB Organization introduced a certificate course related to career pathways as a means of catering for a more diverse student population. Blending academic and practical skills, the IBCC is available to schools offering the IB Diploma. Students must complete requirements in three areas:

� Diploma Courses: At least two IB diploma courses.

� IBCC Core: Approaches to Learning, Community and Service, Language Development, Reflective Project.

� Career Pathway: A two-year course of study in a specified career field, accredited or certified by a local, state, or national authority, including a higher education institution or a professional organization.

5.2.2 Evaluation of the Queensland Academies

In 2010, the Queensland Government commissioned an evaluation of the Queensland Academies (Harreveld and Caldwell, 2010). The report (pages ii-v) summarized the findings as follows.

1. Student outcomes

Academic results…are determined by outcomes from the International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB)… These results are impressive with the initial and subsequent student cohorts achieving average scores exceeding the Australasian and World Averages on each occasion in 2008 and 2009 ... Twenty-two per cent (22%) of graduates achieved the highest possible selection rank of 99 for university entrance…

While overall [parent and student] satisfaction was positive, lower levels of satisfaction were recorded for academic outcomes and career pathways to higher education and employment. Initial expectations of academic outcomes were perhaps unreasonably high given the newness of the IB Diploma for students, parents and staff.

2. Image of state school education programs

Students at each academy were effusive … about the quality of teaching, their relationships with teachers and the support they received from all staff ...

It is fair to conclude that the image of excellence and responsiveness has been promoted and there is evidence to support the claim that this image has been realized.

3. Model of education

The academy model of education was designed to be different in terms of the partnerships with the three universities and industries related to teach specialization. While special, such partnerships are not unique to the academies… It is evident that partnerships with business and industry, defined broadly, are still not well-developed in the academies ...

… an important aspect of designing a different model of education concerns facilities and those in the academies are arguably unique in Queensland and



possibly Australia … There has been a substantial capital investment at all three sites … It is fair to conclude that these set a high standard for state education around the country.

4. Educational practices

The nature of this evaluation did not enable judgements to be made about the quality or innovativeness of educational practices undertaken at the academies ... Surveys and interviews undertaken among students and parents indicate very high levels of satisfaction with the teaching received …

Together with the relatively small sizes of each school, the conditions for learning and teaching are conducive to significantly positive academic, career and personal outcomes for all students.

5. Value to state education system

The academies add value to the state education system through modelling leading innovative practice in the collection, analysis and use of a range of data and they have the potential to contribute to the development of leading innovative practices in the teaching of gifted and talented young people.

……As an example of best practice, this aspect of the academies’ operations is remarkable and worthy of dissemination throughout the state education system.

Partnerships with universities, industry and other schools have much potential for growth. The fact that they are not yet as strong in impact as they have the potential to be is understandable given the fact that the academies have been in their establishment phase with all that entails.

It is worth pointing out here that the Harreveld and Caldwell (2010) evaluation was unable to show any particular benefits in learning outcomes arising from the QA model. This is a common problem, since it is not possible to draw conclusions about the value which selective schools such as the QAs might add to student outcomes, since student outcomes cannot be attributed to the school as distinct from the students selected to attend. Harreveld and Caldwell note that the IB Organisation itself has made similar observations. Further, their report observed (p. 96):

There is compelling evidence that many of the positive aspects of the climate and emerging culture of the three academies arise because they are relatively small, not necessarily because they offer the IB or a specialization.

In short, while the selective nature of the QAs has benefits in maintaining high expectations and an academically oriented culture, leading to strong performance in the relatively demanding IB Diploma curriculum, there is no reason to think that its students would not perform equally well in other schools of similar size and resources, or that a selective school with a different curriculum would not also be successful.

5.2.3 Evaluation of consultations with Principals of Academies and other schools

In the preparation of this report, discussions have been held with a range of high school principals.

At a meeting with principals of the three QAs, and one former principal, they made the following comments. The QA principals reported that the idea of an Academy in Townsville



had been floated in the original development of the Academy concept, but that there was doubt about the potential numbers in the area for a selective high school.

A key difference is the limit on size, but even reaching the target of 450 is an important issue. QACI and QAHS are undersubscribed. QAHS has 310 students. Limitations are primarily related to student eligibility, but also to interest in health science, and public awareness of the school and the broader range of opportunities it offers. Only QASMT is oversubscribed, largely, it is believed, because of the attractiveness of UQ (over 80% of QASMT graduates go to UQ).

The academies draw approximately equally from State and non-State schools, with a slight preponderance from non-State schools in the case of QACI. Students are primarily drawn from schools which are geographically close. While some students travel some distance across Brisbane and the Gold Coast respectively, principals reported that the numbers of students in home stay accommodation was very small (The QACI Principal reported that 8 of 330 total students were in home stay; there were only 3-4 in the other two Academies). A small number of students’ families are known to have moved house so their child could attend, primarily in the case of QASMT.

Principals saw the strengths of the Queensland Academy model as:

� The IB Diploma is regarded as a high quality curriculum. Principals believe the IB program develops study habits such as managing workload and personal qualities of resilience that are especially helpful in the university environment. The three core elements of the IB were particularly important in this.

� School size is restricted to 450 maximum enrolments, allowing for close teacher-pupil relationships.

� Selective entry maintains a high level of expectation of student achievement.

� Links to universities accentuated the sense among students of being a special group, and university based activities strengthened the connection with the partner university.

� ‘Like-mindedness’ of the student cohort is a key feature of the Academies, establishing a sense of community where students feel comfortable being with people with similar interests.

Principals identified problems with the QA model as follows.

� Specialization is problematic in a number of ways. Parents and students tend to assume that the school caters only for students with career or further study plans in the labeled area of specialization, one reason, it is suggested, that QACI and QAHS are undersubscribed. On the other hand, parents can mistakenly assume that attendance guarantees access to later career choice, which is not the case. For instance, in 2011, no QAHS graduate qualified for entry to medicine. The 2010 Harreveld and Caldwell Evaluation report (p. vii) commented that ‘There is compelling evidence that expectations were unrealistically high at each academy, and that parents and students were disappointed in some instances when results were received’. This is compounded in the principals’ view by the method used to translate IB results to the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), which they believe (and the Harreveld and Caldwell (2010) report accepted) underestimates IB students’ true levels of achievement.

� Attracting students is also difficult because they need to leave already established positions in a secondary school to move to the Academies. Students have to leave their previous school at year 9, which is not a natural break in schooling, so students are often reluctant to



change. Other high schools are not keen to see students leave, and in fact fear the loss of their best students, so do not promote the Academies. While difficult to predict, the addition of year 7 to high school may make this more problematic.

� Attitudes to the linked university can influence people’s interest in the Academy. Griffith offers considerable inducements for students to enroll, but high achievers from QAHS tend to go elsewhere. Similar trends were reported for QACI.

� Given the importance of achievement outcomes, performance in the IB has come to dominate the schools’ priorities. Consequently, given that the IB Diploma course is relatively inflexible, intensive and time consuming, little space remains for significant links to higher education or industry. Academies mainly conduct these activities during school vacations (such as the QAHS Certificate in Laboratory Techniques which is done in one week outside the IB calendar). For similar reasons, QASMT has work experience only in year 10. The relatively set subject requirements of the IB Diploma also limit the scope for students to specialise in areas of interest. In response to this, QACI is developing a specialist program in film which will not follow the IB Diploma, but the recently developed IB Career-related Certificate. This will allow more flexibility for university and industry links, with students studying four IB subjects and four university subjects, along with industry involvement. Implications for university entry ranking are under negotiation.

� Students need considerable pastoral support, given the demands of the curriculum.

On the basis of their experience, Principals offered the following recommendations for consideration:

� The IB Diploma program may be inappropriate because the time demanded limits opportunities for fast tracking university studies and establishing industry links (see Box 4). The QSA curriculum is more flexible. For instance, only five QSA subjects are required for an OP, and four semester subjects can be concentrated into three semesters and/or begun before year 11.

� Consider very carefully the labeling of the school specialization, as this can limit the school’s appeal. Both QACI and QAHS reported this as a problem. Principals felt that a more generic title such as University High School would avoid this difficulty.

� Consider promoting international student enrolment. This could require negotiations with DETE on pricing policy.

� Establish greater inducements for students to attend the linked university, such as fast tracking and credit arrangements (with associated HECS savings).

� Do not assume that enrolment at year 10 is the best point of entry. A more natural break such as year 8 (to become year 7) might be more successful.

Principals outside the QAs were both fearful and critical of the QA model. From their perspective, the Academies drew their best students away, with negative effects on those who remained and their schools’ attempts to maintain high academic aspirations.



Box 4: Increasing links between high schools and universities

Fast tracking and direct entry arrangements between high schools and universities are increasing in

Queensland. Examples of these arrangements exist as schools throughout Queensland – that is, a

co-located high school is not essential for realising these opportunities. For example, the development

of the GriffChem, GriffBio and GriffPhys / Griffith Eng program for 16 schools on the Gold Coast, in

conjunction with Griffith University, is a testament to the potential for greater linkages and fast tracking

arrangements between schools and universities. The programs are typically offered through Griffith

University with most units integrated and embedded within the course which is studied at the school.

This involved a significant redesign of the curricula of subjects at schools.

Other schools with these linkages with universities include:

� Brisbane State High School – around 70 senior students are undertaking university subjects, with

students accelerated from year 8 so they can finish senior maths subjects by year 11, allowing time

for Queensland University of Technology (QUT) maths subjects in year 12; also accounting students

can undertake QUT business subjects;

� Kelvin Grove State College – fast tracking arrangement with QUT, with around 50 students

undertaking university subjects in engineering (Maths B and C and Physics students are placed on

an accelerate program

� Chancellor State College – extensive linkages with University of the Sunshine Coast, with which it is

co-located;

� Aviation High – direct entry (for students recommended by the Principal) into engineering programs

at UQ and QUT and direct entry into Bachelor of Engineering (Aerospace) at Griffith University; and

� Queensland Academy of Health Sciences – which is co-located with Griffith’s Gold Coast campus,

and has extensive linkages; e.g. completion of specific IB courses at QAHS gives credit for up to five

of the eight first year common courses in the Griffith Health Foundation Year course within a range

of Griffith Health degree programs.

Further, SEQ universities typically have generally available (i.e. not limited to a specific school) fast-

tracking programs for talented students, including:

� UQ Enhanced Studies;

� Start QUT; and

� Griffith University Early Start to Tertiary Studies (GUEST) program.

There is currently a fast-tracking arrangement between Kirwan SHS and three other Townsville High

Schools and JCU, as part of the “Get Set” program. Students undertake the JCU subject Mathematical

Foundations (MA1000) as part of secondary school and receive credit from JCU (i.e. they are enrolled as

JCU students). Their work in MA1000 is also recorded on their senior certificate. The program does not

guarantee participants direct entry to JCU.

5.2.4 Summary

The QA model provides high quality education to highly selected students. It is able to promote high levels of achievement in a safe and rewarding environment, although its demanding nature does place stress on some students. Two of the three QAs cannot fill their enrolments, in part because of their specialised focus. The IB curriculum is a high quality academic curriculum, but its requirements limit the potential for significant industry engagement or academic



specialisation. It is not possible to say if the QA model adds value in terms of student learning outcomes, though QA principals believe the IB curriculum is a strong preparation for university. The QAs are seen by other schools as a threat to their ability to maintain quality students, with consequences for the education they can provide.

Broadly, based on a review of potential academic outcomes and consultations with both QA Principals and Principals at other schools, we do not believe that the Academy model is the best approach to meeting the goals for a co-located high school at JCU.

5.3 Approach 2 – A ‘lighthouse’ school

Approach 2 is a ‘lighthouse’ school for research, development and professional learning with a focus on education issues and practice significant to the North Queensland region, such as rural education or Indigenous education, combined with a laboratory school function providing opportunities for innovative partnerships in initial and continuing teacher education and associated research.

Lighthouse schools are partnerships between university scholars, other experts and school personnel to improve aspects of schools’ operations and outcomes (Fink, 2000). They are catalysts of change in which research, development, evaluation and professional learning are combined to develop and disseminate change in school practice.

They play a crucial role in school improvement through professional learning (PL). The quality of teaching is widely acknowledged as the most influential in-school factor affecting student learning outcomes. Research and evaluation studies show clear evidence of the potentially valuable effects of PL on student learning. Yoon et al. (2007, p. iii) identify nine experimental studies of the effects of PL which met the very rigorous standards required by the US Institute for Education Sciences for such research, and found that:

average control group students would have increased their achievement by 21 percentile points if their teacher had received substantial professional development .... The effect size was fairly consistent across the three content areas reviewed.

Considerable research has been undertaken on what constitutes successful teacher professional learning, and recommends that it should follow the model of professional learning communities (PLCs) not only as the chief mode of implementation of PL, but also as a basis for sustaining in the long term successful educational practice within schools in general. The potential of PLCs is illustrated by Stoll et al. (2006 p. 221) in the conclusion of their wide-ranging literature review of PLCs:

International evidence suggests that educational reform’s progress depends on teachers’ individual and collective capacity and its link with school-wide capacity for promoting pupils’ learning … it gives individuals, groups, whole school communities and school systems the power to get involved in and sustain learning over time.

A range of studies has shown the effectiveness of PLCs as an approach to PL, both in terms of teacher practice and student learning (Cordingley et al. 2005; Doecke et al. 2008; Fulton, Doerr, and Britton 2010; Goddard, Goddard and Tschannen-Moran 2007; Gruenert 2005; Vescio, Ross, and Adams 2008). Successful PLCs use a range of strategies, including coaching, mentoring, lesson observation/study, networking, modeling strategies, action research, case discussions, data teams/assessment development, study groups etc. The importance of collaboration in these strategies is obvious.



A JCU lighthouse school could play a significant role in promoting across North Queensland the kinds of collaboration which would improve educational outcomes for students, and their potential for high achievement through school and university. This model of school improvement is being introduced in a number of contexts.

For instance, the NSW Department of Education and Communities Best Start Lighthouse Project for the early years of schooling supports schools to showcase literacy and numeracy teaching programs, participate and lead in discussion groups with communities of schools and trial and refine new classroom practices.19

This concept has been chosen by the UK government as a model for school improvement through the development of teaching schools, drawing in part from the concept of the teaching hospital. National Teaching Schools, of which 500 are intended to operate by 2014-15, are intended to:

1. play a greater role in the recruitment and training of new entrants to the profession;

2. lead peer-to-peer professional and leadership development;

3. identify and develop leadership potential;

4. provide support for other schools;

5. designate and broker Specialist Leaders of Education (SLEs); and

6. engage in research and development.20

An Australian example here is the John Monash Science School (JMSS) on the Clayton campus of Monash University.21 JMSS aims to:

� provide more effective student engagement through innovation in a relevant and integrated curriculum and investigation-based learning approaches;

� provide pathways for high achievers pursuing Science and Mathematics into senior secondary and university studies;

� develop high quality effective teaching strategies to be shared amongst teachers throughout the state; and

� provide ongoing up-to-date knowledge in rapidly advancing areas of science.

Monash University has provided time for seven academic staff to work alongside teachers at the school to create curriculum and assessment tasks, provide classroom demonstrations and organize incursions into the university. Research and development into effective teaching in teams, in open-planned spaces and with cutting-edge ICT is supported by three members of Monash’s Education faculty, who visit classes, debrief with staff, attend some planning meetings etc. to build teacher capacity. Some JMSS staff deliver sessions in Monash teacher education courses, either in attending some classes to speak to students, allowing visits of trainee teachers to their classrooms, or providing lectures to pre-service teachers. Monash staff sit on the School’s Learning and Teaching Committee, which maintains policy direction on matters of curriculum and teaching and learning.

19 See http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/beststart/lighthouse/index.htm 20 http://www.education.gov.uk/nationalcollege/index/support-for-schools/teachingschools.htm 21 http://www.jmss.vic.edu.au/about



A JCU High School would be well placed to combine the expertise and resources of the JCU School of Education, DETE, and other agencies and corporate and community bodies to work to promote high quality education throughout North Queensland.

A valuable part of this function would be a laboratory school providing opportunities for innovative partnerships in initial and continuing teacher education and associated research. This could link to the Teacher Education Centres of Excellence program established through the Improving Teacher Quality National Partnership.22

These centres are intended to focus on ‘providing pre-service teachers with practical and clinical in-school experiences that will enhance their teaching capabilities and ensure they are classroom and community ready’. Five clusters of State schools have been established around Queensland, including the Mount Stuart Cluster which is connected to JCU.

Other possibilities are illustrated by Victoria University Secondary College (VUSC), whose partnership with Victoria University (VU) includes a range of shared programs aimed at assisting students to see university attendance as a real option.23 University students visit the College to act as tutors in the school’s AVID program (Advancement via Individual Determination).24 University courses are taught at the College for VU Education students by VU lecturers and VUSC teachers.

A lighthouse and laboratory school function would be a natural role for an innovative, high quality school such as JCU High School.

5.4 Approach 3 – A centre for school-industry links

Approach 3 is a centre for school-industry links in areas of significance to the region, such as mining, tourism or defence.

School-industry links have a long history, most commonly in recent times in the widespread practice of work experience for students. There is value in such partnerships for both parties. Benefits accrue to employers and employees in engaging with schools. There is evidence that staff engagement in schools develops interpersonal skills and competencies and organizational commitment (Mann and Glover, 2011). Corporate reputations can also be improved through contributing to education. However, the main motivation for employer involvement in education is recruitment, including raising awareness of specific careers and increasing the flow of future talent with the right skills.

Research identifies four main outcomes that schools are hoping to achieve when entering into partnerships: increased student engagement, improved academic outcomes, enhanced social wellbeing and/or broader vocational options and skills (Business School Connections Roundtable, 2011, 2012). The Australian Government has established a research and development program to promote business school connections in maximizing these benefits (see http://www.deewr.gov.au/schooling/pages/roundtable.aspx).

A notable example of school-industry links in Queensland is the work of Aviation High. The concept of high schools focusing on the aviation industry began in the late 1990s, prompted by the signing of a contract by Boeing to work on F111 maintenance at Amberley airport. This led

22 See http://education.qld.gov.au/nationalpartnerships/centres-excellence.html 23 See http://www.vusc.vic.edu.au/ 24 See http://www.vusc.vic.edu.au/avid.html



to cooperation among Boeing, Aviation Australia, and the Queensland Government to promote aviation in schools. Initially, six schools were involved in this relationship, but in 2007 the program was replaced with the opening of Aviation High.25

The school follows the QSA curriculum, but every subject has been rewritten to relate to some aspect of the aviation industry. The school is also a professional development and student experience hub for the QSA subject Aerospace Studies.26 The school was established on the former site of Hendra State High School, assisted by grants of approximately $8 million from Commonwealth and State governments, largely through industry training funds. Current industry support is largely in-kind, with Virgin Australia providing travel awards for top students and access to flight simulators at the airport.

Its current enrolment is just over 400, rising from an initial intake of 250. This is small in comparison with standard expectations, and the school is under some pressure to increase its numbers. The principal estimates that about 80% of the enrolled students are at the school because of its specialist focus, while the remainder attend because of its proximity to their homes. Students travel from a wide area, including 18-20 students from the Gold Coast, and some have been known to transfer from interstate to attend. The year 8 intake of 75 students came from 66 different primary schools. The principal has concerns about the imbalance of boys over girls, and would like to increase the range of career emphases to counter this.

The school has agreements with The University of Queensland and Griffith University for direct entry to engineering and aviation programs, based on school results and principal recommendation. The school also provides within its subject offerings qualification up to Certificate 4 in aircraft maintenance engineering. Graduates frequently move into defence and last year, eight graduates enrolled at Aviation Australia in aviation related training programs.

Aviation High is an example of a gateway school, a label given by the Queensland Government to a number of schools with special school-industry links, across six industry sectors (see Box 5). The government describes the Gateway to Industry Schools Program as:

...a key industry-school engagement strategy of Skills Queensland. The Program aims to ensure that young people make a successful transition from school to work or further education, and engage in education and training for the long term. Through the establishment of meaningful partnerships between school and industry, students are provided with access to industry focused curriculum, work experience opportunities, school based apprenticeships and traineeships, up to date industry career information and structured workplace learning opportunities. By participating in the Program, industries can ensure their future workforce needs are met by championing support for young people to make informed career choices.27

The website of the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA) illustrates some typical activities arising from these school-industry links.28 These programs focus largely on trade training, and the nature and extent of their specialization varies widely. However, they offer

25 http://www.licensinglinenews.com/Newsletter/Edition-41-December-2006/Aviation-High-to-launch-new-era-

in-education.aspx 26 http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/17016.html 27 http://www.gatewayschools.qld.gov.au/ 28 See http://www.qmea.org.au/



examples of school-industry links, and their emphasis on further education could well be extended to higher education.

Box 5: Examples of school-industry links in Queensland schools

School-industry linkages are broader than having High Schools with an explicit single industry focus,

however. Aviation High itself is an example of a Gateway School, where one school in the network is

chosen as the hub that leads industry engagement and coordinates interactions between the industry

and other schools in its network.

The six Gateway Schools Networks are:

� Agribusiness (16 schools including four in North Queensland);

� Building and construction (six schools);

� Manufacturing and engineering (24 schools including eight in North Queensland);

� Wine tourism (eight schools);

� Minerals and Energy (34 schools, including three in North Queensland); and

� Aerospace (24 schools including three in North Queensland).

Currently, several High Schools in Townsville are part of Gateway Schools Networks, including:

� Townsville State High School, part of the aviation industry network; and

� Kirwan State High School, part of the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA).

There may be considerable potential for a JCU High School to develop ‘high-end’ connections with industry along the lines of or in direct participation in the Queensland Gateway Schools program and the Australian Business School Connections initiative.

5.5 Approach 4 – A University High School

Approach 4 is a University High School which would act as a centre for promoting educational outcomes across the NQ region. This approach would assist schools across North Queensland to develop student interest and achievement in designated areas, attract talented students in those areas, and offer accelerated opportunities for advanced learners to access related University studies.

An important aspect of this option is its focus on the North Queensland region as the intended area of impact, rather than Townsville itself. This is reflection of the fact that the greatest need for the promotion of University pathways lies not in Townsville, but in the more distant centres around the north. The table below shows that University participation in Townsville and region is only marginally below the State average (metropolitan Townsville alone would no doubt be greater). However, areas in the Far North and around Mackay are well below the State average. These discrepancies are evidence of clear need in the North Queensland region for the promotion of university study, and offer scope for a significant contribution by JCU to the North Queensland community through a JCU High School.



Table 12: Main destination of Year 12 completers, 2011

ABS Statistical Division % of school leavers

enrolled in

University degree

Brisbane 43.0

Gold Coast 36.8

Sunshine Coast 32.8

West Moreton 26.0

Darling Downs-South West 26.8

Wide Bay- Burnett 23.2

Fitzroy-Central West 23.4

Mackay 24.3

Northern-North West 32.7

Far North 26.6

Total 35.9

Source: Next Step 2011: A report on the destinations of Year 12 completers from 2010 in Queensland, Qld

Government 2011, p. 59.

5.5.1 Recent examples

School-university co-operation has flourished in recent years and a number of precedents for aspects of such schools exist. For instance, the University of Canberra (UC) has established a UC Schools program which is intended to:

… raise aspirations among high school and college students and remove any psychological barriers to higher education. It will see University researchers and students working together with school and college teachers and students to mutual benefit.

It will broaden options for students, make the entrance to university and other tertiary training easier, and increase teachers’ access to professional development and research.

Staff and students are already benefiting from the close relationship with the University.29

University Senior College in Adelaide is another model for this approach, aiming to bridge the transition between secondary and tertiary study. Located on the campus of the University of Adelaide, the school offers a university style education of lectures and tutorials, including classes on the University campus. The curriculum is based on the South Australian Certificate of Education and allows for flexible progression across years, including the completion of University subjects (see http://www.usc.adelaide.edu.au/local/about/).

29 http://www.lakeonline.act.edu.au/our_community/uc_schools



5.5.2 Model for a JCU High School

A significant contribution to education in North Queensland could be developed around a high school whose mission was to promote high achievement in a range of designated areas of the curriculum, related to academic activities at JCU and associated industries. Its mission would be to identify students around NQ, with interest and potential in relevant academic and career paths, who would benefit from a specialized focus with like-minded students.

Unlike the highly selective testing process and the singular specialization of the QAs, a University High School would focus more on developing students’ capacity and aspirations to engage in University studies, and on assisting them to develop their abilities and learning outcomes in one of a range of possible fields related to JCU. The nurturing of students across the region in preparation for later specialization could build on the example of the QA Young Scholars program in primary schools. JCU’s presence in Cairns, Mt Isa and Mackay, as well as Townsville, could be the basis of a network through which such a scheme would operate, with a central hub in a school on JCU’s Townsville campus (see Figure 18 below).

Figure 18: JCU High as a regional hub

JCU

campus,

Mt Isa

JCU High

School,

Townsville

Mt Isa

secondary

schools

Cairns

secondary

schools

JCU,

Townsville

JCU

campus,

Cairns

Mackay

secondary

schools

JCU,

Mackay

campus

Source: Rob Gilbert and MJA, 2012.

The University High School would ideally be a 7/8-12 school. This would provide opportunities to develop students’ academic skills and resilience over a longer period of time. It could offer the QSA curriculum with a particular focus on accelerating access to JCU subjects. For instance, students could be prepared in years 8 and 9 to take up senior studies in year 10, with a view to including university subjects in year 12. It would offer residential accommodation for its students, as well as for periodic visits by students in its feeder programs.

JCU High would work with schools and students around the region on a preparatory program which, focusing initially on primary schools, would promote opportunities for career paths



offered by JCU, and identify students who could be encouraged/assisted to develop their aspirations and capacity for University study. The goal would be that a proportion of these students, identified as having interests in and the capacity to undertake the accelerated program in identified academic areas promoted by JCU, would move to JCU High. This selection process would be negotiated with parents, the school of origin, and JCU High staff; it would not be intended to be exclusive, but rather to identify students with the potential for an accelerated program. It is not expected that all students involved in the preparatory program would enrol at JCU High. They would, however, establish links with JCU which might increase the probability of their choosing JCU at a later time.

Programs for acceleration to University study could build on existing JCU arrangements, and other schemes such as the Headstart programs offered by the University of the Sunshine Coast and the University of Southern Queensland.30, 31 JCU internet capabilities would also be a valuable resource here.

School networks led by innovative research and development promise significant improvements in educational practice. In elaborating the concept of the UK Teaching Schools, de Botton, Hare and Humphreys observe that ‘School-to-school partnerships are increasingly seen as the most effective context in which to deliver professional improvement. Some of the most highly effective education systems around the world are underpinned by systematic collaboration’.

5.6 Conclusions regarding a best practice model

There are serious doubts about the likelihood that an Academy model would add value to the North Queensland educational landscape, and that its impact on local high schools in particular could be particularly damaging. An approach which might add genuine value to North Queensland education, and to JCU’s potential student base, would be a University High school as outlined here, which, as noted, would also encompass elements of the lighthouse school and a centre for school-industry links, with relationships between the school and industries in the Townsville region to evolve over time depending on economic trends and skill needs.

30 See http://www.usc.edu.au/study/courses-and-programs/headstart-program/ 31 http://www.usq.edu.au/school-liaison/head-start



6. Defining the options

This section discusses issues relevant to the definition of options to consider in the feasibility study, based on discussions with the Reference Group, stakeholder consultations and research.

6.1 Criteria for success for a co-located high school

Based on the review in section 5, and consultations with the Reference Group, a number of criteria for success for a high school co-located with a university were developed. A successful co-located high school would:

� offer a full curriculum, featuring special courses relevant to the region and aligned with the university’s research strengths;

� create a value-adding partnership through, e.g.:

− pedagogy research opportunities;

− teacher exchange opportunities for professional development; and

− interactions of school students with university researchers;

� promote the transition of students to university who would not otherwise go – i.e., increase the percentage of school leavers going on to university in the region;

� raise aspirations and expectations of people in the community for higher education;

� provide flexibility in the curriculum to allow innovative courses that allow fast-tracking and credit for university studies;

� provide pathways to either academic or employment outcomes;

� provide linkages with the university that are a normal part of the school timetable;

� provide innovative learning spaces, including learning commons and flexible learning areas to allow groups of multiple sizes and team teaching;

� have the necessary facilities, while sharing available amenities, such as sporting fields and libraries, and specialized research facilities with the university; and

� be sustainable without impacting on the viability of surrounding State and non-State schools.



6.2 Assessment of educational models against the criteria

6.2.1 Models

The criteria set out in the previous section are assessed for the following models:

� standard 7/8-12 high school (of around 1,200-1,500 students, which is an important benchmark with which to compare options);

� Queensland Academy;

� Lighthouse school;

� Centre for school-industry links; and

� University High School.

6.2.2 Assessment

The criteria for success outlined in Section 6.1 can be met by the University High School model and the Lighthouse school model, and to a lesser extent by other models (Table 13).

Table 13: Criteria for a successful co-located high school – can the different models meet the criteria?

Criteria Standard

high school

Academy

model

Lighthouse

school

Centre for

school-

industry

links

University

High

School

1. Full curriculum � × � � �

2. Value-adding partnership ? × � ? �

3. Promotes transition to university

those who may not otherwise

attend

? × � ? �

4. Raises community aspirations &

expectations around higher

education

? � � ? �

5. Flexible curriculum allows

innovative courses and fast-tracking

� × � � �

6. Pathways to either academic or

employment outcomes

� × � � �

7. Linkages with the university that

are a normal part of the school

timetable

? × � ? �

8. Has necessary facilities while

sharing available amenities

? � � � �

9. Does not adversely impact on

other high schools in the region

? × ? ? ?

Source: MJA, 2012.

Hence we propose that the University High School educational model, which also encompasses elements of the lighthouse school model and Centre for school-industry links, is adopted for any JCU High School options considered.



6.3 Issues for consideration in defining options

In specifying options to take to the next stage of feasibility testing, a number of issues need to be resolved (as outlined in Table 14). These issues are considered in turn in the following sub-sections.

Table 14: Issues for consideration

Issues Broad options

Curriculum QSA

IB

Both

Specialisation Specialisation aligned with JCU research strengths (e.g.

tropical science or agriculture) or industry needs

(resources)

Specialisation similar to existing Academies (e.g. science,

mathematics, and technology; creative industries; health)

None

Year range 10-12 (e.g. Academy model)

11-12

7-12

Student numbers 400+

Geographical focus Townsville

North Queensland more broadly

Boarders 50+ (based on capacity of single accommodation building

on existing campus)

Linkages with JCU Lighthouse school – professional teacher development

Fast tracking & direct entry (N.B. not mutually exclusive

with Lighthouse school)

Student selection policies and

processes

Selective (academic criteria only)

Selective (academic and other criteria)

Open

Source: MJA, 2012.

6.3.1 Curriculum

The analysis in section 5 leads us to recommend the adoption of a QSA curriculum for a JCU High School, rather than the IB, which could constrain the operation of a co-located high school. Due to the intense demands of the IB Diploma which provides little time for extra-curricular activities, initial aspirations around the Academies having a close relationship with universities have not been achieved to the extent desired.

Further, there are important cost considerations. Queensland Academies are significantly more costly to run than other State High Schools, using Kirwan and Pimlico as examples, based on estimates of State Government recurrent funding (Figure 19). It was noted in our consultations with Academies that they receive an extra 0.18 of a teacher per teacher they are entitled to under the standard resource allocation model.



Figure 19: Net recurrent income of selected schools, 2010

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

Kirwan Pimlico QACI QAHS QASMT

Other private sources

Fees, charges & contrib.

Australian Govt

State/Territory

$ per student

Source: My School website, accessed 31 July 2012.

The QSA curriculum is beneficial in that it provides the flexibility to pursue industry links and fast tracking and direct entry opportunities, as seen at, for example, Aviation High and Gold Coast schools offering GriffBio and GriffChem, and as discussed below.

Proposition 1: Options for the feasibility study should assume the JCU High School offers a QSA

curriculum rather than the IB.

6.3.2 Specialisation

Professor Gilbert’s analysis in section 5, based on consultations with Academy principals, other consultations and a literature review, leads us to favour a broad University High School model rather than adopting a singular specialisation. This is consistent with the Government’s focus on a four pillar economy, which would suggest a high school that offers benefits to all four pillars.

In consultations, the point was made that, given that the non-metropolitan location of the school may present challenges in attracting students, combining that with a specialisation may significantly reduce its attractiveness. Skills Queensland officials observed:

Regional plus specialisation could equal problem...

Agriculture is up and down over time and may not be suitable for a school specialisation.

A JCU High School could nonetheless emphasise it is a school of excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), subjects which underpin processes and innovation in a wide range of industries and curriculum. The QRC is a strong proponent of improving STEM education and professional development through the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA).

The school’s broad nature as a University High School would not preclude JCU High developing links with JCU researchers in tropical science or agriculture, for example, nor becoming part of the QMEA network, or developing schools of excellence over time. The school of excellence model is highly flexible and is increasingly being applied across Queensland schools, including for example, at Kelvin Grove State College, which has six



schools of excellence – in golf, football, tennis, aviation, engineering, and dance. In Townsville, Pimlico SHS has programs for Academic Excellence and Excellence in Performing Arts and Music and Kirwan SHS has an Excellence in Specialist Sports Programs.

Avoiding a narrow specialisation will also reduce the ultimate capital expenditure costs of the infrastructure, as specialised facilities beyond those found in normal high schools will not need to be constructed. For example, JCU High would not need saltwater tanks for marine science. We anticipate that where students need more specialised facilities, they can make use of facilities on the JCU campus.

Proposition 2: Options for the feasibility study should assume that the JCU High School is a broad

University High School and does not adopt a narrow specialisation, although it can develop university

and industry linkages and schools of excellence over time.

Incidentally, if a co-located JCU High School is not developed, JCU could work closely with existing Townsville high schools to develop programs of excellence with strong links with JCU, so the schools could in effect act as feeder schools to JCU.

6.3.3 Year range

While Professor Gilbert’s review suggested that, ideally, a University High School would cover all high school years to maximise its potential to benefit students, this was not a significant preference. There are significant practical considerations that need to be taken into account that counter this preference. A selective high school involving boarding for years 8 and 9 may have difficulties attracting younger students, and some educators would oppose it. For example, the Executive Principal of Kelvin Grove State College, Dr Regan Neumann, observed:

Junior Secondary students are better off in a mainstream high school, as it’s more holistic and better for their personal development. 13-14 year old children need normal regular experiences rather than to be put under a lot of pressure to make significant choices about specialised learning pathways.

Other important practical considerations that suggesting restricting the year range include:

� given that around 150-200 students in each year level are needed to ensure a sufficiently broad curriculum is viable, according to DETE advice, a JCU High School covering all year levels would require 900-1,200 students, which is substantially in excess of the vision in the Hornery Institute report of a school on the Western Campus with around 400 students; and

� a school approaching 1,000 students would place existing Townsville State High Schools at greater risk of becoming unviable, noting that several High School are substantially below capacity, as discussed in section 3.

As students will not be undertaking the IB, there is not the same need to have year 10s attend the school for a preparatory year. The reason Academies include year 10 is because it is seen to be essential to give students substantial preparation for the IB’s very different educational model, which requires greater self-discipline and regulation than the QSA curriculum. However, it may still be desirable to allow students to attend from year 10, as it gives an extra year to prepare students for fast-tracking into university studies.

Finally, most similar high schools in Australia (see section 4.7) offer either years 10-12 or 11-12, which is likely to reflect judgments made by educational professionals in other jurisdictions regarding the most appropriate age range.



While the balance of evidence would suggest a year 10-12 high school may be preferable, given that it remains an open question, the feasibility study should not restrict the choice of year range at this stage.

Proposition 3: Options for the feasibility study should include both a year 10-12 option and a full high

school, i.e., years 7-12, option.

6.3.4 Size of school

Again, to minimise the impacts on existing schools in Townsville, it may be preferable that the school is kept to a modest size. Hence, the original concept from the Hornery Institute for a school of around 300 to 400 students seems worthy of further development. To ensure a sufficiently broad and attractive subject selection, a school with a capacity of 450 students (150 each in years 10, 11 and 12) may be appropriate. However, consistent with the discussion above, it is considered necessary to maintain an option of a year 7-12 co-located high school, which would suggest a full-size high school of 1,200 to 1,500 students should be considered as an option.

Proposition 4: Options for the feasibility study should include co-located high schools with a capacity for

400 students and 1,200 to 1,500 students.

6.3.5 Geographical focus

As noted in Section 5, there are concerns around the transition to university not only in Townsville but throughout North Queensland and neighbouring regions. Taking into account JCU’s network of campuses in Cairns, Mackay and Mt Isa, there is considerable potential for a JCU High School to add value to the broader region.

Proposition 5: Options for the feasibility study should assume that the JCU High School has a geographic

focus on the broader North Queensland region rather than the Townsville region alone.

6.3.6 Boarders

For a JCU High School to fulfil its potential to improve educational outcomes in North Queensland, it will need a boarding component, as consultations with Academy Principals indicated that home-stay arrangements (where students would board with a host family who are compensated) have a very low take-up – i.e., only a handful of students at each Academy at any one time use such arrangements.

It is difficult to forecast the potential demand for boarders. In consultations with Academy principals it was noted there is possibly a latent demand in the community for boarding, with one principal observing:

Boarding was a hot topic at the time of establishing the Academies, and parents often ask if it will ever be introduced.

As the JCU High School is intended to be a North Queensland school, it would be desirable to allow for up to half of total enrolments (i.e., in the order of 200 students) to board, but, as this is an untested market, it would be prudent to allow for a smaller number (e.g. 100) and then provide new facilities if there is a demand for them. Furthermore, enrolments at existing State High Schools with boarding are not substantial and hence would support a prudent approach to



allowing for potential boarders (Table 24). Based on figures presented in section 4, 100 boarders at JCU High (spread equally across years 10-12) would result in a 25-30% increase in the number of senior students at boarding schools in Townsville. Finally, an additional reason for caution is that consultations with the non-Government school sector have revealed that the number of boarding students is declining across Queensland, as noted in Section 4.

Table 15: Boarding and enrolment numbers for State boarding schools, 2012

Year 8 Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Year 12 Total

Dalby State High School

Boarders 5 3 5 6 6 25

Total enrolments 171 167 195 171 163 867

Spinifex State College

Boarders 12 8 5 11 2 38

Total enrolments 175 197 198 168 158 896

Source: DETE, 2012.

Consistent with practices at other schools, including at the Dalby State High School (though not at Spinifex State College which takes in Indigenous and isolated boarders and hence has important equity objectives), boarding fees would have to be levied on a cost recovery basis. Based on consultations and information relating to Dalby State High School (Box 6), an annual charge of between $10,000 to $14,000 would be expected.

This is a significant cost and hence a JCU High School boarding facility may only attract students currently at existing boarding schools or who are likely to attend boarding schools. This is an additional element of risk to the feasibility of a JCU High School.



Box 6: Boarding fees at Queensland schools

Dalby State High School

Residential fees for accommodation, meals and laundry apply and are payable in advance. Fees are

indexed in line with CPI each calendar year.

Accommodation Deposit: A $600 deposit secures a reservation and is fully refundable on acceptance. A

reservation number will be sent on receipt.

Accommodation Fee (including meals & laundry) - $12,360 pa. A 5% discount applies for full annual

payment in advance (i.e. $11,742).

Room Bond: A $200 bond is payable at the commencement of residency.

Discounts for Multiple Family Members: An annual discount applies to families who have more than one

residential student at the Campus. The discount is applicable for Term 4. A 5% discount applies to the

second sibling and a 10% discount applies for the third or subsequent sibling.

Costs outlined are Residential Campus fees only and are exclusive of Resource Hire Scheme fees,

uniform costs and costs associated with courses provided by external providers such as Australian

Agricultural College Corporation (AACC) or the Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE. Costs of all

excursions, camps, extra-curricular activities and transport are also excluded.

Spinifex State College

There are no set boarding fees for the Spinifex State College Residential Campus because they receive

what the families receive via Centrelink. This can vary according to individual circumstances, as shown

below:

� Indigenous families receive ABSTUDY (boarding and tuition fees), which is means tested and is

paid accordingly. The highest amount that Spinifex State College receives per term is $4,273.23

and the lowest per term is $3,662.27.

� Another variable is if the child is under 16 years old – there is a boarding supplement of

$4,752.80 per annum for eligible students.

� Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) is another alternative. It is paid to Spinifex State College

via the non-Indigenous families and those Indigenous families who don’t meet the

requirements for ABSTUDY. The rate is set at $1,859.61 per term.

The above monies provide 100% of the operating costs for the Spinifex State College Residential Campus

(i.e. the campus is not eligible for any school/government grants).

DETE covers staffing costs.

Proposition 6: Options for the feasibility study should assume that the JCU High School is initially built

with boarding accommodation for up to 100 students, with an expectation of enrolling a smaller

number initially and growing to 100 over time, and with fees charged on a cost-recovery basis.



6.3.7 Linkages with JCU

There are two major opportunities for linkages between the JCU High School and JCU, including:

� teacher professional development through the Lighthouse school approach; and

� fast-tracking and direct entry.

The review of potential education models for a JCU High School in the previous section observed that teacher professional development, through the close involvement of the education faculty, is potentially a major benefit from a co-located school. Hence it is important that JCU provides an early commitment to this cooperation.

Further, Academy Principals indicated that, to maximise its attractiveness, a JCU High School would have to offer fast tracking and direct entry and this will also need to be arranged with JCU. Examples of these arrangements exist as schools throughout Queensland. For example, the development of the GriffChem, GriffBio and GriffPhys / Griffith Eng program for 16 schools on the Gold Coast, in conjunction with Griffith University, is testament to the potential for greater linkages and fast tracking arrangements between schools and universities (Table 16). The programs are typically offered through Griffith University, with most units integrated and embedded within the course which is studied at the school. This involved a significant redesign of the curricula of subjects at schools.

Opportunities for linkages in the absence of a co-located high school

There are also opportunities for linkages between high schools in North Queensland and neighbouring regions and JCU outside of a co-located high school model, particularly through JCU developing relationships with schools of excellence within existing schools or partnering in the creation of new schools of excellence. This could include opportunities for fast-tracking and direct entry, with JCU courses delivered via web-conference using e-learning platforms already used by Brisbane SDE, for example.

The opportunities also include short residential courses on campus for secondary students, where existing student accommodation (over 1,400 beds across campus) is used during university vacations when students have typically returned home. This may be a cost-effective approach to exposing students to a university environment and encouraging future enrolments.



Table 16: Overview of GriffChem, GriffBio and Griffith Eng

Program Required subject Outcomes of program

GriffBio Biology (Years 11 and 12) Certificate of Completion (Griffith University)

Guaranteed admission into specified degree

programs

GriffChem Chemistry (Years 11 and 12) Certificate of Completion (Griffith University)

Credit for first semester, first year, Griffith

University chemistry course, either 1001ENV

Chemistry, 1013ENV Chemistry in Biological

Systems 1, or 110BPS Chemistry A (providing

that course is a core requirement in the

degree)

If achieve an overall Pass or better for

laboratory sessions and achieve a percentage

of 65% or better for the end of program

examination, and meet the entry admission

pre-requisites into a Science or Environment

program as nominated by Griffith University,

student eligible for guaranteed acceptance into

selected program if first QTAC preference (plus

specific credit for 1001ENV Chemistry or

1101BPS Chemistry A)

Griffith Eng Physics (Years 11 and 12) Students who successfully complete GRIFFITH

ENG at an overall Pass or better, will be

awarded a formal Certificate of Completion by

Griffith University.

Students who then enrol in a nominated

Griffith University Engineering degree program,

will be eligible for credit for the first semester,

first year, Griffith University course 1001ENG

Engineering Practice & Sustainability (at Nathan

campus) or 1007ENG Engineering

Fundamentals (on Gold Coast campus).

In addition, if a student meets the entry

admission prerequisites into a nominated

Engineering program, he/she will be eligible for

guaranteed acceptance into the selected

program on the proviso that the student lists

that program as his/her first QTAC preference.

Source: Aquinas College website and Griffith University.

Proposition 7: Options for the feasibility study should assume that JCU High School will pursue linkages

with the JCU Education Faculty to promote teacher professional development and fast tracking and

direct entry opportunities for students.



6.3.8 Student selection

To cap demand, in case it exceeds the school’s capacity, the JCU High School will need some selection criteria for students. The JCU High School does not necessarily have to select the academically best students to achieve its intended outcomes, however. Indeed, greater value is likely to be added with students who are not the highest academic achievers, given that such students are likely to succeed in standard high schools. The major benefits of a JCU High School are likely to come through teacher professional development (see section 5) and through encouraging students, who otherwise may not have, to study at university. This suggests a more diverse set of selection criteria than a school that is academically selective only. A school that is academically selective is unlikely to provide a major value add to North Queensland, particularly given the evidence on the value adding of selective schools is mixed, as discussed in section 9.3 below.

Proposition 8: With the exception of the full high school option, options for the feasibility study should

assume that the JCU High School is a selective high school, but that selection criteria relate not only to

academic ability but to the potential for the student to benefit from the experience and to be

encouraged to pursue university study.

6.4 Architecture and pedagogy

Based on the above discussion, it is expected that options for the JCU High School (other than the without project case) will include innovative learning spaces that are based on recent examples and research linking school architecture and pedagogy.

There are a variety of innovating approaches to school design across the world, with the common feature being recognition that there is a need to move beyond traditional classrooms, and to provide more informal spaces to encourage group learning in technology-rich environments. Architecture can also support pedagogical methods such as team teaching, where a small team of teachers share teaching responsibilities for a group of students.

6.4.1 Recent exemplars

Park Hall Academy, UK

For example, the OECD describes the Park Hall Academy in Castle Bromwich, near Birmingham in the UK, as follows:

The basic plan comprises three teaching wings containing general classroom facilities and science laboratories. The design of the wings is deliberately generic, so that there is inherent flexibility. The frame structure and the arrangement of the windows will allow partitions to be relocated in the future. The configuration allows easy timetabling for varying group sizes on a day-to-day basis. There is a mix of classroom sizes, with an ICT-rich room on each floor as well as smaller rooms for group work. On each corridor there are faculty open areas to support personalised learning and breakout teaching.32

32 OECD, 2011, Designing for Education, p. 191.



Brisbane Grammar School’s Lilley Centre, Queensland

An Australian example identified by the OECD as an exemplary educational facility was the Lilley Centre at Brisbane Grammar School. This 6,200m2 facility has four storeys and includes a “learning commons”, a forum (theatre) that can accommodate 150 students, teaching spaces that can be partitioned for classes of 30, 60 or 120, staff offices and a library. Within the teaching spaces and learning commons, the OECD notes:

The furniture and technology supports a base cohort of six students, and rooms can be partitioned to accommodate classes of 30, 60 and 120 students.33

The Lilley Centre has seen significant improvements in pedagogy and learning at Brisbane Grammar School. As noted by the OECD:

The centre is proving popular with teachers and students. It is being used for team teaching, with up to four classes being taught by a single teacher in the flexible learning spaces and up to five classes in the forum. The other teachers can view a colleague’s pedagogy and offer informal support to students. The transparency of the informal spaces in the library and the learning commons has resulted in engaged learning. As one student noted, “it is a place where you feel like you want to work”.34

Australian Science and Mathematics School, SA

Another Australian example is the Australian Science and Mathematics School (ASMS), co-located with Flinders University in Adelaide, which has been “architecturally designed to promote new ways of teaching and learning”.35 The school building includes:

� specialised focus labs (i.e. computer labs and quiet, specialised areas for concentrated study);

� meeting spaces for various sized groups;

� learning common for group learning, including project space and wet areas; and

� seminar rooms.36

6.4.2 Implications for a JCU High School

The implications of the new developments in architecture and pedagogy are that a co-located JCU High School would ideally include, at a minimum:

33 OECD, 2011, Designing for Education, p. 201. 34 OECD, 2011, Designing for Education, p. 201. 35 Bissaker, K. and Heath, J., 2005, “Teachers’ learning in an innovative school”, International Education

Journal, Special Issue 2005, vol 5., no. 5, pp. 178-185. 36 Fisher, K., 2005, Linking Pedagogy and Space, Rubida Research Pty Ltd, p. 4.02.



� flexible learning areas to accommodate groups of different sizes;

� common areas that allow group learning;

� breakout spaces for individual work;

� an ICT-rich environment, including, for example, wifi throughout the buildings and video-conferencing facilities; and

� spaces the community can use.

By providing spaces the community can use, such as a state of the art multi-purpose centre, the school could attain an additional revenue source.

Examples of what innovative learning spaces could look like, developed by Dr Kenn Fisher, are presented in Figure 20.

Figure 20: Examples of innovative learning spaces

Source: Fisher, K., 2005, Linking Pedagogy and Space, Rubida Research Pty Ltd.



A range of innovative learning spaces are currently already available or are being developed at JCU. Innovative learning principles have been applied in the design of JCU’s new School of Education building complex, which forms part of the Discovery Rise master plan.37

6.5 Teacher professional development

One of the major benefits of a University High School acting as a lighthouse school would be through the promotion of teacher professional development, both of teachers at the school and throughout the broader NQ region. There are current examples of professional development that can serve as potential models for a JCU High School, including at the ASMS co-located with Flinders University in Adelaide. Also, the work done by ISSU on the Remote Area Teacher Program (RATEP) and other professional development initiatives is relevant.

Professional development offered to teachers from other schools may constitute an additional revenue source for a JCU High School. For example, Mordialloc College in Melbourne offers practical courses for visiting teachers. As observed by the OECD:

The College offers practica for visiting teachers. These take the form of a full day of professional learning for which the school is paid. The justification for the professional learning component is to minimize ‘educational tourism’ by giving visitors a complete and complex understanding of the philosophy and pedagogy of the Learning Centre and Enquiry Zone. The practica occur once a month and schools from around Australia and overseas have taken advantage of this opportunity.38

Of course, having a co-located high school is not a pre-requisite for teacher professional development, as pre-service teachers can obtain placements in other schools and in-service teachers can attend professional development workshops at other sites. Hence a co-located high school would need to demonstrate superior professional development outcomes – e.g., through the demonstration of innovative teaching methods to visiting teachers during practicum visits – for this to be seen as a distinguishing feature and benefit of a co-located high school.

6.5.1 Australian Science and Mathematics School

At ASMS, professional development has occurred through a number of channels:

37 See http://www-public.jcu.edu.au/jcnn/JCU_106770 38 Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI), OECD, 2011, Quality Learning Centre and Enquiry

Zone, Mordialloc College, paper presented to the International Conference on Innovative Learning Environments, Banff, Canada, October 2011, p. 11.



� professional practice program, ranging from half day to full week programs for teachers from other schools, in which “educators are welcomed into ASMS classrooms working alongside students and teachers to develop a deeper understanding of the curriculum framework and pedagogical practices of the ASMS”;39

� a Graduate Certificate in Education (Professional Learning) , developed by Flinders University School of Education Staff and the ASMS leadership, an eight month course for ASMS staff and teachers from other schools; and

� extension studies research projects undertaken by students at ASMS with supervision by a teacher and an expert mentor, such as a researcher at Flinders University.

Extension studies projects are similar to the extended essay component of the IB, although they take place outside of the IB. All these channels are potentially available to a JCU High School.

6.5.2 Indigenous Schooling Support Unit

ISSU leads the RATEP program, which is directed at pre-service teacher preparation and training at a variety of levels (Cert III, IV Diploma and Degree) for Indigenous people in their home communities. In addition, there is in-service professional development, including:

� classroom profiling, a data driven process that allow teachers to reflect on their professional development, combined with Essential Skills for Classroom Management workshop;

� English as a Second Language – theory, methodology and pedagogy;

� Crossing Cultures – professional development and education about Indigenous peoples’ experience and perspective;

� PD [Professional Development] in-a-Box – to embed ICT Use in classroom curriculum and practice; and

� CY Science (see why science) is an innovative project that supports the teaching of the Australian Curriculum in science, specialising in remote and Indigenous education.

6.5.3 Teachers in North Queensland

There are around 850 secondary school teachers in State High Schools and North Queensland and up to 400 in non-State high schools who may potentially benefit from professional development delivered through a JCU High School (Table 17). The number of teachers who may benefit is larger than the number in North Queensland, as potentially teachers from all over the State may attend professional practice programs at JCU High School or participate in workshops or training via the internet.

39 http://www.asms.sa.edu.au/pd/program/Pages/ProfessionalPracticeProgram.aspx



Table 17: Secondary teachers in State High Schools, Queensland

DETE Region

FTEs

Central Queensland 1,215

Darling Downs-South West 1,217

Far North Queensland 919

Metropolitan 3,045

North Coast 2,795

North Queensland 854

South East 2,720

Total 12,765

Source: DETE, 2012.

6.6 Options for the feasibility study

6.6.1 Options explored

Based on the analysis of demographics and our review of the Academy model and alternatives for a co-located high school, and in consultation with the Reference Group, we have selected three options for further consideration in the feasibility study, as outlined below. All of the first three options have the objective of being a University High School and acting as a lighthouse school with school-industry links for the region. Option 3 would, however, also function as a full high school.

� Option 1: Refurbishment of Western Campus to create a 400-500 student school (boarding for 100).

− Option 1a: Refurbishment of Western Campus to create a 400-500 student school (without boarding).

� Option 2: Greenfield build of a 400-500 student school (boarding for 100).

− Option 2a: Greenfield build of a 400-500 student school (no boarding)

� Option 3: Full High School of 1,200 student capacity (boarding for 100).

� Option 4: Without project case (which would not preclude non-infrastructure developments such as greater use of e-learning or the use of JCU accommodation when students are not there).

Option 1 is most consistent with the original Hornery Institute and JCU vision for the school to make use of vacated Western Campus buildings. The site could comfortably house a school of 400-500 students.

Option 2, a greenfield build, is an important comparator to a refurbishment option, to test whether a refurbishment of the Western Campus site is cost-effective. Also, importantly, the school may be better designed to create innovative and flexible learning spaces if there is a greenfield development.



Option 3, a full High School, is necessary to consider because the commitment to explore the feasibility of a co-located high school may be interpreted to include the consideration of a standard size high school, typically of 1,200 student capacity, co-located with the university.

Option 4, the without project case, is included as an option to compare other options against, as the Government always has the option not to proceed with the High School if there are not demonstrable net economic and social benefits to the community that justify the expenditure of public funds on the project rather than competing priorities. In this case, the Government may wish to consider the opportunities to connect students with JCU via e-learning or through short residential courses on the campus, taking advantage of the 1,462 beds on campus, the majority of which are free during university vacation periods. Key features of options are summarised in Table 18 below. We have also included two sub-options for Options 1 and 2 which do not include boarding accommodation.



Table 18: Key features of options

Option Infrastructure Educational program

1. Refurbishment High school of 450 students


(not-included in sub-

option 1a)



Re-use of Western Campus

academic buildings

QSA curriculum

Fast-tracking & direct entry arrangements

with JCU

Entry by application but not strictly on

academic criteria

Close cooperation with JCU on teacher

professional development, including the

hosting of practicum visits by teachers from

other schools

2. Greenfield High school of 450 students


(not included in sub-

option 2a)



Use of greenfield site to

west of Western Campus

academic buildings

QSA curriculum


with JCU

Entry by application but not strictly on

academic criteria




other schools

3. Full high school High school of 1,200

students




Use of greenfield site and

potentially existing Western

Campus academic buildings

QSA curriculum


with JCU

Limited number of places by application,

but not strictly on academic criteria

Bulk of places for students within relevant

catchment area




other schools

4. Without project

case

None / minimal Opportunities to connect students with JCU

via e-learning or through short residential

courses on the campus, taking advantage of

the 1,462 beds on campus, the majority of

which are free during university vacation

periods

Source: MJA, 2012.

6.6.2 Other options not considered in the feasibility study

While the options above are explored in the feasibility study, it is recognised there are other options that the Government may wish to consider, including different sizes of high schools, noting the constraint that at least 150 students per year level are required to offer a full curriculum.



Limited infrastructure options

During consultations for the feasibility study, some other options, which might not be strictly considered as a co-located high school, were raised as possibilities by stakeholders, including:

� IB scholarship for North Queensland –the Government offers a limited number of IB scholarships to North Queensland students so they can attend a school which offers the IB (e.g., a scholarship of around $9,000 would be required to allow a student to attend Townsville Grammar School); and

� e-learning JCU High School – a JCU High School has a minimal presence on the campus, mainly consisting of a studies centre and boarding accommodation to allow distance education students (see Box 7) to visit the campus occasionally for practical work they need to complete within labs or workshops, either on campus at JCU or other schools. Under this option, it may be that existing accommodation at JCU could be used to host students when the JCU students are not there (i.e. during holiday periods), noting some accommodation on campus can be unoccupied for around one-third of the year.

These options were not explicitly considered as part of this feasibility study, but the Government may choose to note the opportunities available around e-learning, which can leverage existing system and infrastructure, such as the web-based e-learning platform used by Brisbane SDE and the existing accommodation on the Douglas campus of JCU.

Box 7: Distance education in Queensland

Education Queensland provides distance education services through seven state schools of distance

education (SDE) which were established to provide a schooling service to geographically isolated and

other home based students with limited educational choice.

Additionally, schools of distance education provide services to enhance learning opportunities by

offering wider subject choice for mainstream school students and providing a service for by choice home

based learners and students in a range of alternative education centres.

The seven SDEs are:

� Brisbane SDE;

� Cairns SDE;

� Capricornia (Emerald Campus) SDE;

� Charleville SDE;

� Charters Towers SDE;

� Longreach SDE; and

� Mt Isa School of the Air.

SDEs generally deliver lessons via web conferencing, using electronic blackboard platforms developed

for web-based education (e.g. Blackboard Collaborate, previously Elluminate Live!).

Source: DETE website and MJA consultations, 2012.

Campus of an existing high school

One option, which may be considered a sub-option of the University High School options 1 and 2, arose from a suggestion from a member of the Reference Group that a JCU High School



could be a campus of an existing high school in Townsville, such as Kirwan or Pimlico. That is, it could act as a senior campus of either school, or as a campus for students at either school who wish to pursue the IB.

Having the JCU High School as a campus of Kirwan High, which currently has student numbers in excess of its capacity, may provide a sufficient number of students to guarantee the viability of the school.

An important consideration would be whether parents and students would be comfortable with students spending 2-3 years at one campus before having to attend another. Also, operational costs would need to be considered. For example, a dedicated bus may be needed to connect the two campuses, so students could travel to the main campus to use facilities there as required.

Costings developed for options 1 and 2 could be taken as indicative for the cost of developing a campus of an existing high school at the JCU High School site.



7. Options for a co-located JCU High School

This section presents the options that have been developed for consideration in the feasibility study. The project is currently at the conceptual stage and hence options presented should not be assumed to be definitive, and variations on the options are possible. The ultimate goal of the feasibility study is to inform the development of a performance brief specifying the parameters of a JCU High School, based on the findings of the feasibility study, which can be used by an architect to develop plans for the high school.

At this scoping or conceptual stage, it is undesirable to develop detailed floor plans for options, as this would provide a level of spurious precision, given that part of the reason for the feasibility study is to provide a concept for feedback from the community and decision makers, which will inform the ultimate design.

7.1 Option 1 – University High School with refurbishment of

existing buildings

Option 1 involves a refurbishment of five existing buildings on the JCU Western Campus, the construction of a new multipurpose centre and the construction of links between buildings. With a capacity of 450 students, this option is most consistent with the proposed option in the Hornery Institute report A University School for Townsville’s Knowledge Precinct.

The school would have an ICT-rich environment and open spaces, eschewing traditional rigid learning areas. As noted above, examples of these learning environments are available in Australia and internationally (e.g. see Figure 21).

Figure 21: Examples of ICT rich and innovative learning areas, Dandenong High School, Victoria

Source: Mitchell Brandtman, 2012.



The school’s multipurpose facility can serve a variety of uses including as an assembly hall, indoor sports centre and concert venue among others (Figure 22). Hence it may be able to generate a revenue stream to help offset operational costs.

Figure 22: Examples of a modern multipurpose facility at St Augustine’s College, Cairns

Source: MMP Architects, 2012.

Boarding facilities for 100 students would be developed by refurbishing the old academic buildings 252 and 253 (C and D Blocks) located within the ring road, providing important safety benefits. 2D and 3D master-plan drawings are provided in Figure 23 and Figure 24. Overall, there is a general floor area (GFA) of 5,780m2 available across the buildings in the master plan (Table 19) for option 1. Floor area allocations were informed by consultation by MMP Architects with DETE on GFA requirements per student for different activity types.



Figure 23: 3D concept design of option 1 – refurbishment of Western campus



Figure 24: 2D concept design of option 1 – refurbishment of Western campus



Table 19: Option 1 – GFA available by facility type, m2

Building

1

(New)

2

(258)

3

(251)

4

(252)

5

(253)

6

(254)

7

(New)

9

(theatre)

Total

Library 250 250

General learning area 1000 1,000

Physical education 650 650

Administration/staff 100 500 50 20 670

Pupil amenities 20 40 130 20 20 210

Travel/engineering maintenance 280 500 100 400 100 1,100

Science & prep. 700

Art 250 250

Other specialist rooms 350 350

Music/drama/dance 300 300

Boarding 1,660 1,660 3,320

Total (excl. boarding) 100 1,500 2,440 250 1,070 420 5,780




The master plan shows how a new school can fit on the site containing existing Western Campus academic buildings, and how most of those can be re-used by refurbishment and reconfiguration. There is some new building work, mainly the building of a new multipurpose hall and a new reception area, with a bridging link between buildings 251 and 258.

Overall the teaching spaces allocated and the areas are similar to typical new Queensland State High Schools. No allocation has been made for Manual Arts or Food technology.

There is extra space allocation because of the new hall and because we are proposing that the existing theatre be used for Music and Drama and the space in that building is greater than a newly planned space.

There is a difference in some allocation of travel space (verandahs, corridors, etc) because mostly this planning is quite compact, using indoor corridors that serve multiple spaces, compared with traditional planning with external access via verandahs.

This type of planning and the shape of buildings means that air-conditioning will be required for most spaces all year round.

The overall available area for this option would be greater than that required for a new school because of surplus space in some of the existing buildings. We have also suggested the reuse of building 254, which is currently a Student Service building in reasonable condition and well suited for a similar use, but excessive to normal requirements.

The existing buildings 252 and 253 are suitable for conversion to boarding but contain excessive space particularly on the lower levels proposed for ancillary boarders services (recreation, dining, infirmary, etc). These can be converted in two stages to enable progressive growth of boarding numbers as required. It is proposed that the kitchen dining area be used as a cafeteria for day scholars as well.

In designing this option and option 2, MMP Architects and Mitchell Brandtman have adhered to a number of principles regarding the quality of finish and design components, which have informed the concept designs and cost estimates (Box 8).



Box 8: Quality of finish and design components

An aim has been to obtain a high level of connectivity between buildings.

Understanding the importance of flexible teaching spaces is a key design element – adopting a

somewhat modular form to achieve this flexibility.

Generous amount of external and communal spaces that bridge to the learning spaces.

Provision the options for natural ventilation.

Higher level of finish than generally specified for State schools. E.g.:

� use of prefinished external cladding to buildings, stainless steel rainwater goods and the like

� featured paving, installation of high quality hard and mature soft landscaping

� state of the art High quality Electrical, Communications and Mechanical Services

� use of flexible furniture incorporated into various workable spaces

� movable glass walls and acoustic folding walls

� high quality floor coverings

� energy efficient fixtures and fittings

� high wear, low maintenance internal linings and finishes


Note that in this option we have maintained current car park facilities, as there appear to be sufficient car parks at and around the Western Campus to accommodate a high school of 400-500 students.40

7.2 Option 2 – University High School on greenfield site

Broadly, this option has the same objectives as option 1 – to provide innovative learning facilities for 450 student school covering years 10-12 and eventually housing up to 100 boarders. A high school on a greenfield site to the west of the Western Campus academic buildings, however, would not have the constraints of the existing shells of the buildings on the Western Campus and DETE would be able to have an architect experiment with innovative designs, including the greater use of innovative features such as learning commons and large breakout spaces (see Figure 25).

40 DETE guidelines for car parks are: 1 car park for every staff member; 13 per cent of student enrolment;

10 per cent of year 12 students; visitor parking for 15; 1 car park for people with a disability. For a 450 student school, with approximately 50 FTE staff, this would imply 140 car parks.



Figure 25: Example of a breakout space, Marysville Getchell High School, Washington, USA

The 3D and 2D master plans (Figure 26 and Figure 27) shows how a new school can fit on the site currently occupied by the existing Western Campus Halls of residence. Based on the condition assessment, these are not fit for reuse and we propose demolition of all buildings on the site.

All buildings proposed are new with the exception of the existing theatre that we propose to reuse for Music and Drama.

There is extra space allocation because of the new hall and because the area in the existing theatre building is greater than a newly planned space.

Overall, the teaching spaces allocated and the areas are similar to typical new Queensland State High Schools. No allocation has been made for Manual Arts or Food technology.

This planning is more aligned to a traditional high school with external access to rooms. It still offers the opportunity of flexible learning spaces.

This type of planning enables greater use of natural ventilation.

The new boarding residences are compactly planned and it is proposed to utilise the kitchen dining as a cafeteria for day scholars.

Overall there is a GFA of 6,215m2 available across the buildings in the master plan (Table 20) for option 2.



Figure 26: 3D concept design of option 2 – Greenfield to west of Western Campus



Figure 27: 2D concept design of option 2 – Greenfield to west of Western Campus



Table 20: Option 2 –GFA available by facility type, m2

Building

1

(New)

2

(New)

3

(New)

4

(New)

5

(New)

6

(New)

7

(New)

8

(New)

9

(New)

10

(New)

Total

Library 250 250

General learning area 920 80 1,000

Physical education 650 650

Administration/staff 250 250 20 140 15 675

Pupil amenities 60 400 50 20 530

Travel/engineering maintenance 50 50 300 300 100 350 360 100 1,610

Specialist rooms (labs, art, etc) 1,200 1,200

Music/drama/dance 300 300

Boarding (50 boarders to each

building)

2,500 2,500

Total (excl. boarding) 300 300 1,520 1,360 345 160 1,400 410 420 6,215




7.3 Option 3 – Full-sized co-located high school

Based on advice from DETE’s Infrastructure Services Division that a standard 450 student school would typically require a gross floor area of around 7,000 m2, the buildings on Western Campus identified by the Hornery Institute as available for refurbishment (9,272 m2) would be insufficient to cater for any more than around 600 students in a standard high school requiring the full range of facilities include for manual arts and food technology.41 Hence a standard high school may need to make use of the surplus Western Campus buildings and also the greenfield site in option 2.

Architectural master plans were not developed for option 3 because it was determined not to be cost-effective, given the substantial additional work that would be involved in developing a master plan for a 1,200 student high school as opposed to a 450 student high school. Instead, it was decided that cost estimates for a full-sized high school would be developed by extrapolating estimates for options for which master plans were developed. Although this is imperfect (e.g. we are extrapolating from designs that do not include manual arts or food technology areas which a full-sized high school would require), it is expected to give a broad indication of the magnitude of costs involved.

The full-sized high school, catering for around 1,200 students and with boarding facilities for 100, would be built according to the same principles as options 1 and 2 – i.e., it is to have innovative learning spaces that are amenable to group learning and team teaching in an ICT-rich environment.

7.4 Option 4 – Without project case

Under the without project case, we assume the following:

� a new State High School is constructed at Rocky Springs in Townsville by 2031, relieving pressure at William Ross; and

� student numbers at State High Schools grow in line with the OESR projections presented in Section 3.

As noted above, the without project case does not exclude the possibility of non-infrastructure responses to North Queensland’s relatively lower matriculation to university, including greater use of e-learning and residential courses for secondary students at JCU when existing accommodation is vacant.

41 Email from the Manager – Capital Works Projects, Infrastructure Planning and Delivery, Infrastructure Services

Division, DETE, 30 July 2012.



8. Technical feasibility

This section discusses issues relevant to the technical feasibility of the options, including the suitability of the Western Campus buildings for re-use. It does not consider whether the options are economically feasible, which will depend on whether the expected benefits exceed the costs. That is, even if it is technically feasible to build a high school on the site and the minimum number of student can be attracted to ensure it is operationally viable, the costs of the project may still exceed the benefits and it may not be economically feasible.

8.1 Condition assessment of Western Campus buildings

To determine whether refurbishment option 1 was technically feasible, Mitchell Brandtman and MMP Architects, with assistance from GHD, completed a condition assessment of the Western Campus buildings. Broadly, the condition assessment found that current buildings do not meet current standards and would need substantial re-fitting, although the concreted shells of the buildings appear suitable for re-use. Further, services to the site would be inadequate for use as a school, and would require substantial upgrading. Mitchell Brandtman concluded:

After conducting a visual inspection of the property it is our opinion that the majority of the buildings are generally in poor condition internally. The building structure to the Western Campus buildings appears to be solid and could be used in a refurbished use.

The accommodation buildings to the Western Halls site are in considerably worse condition and while the structural fabric of these buildings could be regarded as redeemable, the cost implications to undertake this work could render this option unviable.

It is our opinion that a significant amount of rectification and alteration is required to bring these buildings to an acceptable standard and to prevent any long term structural failure if they are to be reused.42

Some of the areas in building 251, the old library, are in very poor condition (see Figure 28). Hence, a refurbishment rather than a greenfield build may not yield the magnitude of savings that may otherwise be expected.

42 Mitchell Brandtman, 2012, James Cook University Condition Assessment Report for Western Hall and Western

Campus, report prepared for Marsden Jacob Associates and DETE, p. 8.



Figure 28: Examples of condition of Western Campus building 251


Detailed findings of the condition assessment are provided in a report by Mitchell Brandtman accompanying this study.43

8.2 Technical feasibility – common issues across options

8.2.1 Operational viability

As discussed in Section 4, there are risks that a JCU High School would not obtain the minimum number of students per year level – around 150 – to make a school viable in the sense that it could offer a full educational program.

Options 1 and 2 (a 400-500 student University High School) would both be expected to draw significant numbers of high achievers from existing State High Schools in Townsville, particularly Pimlico and Kirwan State High Schools. It would also be likely to attract students from private schools in Townsville, whose parents may be attracted by a less expensive though high quality education option. That said, there are significant doubts around whether sufficient students will be attracted to a JCU High School to ensure its ongoing viability, which would require around 150 students per year level.

Based on the identification of significant numbers of high achievers at boarding schools in Townsville and cities in the broader region, it is possible that sufficient numbers of students may attend a JCU High School if it has boarding facilities. There is also the prospect of attracting international students through JCU’s Singapore campus, although they may crowd out boarding opportunities for regional and remote students.

43 Mitchell Brandtman, 2012, James Cook University Condition Assessment Report for Western Hall and Western

Campus, report prepared for Marsden Jacob Associates and DETE.



Based on an analysis of Townsville State High Schools, even for the 400-500 student options, it is unlikely that sufficient numbers could come from Townsville High Schools without having a large, adverse impact on local High Schools by taking away proportionately large numbers of the top achievers.

While it is not possible to forecast the composition of student numbers at a JCU High School, based on consultations and analysis of enrolment data, it is possible that the different groups of students may include:

� students from existing Townsville State High Schools – possibly between 25 to 50 students per year level if the school took 5 to 10 per cent of the students at Townsville State High Schools who would eventually receive an Overall Position (OP) score;

� students from existing Townsville private schools – possibly another 25 to 50 students, an estimate informed by both consultations with Townsville private school principals and the observed impact of the Queensland Academies, which drew up to half their students from private schools;

� students from boarding schools outside Townsville (including Indigenous students from Cape York) – possibly another 20-40 students, which would be typical of boarding school numbers per year level at other boarding schools in Townsville and would represent a market share of around 2-3 per cent of the total Queensland boarding market; this would not be implausible if there was a quality State high school boarding option that charged lower tuition fees than a private boarding school;

� students from State High Schools outside Townsville – a very small number as the families of the students may not have the means to cover the boarding charges; and

� international students who have been attracted via JCU’s international network of campuses such as in Singapore – an unknown number that could range from very few to several dozen, based on the varying experiences of existing Townsville State High Schools, other high schools across Queensland and co-located high schools in other States.

Therefore, on optimistic assumptions, an enrolment of 150 students in each year level across years 10 to 12 could be obtained, but there are obvious risks involved, and more so if there are no boarding facilities.

For the full high school (Option 4), the high school would need to have its own catchment boundary and would necessarily take substantial numbers of students from nearby high schools. By defining a catchment, a full high school could obtain sufficient number of students, but it may seriously threaten the viability of nearby Heatley and Thuringowa High Schools, both of which are currently operating significantly below capacity.

8.2.2 Availability of suitable land

The development of a co-located high school on the Douglas campus of JCU appears technically feasible, according to the condition assessment of the Western Campus site conducted by Mitchell Brandtman. There is sufficient available land for a high school of a range of sizes, and buildings available for refurbishment, if desired. The part of the Western Campus surrounded by the ring road, which contains the buildings designated for potential refurbishment, is 2.40 hectares (ha) in area, while a greenfield site to the west of this precinct identified by JCU, has an area of 3.24 ha, giving potentially an available area of 5.64 ha. While this is smaller in area than other high schools in the Townsville area, a JCU High School would



be able to share ovals with JCU, and there is potentially more land available to a JCU High School than the land area that two of the Queensland Academies are situated on (Table 21).

Table 21: Land area of selected Queensland High Schools

School Area

ha

Capacity

Student no.

Heatley Secondary College 11.195 1,427

Kirwan SHS 13.72 2,044

Northern Beaches SHS 14.55 868

Pimlico SHS 9.352 1,717

Townsville SHS 8.256 1,230

Thuringowa SHS 14.72 1,078

QACI 0.2577 450

QASMT 9.644 450

QAHS 2.279 450

Source: DETE, 2012.

Consultation with the JCU Vice-Chancellor suggests that JCU would provide the necessary land (and any buildings on the land) to DETE to develop a JCU High School.

8.2.3 Development approval

Obtaining development approvals is not a barrier if the school were operated by DETE, as DETE could designate the development as community infrastructure under Chapter 5 of the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 (see Box 9).



Box 9: Designation of new schools under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 (Qld)

Background

When a major land use change is proposed (i.e., a change in land use from ‘undeveloped’ to

‘developed’) those proposing this change must apply to the relevant local Council seeking permission to

do so.

Council would respond by examining the proposal against the pattern of permissible uses shown on

their Planning Scheme documents.

Should the proposed land use change be approved, Council would normally impose conditions of this

approval, such as a certain contribution towards services such as water and sewerage, roads etc.

Council’s building location requirements would need to be observed by the proposed new building –

setback, side boundaries, etc.

Several years ago it was considered inappropriate that State departments responsible for planning

infrastructure such as hospitals and schools should have their projects assessed in this way. Council

processes (‘IDAS processes’) were considered too slow, too unpredictable.

There was also a strong feeling that schools or hospitals themselves constituted infrastructure for

community purposes and it was therefore anomalous that such projects should be required to pay for

sewerage, roads, etc.

DETE and many other infrastructure agents now follow the practice of designating new schools etc

under the provisions in the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 (‘SPA’).

The effect of designation is to lift the new school out of the Council’s jurisdiction, DETE becomes no

longer liable, in the case of the particular school, for enabling infrastructure charges and conditions, and

can proceed to construction etc without the risk of being held up by protracted negotiations with

Council.

Relevant sections of SPA

Chapter 5 ‘Designation of Land for Community Infrastructure’.

S 200 – A Minister may designate land for community infrastructure

S 201 - if this Minister is satisfied that the proposal will meet public benefit tests

S 205 - one of the effects of designation is that the designating entity is not responsible for

infrastructure charges levied by Council.

Part 2 – Matters the Minister must consider before designating land - describes the formal process of

notification and assessment of the impact of the proposed project, and processes of consultation with

the local community, and Council, which must be undertaken by the Minister prior to designating.

Schedule 2 of the Sustainable Planning Regulations 2009 – lists the types of community infrastructure

which may be designated.

Source: DETE, 2012.

8.2.4 Transport network

It is unclear whether upgrades of the external road network would be required as a result of the development of a JCU High School. A 2008 study by Flanagan Consulting for the JCU Discovery Rise project, regarding the traffic implications of the development, found that the



development would not necessitate augmentations to internal or external road networks. This finding appears to rest on the assumption that a large proportion of trips (70 per cent) generated by the Discovery Rise project in peak times are contained within the campus.44 It is unclear how the development of a JCU High School would affect the conclusions of this study. Depending on the size of the school, a JCU High School may generate a sufficient number of trips to and from the campus each day from elsewhere in Townsville such that an augmentation of the road network may be required to accommodate these additional trips. In consultations, stakeholders noted that the traffic at the entrance to JCU is already heavy in peak times.

With anticipated growth in the university coming not least from the mixed use Discovery Rise development, a JCU High School may be only one contributing factor to any required augmentation of the external road network, and may not be the main factor. Hence additional work is required to analyse the potential impact on traffic flows and any required transport network augmentations.

8.2.5 Access to JCU facilities

The JCU Vice-Chancellor has indicated that JCU would be willing to provide access to ovals and other recreational facilities to students of a JCU High School, as well as access to research facilities and libraries, similar to arrangements that QACI and QAHS have with QUT and Griffith University respectively. The precise terms of agreement to access facilities would need to be worked out between DETE and JCU during the finalisation of a model for the JCU High School, prior to commissioning its development.

44 Flanagan Consulting, 2008, Transport Network Study Report, p. 45.



9. Economic and financial feasibility

This section analyses the economic and financial feasibility of the options that were presented in section 7.

9.1 Economic feasibility

An analysis of the economic feasibility of a project begins with understanding the CAPEX and OPEX of the project and then considering whether the expected benefits exceed these costs. Hence, we first present estimates of the likely costs of the different options.

9.1.1 Estimation of CAPEX

Options 1 and 2 – refurbishment and greenfield

CAPEX estimates for options 1 and 2 were provided by quantity surveyors and construction consultants Mitchell Brandtman, based on site-specific options designed by MMP Architects (see Box 10).

Box 10: Mitchell Brandtman methodology

The overall methodology adopted in the preparation of this report has been to:

� review the information provided and determine those options that best suit the criteria as outlined

in the Invitation to Offer DETE - 101171;

� undertake an investigation of the site to observe the extent and condition of existing building and

potential locations for a new build site;

� undertake a condition assessment report to provide a basis for which to form an opinion on the

possible reuse of existing buildings;

� research specific and current design models to best suit the intended purpose of the high school;

� research specific rates and construction prices relevant to September 2012 and carry out

measurements and determined comparable costs;

� we have also relied upon Mitchell Brandtman’s internal price schedule referred to as the Mitchell

Brandtman “Rate Code”; and

� provide a comparison for the differing options, being refurbishments versus new builds, including

student accommodation.

All costs exclude GST unless noted otherwise.


Mitchell Brandtman’s estimates of CAPEX for the different options are provided in Table 22. Breakdowns of the costings are provided in Appendix D, with further details and a description of costing assumptions provided in Mitchell Brandtman’s companion report.



Table 22: Quantity Surveyor CAPEX estimates for options 1 and 2

Option Construction

$M

Professional

fees

$M

Contingencies

$M

Total

$M

GFA

m2

Unit cost

$/m2

1. Refurbishment 21.6 2.2 3.2 27.0 5,780 4,671

2. Greenfield 28.3 2.8 4.3 35.4 6,215 5,702


Note: Costs are current as at September 2012. Professional fees are assumed to equal 10 per cent of the

construction value and contingencies of 15 per cent of the construction value are assumed.

As may be expected, the refurbishment option is less costly than the greenfield option as it can, to an extent, make use of existing structures and services. The estimated cost of constructing a 450 student co-located high school at JCU, which would include significantly higher specifications of facilities than standard high schools, compares reasonably well with the estimated $41 million construction budget of QACI, which included highly specialised facilities, including theatre performance spaces, editing suites, recording studios and a double-height art gallery.45 With a GFA of around 6,300m2, the construction of QACI cost approximately $6,500/m2 in 2008.

Option 3 – full high school

Costs for a full high school of 1,200 to 1,500 students on the JCU campus were estimated by extrapolating from Mitchell Brandtman’s cost estimates for the greenfield option 2. Specifically, we scaled up by three the facilities for 450 students listed in Table 23, with a view to accommodating at least 1,200 students in a full high school. This is an imprecise estimate and should be considered as indicative only of the broad magnitude of the cost. A more accurate cost estimate would require the preparation of architectural master plans for this option, such as were prepared for options 1 and 2.

45 PDT Architects, 2012, Design in Detail.



Table 23: Extrapolation to cost of full high school

Item Cost

$M

Elements of greenfield option

Building 3 – specialist academic spaces and prep / store 1.5

Building 4 – general learning spaces and staff offices 2.0

Building 5 – library 1.1

Building 6 – student amenities 0.7

Link bridge 1.4

Refectory 1.3

Landscaping and external services 3.5

A. Sub-total 11.7

B. Additional construction costs (2 x A) 23.4

C. Additional professional fees (10 per cent x B) 2.3

D. Additional contingencies (15 per cent x B) 3.5

E. Total cost of original greenfield option 35.4

Extrapolated total cost (B+C+D+E) 64.7

Source: MJA, 2012.

This is broadly consistent with advice from DETE that recent high schools cost from $50 million and upwards in CAPEX. As it is extrapolated from the Mitchell Brandtman costings, the full high school option will also contain a very high level of facilities and the capacity to adopt flexible, innovative learning areas.

Option 4 – without project case

It is assumed in the without project case that DETE will build a new high school in the Townsville region over the next twenty years, most likely to service the Rocky Springs estate. Estimates for a full high school are based on advice from DETE regarding the cost of recent high schools of around $50 million for a 1,200-1,500 person school.

9.1.2 Estimation of OPEX

OPEX for different options was based on advice from DETE and published budgetary information. The average cost per secondary student (years 8 to 12) in Queensland State High Schools was an estimated $13,399 in 2011-12, an increase of 6.8% since 2010-11.46 For a 1,200 student high school, this would mean annual OPEX of around $16 million, and for a 450 student school OPEX of around $6 million (although this includes head office costs).

The major cost of schools comprises staffing costs. These are difficult to forecast because schools have some flexibility to hire staff and salaries will depend on the composition and experience of the teaching body. Broadly, across a range of high schools there appears to be around one teacher per 15 students. Additionally there are non-teaching positions in

46 Queensland Government, 2012, 2011-12 Queensland State Budget – Service Delivery Statements – Department

of Education and Training, p. 3-74.



administration (Table 24). In interpreting this table, it needs to be borne in mind that Academies are entitled to 0.18 more teachers than other schools, reflecting the demands of the IB. It is possible that a JCU High School may also require a slightly higher number of teachers than if it were not a co-located high school, to facilitate the interaction with JCU and professional development programs.

Table 24: Examples of staffing at different high schools, FTEs, 2011

School Students Teaching

Non-

teaching

Total Teaching

(per

student)

Non-

teaching

(per

student)

Total

(per

student)

Kirwan SHS 2,131 143 45 188 14.9 47.4 11.3

Pimlico SHS 1,499 106 27 133 14.1 55.5 11.3

QACI 306 33 14 47 9.3 21.9 6.5

QAHS 305 32 16 48 9.5 19.1 6.4

QASMT* 395 38 16 54 10.4 24.7 7.3

Source: School annual reports, 2012.

* Data for QASMT are for 2010.

Teacher salaries depend on experience, with a wide range of pay points, ranging from around $48,800 per annum for a beginning teacher, $81,300 for a Senior Teacher, $93,700 to $98,400 for a head of department, and up to $143,100 for an Executive Principal.47

For some options, there will be additional OPEX due to specialised educational and professional development activities associated with the option. An allowance of $0.5 million p.a. is provided for the costs of these additional activities based on desktop research and consultations. This includes costs for both the JCU High School itself and JCU (Table 25). We have not assumed any additional costs for academic and research staff time, or for the use of specialised labs or equipment, assuming these costs are met within JCU’s existing budget.

Table 25: Allowance for additional costs of co-located high school

Item Cost p.a.

$

Comments

3 additional teachers 200,000 Based on consultation with ASMS

Cost of teacher travel and accommodation to

attend practicum visits

100,000 MJA assumption

JCU officer to coordinate university’s

interaction with University High School


JCU international marketing of University High

School


Total additional costs p.a. 500,000

Source: MJA, 2012.

To compare refurbishment and greenfield options in lifecycle terms, Mitchell Brandtman estimated lifecycle costs for these options based on historical information relating to the

47 Information on teacher salaries is available at http://education.qld.gov.au/hr/recruitment/teaching/salary.html.



different elements of the CAPEX investments (see Appendix E). The lifecycle costs estimate includes:

� preventative Maintenance: inspection of termite barriers, services of door hinges and locks, yearly clean of carpets and the like;

� corrective Maintenance: replacement of broken glass, repair ripped carpet, replace door locks and the like; and

� replacement: replacement of roofing after effective life, replacement of doors, etc.

Together with assumptions regarding other operational costs at schools, this allows an estimation of the OPEX of different options and the incremental (i.e. genuinely additional) OPEX of the options (Table 26).

Table 26: Summary of costs of options for JCU High School

Option Main-

tenance

p.a.

$

OPEX

(standard)

p.a.

$

OPEX

(prof.

develop.)

p.a.

$

OPEX

(boarding)

p.a.

$

Total

OPEX p.a.

$

OPEX

savings at

other

schools

p.a.

$

Incre-

mental

OPEX p.a.

$

1. Refurb. 347,728 4,770,000 500,000 1,000,000 6,617,728 3,780,000 2,837,728

1a. Refurb.

(no boarding)

272,577 4,770,000 500,000 - 5,542,577 3,780,000 1,762,577

2. Greenfield 454,045 4,770,000 500,000 1,000,000 6,724,045 3,780,000 2,944,045

2a. Greenfield

(no boarding)

347,460 4,770,000 500,000 - 5,617,460 3,780,000 1,837,460

3. Full SHS 1,362,136 12,720,000 500,000 1,000,000 15,582,136 10,080,000 5,502,136

Source: MJA, 2012.

Notes: a. For options 1 and 2, MJA estimated average maintenance p.a. from Mitchell Brandtman’s lifecycle cost

estimates (see Appendix E). Technically, MJA estimated annual equivalent values of the present value of Mitchell

Brandtman’s lifecycle cost estimates assuming a discount rate of 8 per cent.

b. Maintenance p.a. for option 3 is an MJA extrapolation of the maintenance p.a. for option 2 (assumed to

be three times the annual maintenance for option 2).

c. OPEX (standard) p.a. is based on average OPEX per student (excluding maintenance) at Townsville State

High Schools provided by DETE.

d. OPEX (prof. develop.) is the allowance for the additional professional development activities of a JCU

High School defined above.

e. OPEX savings at other schools is based on average staff costs per students at Townsville High Schools

(data provided by DETE), recognising that other elements of OPEX may be less sensitive to changes in student

numbers.

The maintenance cost estimate for a full high school is significantly larger than what is typically reported for state high schools, as it reflects the full lifecycle cost of maintaining the facilities at a high standard. Further, the full high school facilities in option 3 are based on the greenfield option 2 and hence are of a very high standard relative to typical high schools.

Refurbishment versus greenfield costs

The refurbishment option has slightly lower CAPEX and lifecycle costs than the greenfield option. CAPEX is lower largely because it makes use of the existing shells of several of the



buildings on the Western Campus. The higher lifecycle costs of the greenfield option may seem counter-intuitive, because theoretically the maintenance on the structure of a new building should be marginally less than that of a refurbished building. However, this is negated by the higher value of construction for the greenfield site, which requires slightly higher maintenance expenditures over its life to maintain its condition. Intuitively, the greenfield site option includes higher quality buildings than the refurbishment option. The greenfield site also has the flexibility to design and fit out a purpose built, state-of-the-art facility, which attracts a premium. The refurbishment option may compromise on services, and may therefore not have all the components that a greenfield site would have.

9.1.3 Assumptions under option 4 – the without project case

Under the without project case we assume the following:

� a new State High School is constructed at Rocky Springs in Townsville by 2031, relieving pressure at William Ross;

� student numbers at State High Schools grow in line with the OESR projections presented in Section 3; and

� OPEX at Townsville State High Schools grows in line with student enrolment projections, and an average total OPEX per student of $11,000 p.a. is assumed.

9.2 Comparison of options using cost-benefit analysis

9.2.1 Cost-benefit analysis framework

To compare options in a cost-benefit analysis, it is necessary to convert the stream of costs and benefits into present value terms, recognising the time value of money. This involves discounting future benefits and costs using a percentage discount rate per annum (see Box 11). In discounting costs and benefits, we applied a discount rate of 8 per cent p.a., consistent with the recommendation of a Productivity Commission study.48 A discount rate of 8 per cent p.a. implies that one dollar in twenty year’s time, for example, is worth only around 21 cents today.

48 Harrison, M., 2010, Valuing the Future: the social discount rate in cost-benefit analysis, Productivity

Commission, Canberra, p. vii.



Box 11: Discounting

The Australian Government Handbook of Cost-benefit Analysis notes a ‘defining feature’ of CBA is that:

...costs and benefits occurring at different points in time are compared. This is necessary

because costs are usually concentrated at the beginning of the project, while benefits

occur over an extended time period. The technique of converting benefits and costs that

occur over time into present values is known as discounting. This involves ‘factoring down’

costs and benefits according to the extent to which they occur in the future. 49

Future costs and benefits are factored down to reflect the time value of money. Dollars today are worth

more than an equivalent amount of dollars in the future, because today’s dollars could be invested and

earn a rate of interest, meaning that they are equivalent to a larger amount of future dollars, which

include compounded interest payments. Discounting future monetary values at a discount rate (e.g. 8

per cent p.a.) reverses the process of compound interest. The discount rate thus represents the

percentage rate (p.a.) at which benefits and costs are factored down to convert them into present

values (i.e., current dollars).

9.2.2 Main assumptions

The options presented above comprise co-located schools with significantly different levels of CAPEX, OPEX and potential benefits. In undertaking the comparison of options below, using the framework of cost-benefit analysis, a number of assumptions have been made, as set out in Table 27, which also recaps the key assumptions made earlier in the report.

49 Commonwealth of Australia, 2006, Handbook of Cost-benefit Analysis, p. 2.



Table 27: Main assumptions

Item Assumed value Comments

Discount rate 8 per cent Productivity Commission recommended discount rate.

Period of analysis 20 years

Chosen because it is very difficult to extrapolate beyond

20 years given OESR population projections are only out

to 2031 and lifecycle cost estimates are only available

for 15 years.

OPEX (excl.

maintenance) per

student at standard

high school (public

and private)

$10,600 per

student

p.a.

Based on cost data for Townsville State High Schools

provided by DETE. Similar data were unavailable for

non-Government schools so we assume the same level

of OPEX per student.

OPEX of boarding

accommodation

$10,000 per

student

Based on MJA's consultations with high schools that

offer boarding. Needs to be at a sufficient level to

provide necessary pastoral care.

Allowance for extra

school costs of

professional

development

activities $200,000 p.a.

Based on advice from ASMS Director of Professional

Learning Services they receive additional funding the

equivalent of three teachers’ salaries as a contribution

to professional development.

Cost of teacher

travel and

accommodation to

attend professional

development $100,000 p.a.

Assumed 100 teachers from outside Townsville attend

practicum programs at JCU High School each year at

cost of $1,000 in travel and accommodation costs each.

Average OPEX

(staffing) per student

$8,400 per

student p.a.

Based on cost data for Townsville State High Schools

provided by DETE.

State Government

financial

contribution to non-

Government schools

per secondary

student

$2,000 per

student p.a.

Based on a review of average State Government

recurrent funding to major Townsville non-Government

Schools reported for 2010 on the My School website.

Salvage value of

facilities at end of

period of analysis

Original CAPEX

estimates of

options

The lifecycle cost estimates produced by Mitchell

Brandtman include preventative maintenance,

corrective maintenance and replacement of fixtures

after their effective life, maintaining the condition of the

building.

Source: MJA, 2012.

9.2.3 Assumption regarding CAPEX at other schools

No assumptions are made around avoided CAPEX that could occur if a JCU High School were built. DETE has advised that the $15.3 million of funds allocated to prepare schools for the transition of year 7 into high school as part of the Flying Start initiative would need to be spent regardless of the construction of a JCU High School.

In Option 4, the without project case, we assume new CAPEX of around $50 million in today’s dollars in building a new high school in Townsville over the next twenty years, most likely at Rocky Springs. Based on advice from DETE, the population at Rocky Springs could not be



adequately serviced by William Ross SHS (and by implication a co-located high school at JCU) and hence it is not assumed that the construction of any of the options for a JCU High School will avoid the construction of a high school at Rocky Springs (if the development proceeds).

While it is plausible that, by taking students away from other schools, the construction of a JCU High School could avoid CAPEX on enhancing the capacity of some schools, particularly William Ross, it is unclear what the level of this avoided CAPEX would be and hence it is not included in the analysis.

9.2.4 Assumption regarding alternative uses of refurbished buildings

We assume that the Western Campus buildings, if not re-furbished for a JCU High School, would be mothballed or demolished, and no other use would be made of them. This means that the cost-benefit analysis does not need to take into account the need to accommodate any activities displaced by the opening of a JCU High School in refurbished Western Campus buildings.

9.3 Threshold level of benefits

The analysis of the incremental costs of different options for a JCU High School has established a threshold level of benefits that would need to be exceeded for an option to have positive net benefits to the community. The challenge for decision makers is to decide whether it is plausible that the level of benefits to the community could exceed these thresholds, recognising that many of the benefits are very difficult, if not impossible, to quantify.

Based on a literature review, the main incremental benefits that would arise from a JCU High School comprise:



� increased university participation – from encouraging students to attend university who would not otherwise;

� professional development benefit – potentially very significant; according to a 2007 US Education Department review, substantial professional development of teachers can result in improvements of average student performance by 21 percentile points (Yoon et al, 2007);50

� fast-tracking benefit – from earlier completion of university studies and more time in the labour force;

� higher quality schools facilities benefit – as there is some evidence that student performance is linked to air quality, ventilation and thermal comfort of school buildings (Schneider, 2002), but it is not strong enough to estimate quantitative benefits;

� innovative learning facilities benefit – benefits in terms of educational outcomes and ultimately lifetime earnings through school facilities that promote innovative learning practices including collaborative group learning, immersion in an ICT-rich environment, and team teaching, among others (see OECD, 2011);

� sharing of facilities benefit – through school students being able to take advantage of university facilities, including specialised research labs and sporting facilities; and

� other co-location benefits – such as the knowledge transfer that can occur through the co-location of a school and university and the potential impact on innovation and research.

These are incremental benefits – i.e., they do not include the benefit in terms of receiving a typical high school education that would have been obtained if a student attended another school rather than a co-located high school.

As there appears to be a high level of agreement among stakeholders that a JCU High School should not be an exclusively academically selective high school, we are not assuming any selective education benefits. In any case, the literature is ambiguous on the effectiveness of selective education, as noted by the 2002 Vinson Inquiry in NSW (see Box 12).

Of course, the benefits listed above – with the exception of the benefits related to co-location in a knowledge precinct – are not necessarily exclusive to a co-located high school, as it is possible that the benefits listed above could be delivered by high schools outside of a university campus. Hence an important question is whether a co-located high school is the best approach to delivering these benefits or whether there are cost-effective opportunities that can be explored with existing schools.

Based on the estimated CAPEX and OPEX for different options, the required annual threshold levels of benefits, equal to the equivalent annual cost, are set out in Table 28.

50 Further, Leigh and Mead (2005, p. 3) report evidence that students can move from the 50th to the 55th percentile

if a teacher moves from the 50th to the 90th percentile.



Table 28: Required threshold level of benefits

Option Present

Value (PV)

of CAPEX

$M

PV of OPEX

$M

PV of total

costs

$M

Equivalent

annual cost

$M

1. Refurbishment 21.2 27.9 49.1 5.0


2. Greenfield 27.8 28.9 56.7 5.8


3. Full high school 50.8 54.0 104.9 10.7

Source: MJA, 2012.

The benefits of increased tertiary attainment are arguably the simplest to estimate and potentially the largest, as obtaining a university degree can have a large impact on lifetime earnings. University graduates have higher lifetime earnings than non-university graduates on average. Based on ABS census data, we assume this uplift is of the order of $15,000 p.a.51 If it is assumed that 10 per cent of students attending JCU High School would not have otherwise attended university (i.e. around 15 graduates p.a.), then, for options 1 and 2, over 20 years, this would equate to a present value benefit of around $17.8 million, as the number of additional graduates accumulates and the additional benefit each year grows.

Table 29: Potential benefits in terms of lifetime earnings

Assumed additional students who graduate

from university

Option 10 per cent

of student

$M

25 per cent

of students

$M

50 per cent of

students

$M

1. & 1a. Refurbishment 17.8 44.4 88.8

2. & 2a. Greenfield 17.8 44.4 88.8


Source: MJA, 2012.

Comparing the estimated benefits from the potential uplift in lifetime earnings shows that the assumed percentage of students who are encouraged to attend university due to attending JCU High, and who would not have otherwise attended university, needs to be very high for this benefit alone to justify the cost of the high school.

It is very likely that many students who would attend a JCU High School would go onto attend university anyway if they went to another school, so it is unlikely there would be large proportions of students for whom the co-located high school would actually encourage eventual university enrolment.

This analysis suggests that high values would have to be placed on the professional development and other benefits of a co-located high school for the JCU High School options to be economically feasible. The analysis suggests that options 1 and 2 (particularly the sub-

51 Based on Labour Market Research Unit, 2008, “Queensland’s Qualification Profile”, Queensland’s Labour

Market Progress: A 2006 Census of Population and Housing Profile, Issue no. 4, Queensland Government Department of Education, Training and the Arts, p. 10.



options without boarding) are more likely to be economically feasible than option 3. We have not attempted to quantify the professional development and other benefits of a JCU High School because of the lack of clear methodologies for doing so and to avoid the risk of measuring the unmeasurable.

Regardless, while there is evidence that teacher professional development can have “a moderate effect on student achievement”, professional development of teachers in North Queensland would occur anyway in the absence of a JCU High School, and it would only be the additional professional development from a co-located high school that would be counted in a cost-benefit analysis.52

Overall, to reach the threshold level of benefits to support economic feasibility, a JCU High School would need to perform extraordinarily well in terms of its objectives, representing a major risk to its economic feasibility.

52 Yoon, K. et al., 2007.



Box 12: NSW Vinson Inquiry on benefits of selective education

In 2002, an Inquiry into the Provision of Public Education in NSW (chaired by Tony Vinson and known as

‘The Vinson Inquiry’) found that “despite the popularity of selective high schools, relatively little

research into the short-and long-term academic and other outcomes of different settings for gifted

students has been conducted.”

They noted that what evidence did exist has “shown minimal or no academic benefits of attending high-

ability schools, once achievement levels at the start of segregation are taken into account.” Relevant

references included:

� Dwyer, M. (1998) “Ripples in the pond”, Education Links, no. 56/57, Spring, pp. 25-28.

� Marsh, H.W. (1991) “Failure of high-ability high schools to deliver academic benefits commensurate

with their students’ ability levels.” American Educational Research Journal, Vol. 28, No. 2, pp 445 –

480; and

� Craven, R.G., Marsh, H.W., and Print, M. (2000) “Gifted, streamed and mixed ability programs for

gifted students: Impact on self-concept, motivation and achievement.” Australian Journal of

Education, Vol. 44, No. 1, 51-75.

However, they did note that much research in the area was problematic because of “a failure to control

for teaching practices and other factors that may vary in the different settings” and also much of the US

evidence was based on student who had not chosen to attend their high (or low) ability school, which

differed from the NSW situation.

Given the lack of empirical evidence, the Vinson Report commented that “governmental policies seem

to have been largely based on assumptions about the benefits of selective schools that have remained

untested by rigorous research”. They nevertheless recommended in favour of a (limited) number of

selective schools in NSW.

The Vinson Report also noted that data was not available to compare performance of students at

comprehensive versus selective high schools.

In addition, there is limited research into the long-term outcomes of selective schooling (for example,

university and post-school outcomes).

9.4 Potential benefits from co-location of a high school in a

knowledge precinct

As noted above, there may be significant benefits arising from a co-located high school that are difficult if not impossible to quantify with any reliability. Certainly there are benefits from the co-location of facilities already occurring at JCU, through:

� the practical co-location of the Townsville Hospital with the JCU Faculty of Health (across the road from each other); and

� the co-location of ACT for Kids (formerly the Abused Child Trust) with JCU’s social work and psychology schools on the Douglas campus.

These examples are discussed below. Further, there exists the possibility of significant benefits flowing from a co-located high school, particularly in the fields of the physical and life sciences, which are particular strengths of JCU.



9.4.1 Existing examples

Townsville Hospital

In 2001, the new Townsville Hospital opened in close proximity to the JCU Campus at Douglas after previously being located at North Ward near the CBD for over a century. In part, the location was chosen to take advantage of the benefits of co-location with JCU. These benefits have been found to include, for example:

� medical students having ready access to training at the hospital and the ability to interact with staff and patients;

� specialists from the hospital being frequently available to provide guest lectures at JCU, which would be far less likely were there significant travel involved; and

� hospital staff benefiting from access to and informing the latest medical research at JCU, particularly on topics relevant to tropical medicine.

These two-way benefits were noted by JCU Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Medicine, Health and Molecular Sciences Ian Wronski who observed:

The benefits of co-location with the hospital are huge......Over the last decade there has been a change in attitude among staff and students and it has promoted inquisitiveness and new research and contributed to a growing interest in the industry.

The co-location of universities and hospitals is common across Australia (e.g. Griffith Health Centre and the Gold Coast University Hospital in the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct which will open in 2013, and Macquarie University in Sydney) and the world as a co-located hospital provides significant opportunities for teaching medical students clinical practice.

ACT for Kids

ACT for Kids is temporarily located in one of the Western Campus buildings that potentially could be refurbished for a JCU High School. As a non-Government organisation assisting abused children and their families, ACT for Kids co-location with JCU provides a number of community benefits, including:

� placements for JCU social work, psychology and occupational therapy students who otherwise would not get significant training in assisting abused children;

� ACT for Kids staff providing guest lectures to JCU students on assisting abused children; and

� joint research projects with JCU researchers.

There are two current research programs, specifically:

� clinical effectiveness of “one session therapy” with the Psychology Department; and

� characteristics of play in children who have observed trauma with occupational therapy researchers in the health faculty.

The North Queensland Regional Director of ACT for Kids Renee McAllister considered co-location critical to achieving the purported community benefits. However, since the co-location has only occurred over the last year, it is too soon to tell what the impact of the co-



location is (e.g. whether the evaluation of one-session therapy yields improvement in treatment methods). Ms McAllister also noted that the co-location with JCU was also critical for securing a $3.4 million Regional Development Australia grant to build a Child and Family Centre of Excellence near the Western campus.

9.4.2 Potential interactions with JCU of a co-located high school

The potential interactions between a JCU High School and JCU have previously been discussed in the context of teacher professional development and fast-tracking, for example. However, there are more subtle and intangible benefits that can come about through two-way knowledge transfer that comes through co-location on a university campus and the combination of both formal and informal interactions between students and JCU researchers.

Professor Jeff Loughran, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Science and Engineering made the following observations regarding the potential benefits from a co-located JCU High School:

There are many opportunities for students studying in a high school in close proximity to a research active university like JCU. The Faculty of Science and Engineering [FSE] at JCU has around 170 academic and research staff working on challenging science topics from anti-matter to climate change. This list scales significantly when one considers the four other Faculties covering, medicine health and molecular science, law business and creative arts, and arts education and social science.

JCU's focus is the tropics, a part of world dominated by growth and grand challenges. JCU's reputation in the life sciences is rated in the top 200 in the world. In specific areas we rank in the top few in the world: No. 1 in coral reef studies; No. 2 in climate change research; very high in aquaculture. We are No. 1 in Australia in environmental science and management.

Imagine teaching science in close proximity to some of the best researchers in the world (over 180 academics and research scientists and engineers and around 400 PhD students in FSE alone).

Imagine having access tours to world class labs, inspirational scientists and engineers, students from across the world, all only a few minutes away. This is an opportunity which is of enormous benefit from an educational standpoint.

In part, the benefits of co-location come through the regular contact between researchers, teachers and students that co-location promotes. Jayne Health, Director of Professional Learning Services at ASMS in Adelaide, which is co-located with Flinders University observed:

There is a strong relationship between our people and university staff in science and education...and this has contributed to the school showing leadership in curriculum design and assessment.

It’s the regular contact that’s important, including dropping by peoples’ offices and running into them in the cafeteria. You can’t over-estimate the benefits coming from that aspect of co-location.

While undoubtedly there are potential benefits from co-location, these benefits are extremely difficult if not impossible to quantify, and hence no attempt has been made to quantify them in this report. This judgment was supported by a review of the literature on knowledge precincts,



which did not find any relevant studies that would enable the quantification of the benefits of knowledge precincts, as discussed in the next sub-section.

9.4.3 Potential benefits of knowledge precincts

A precinct involves co-location of communities of interest, with associated benefits including “social networks, innovation processes and the spatial externalities and knowledge spillovers made possible by geographical propinquity” (Cutler 2008). As Cutler (2008) notes:

A precinct connotes something more than just co-location. ... a successful precinct will be an open, dynamic eco-system with multiple participants, diverse and evolving relationships, and the capacity to change and evolve over time. ....

There are a number of precincts across Australia, designed to promote urban renewal, or attract investment in industrial districts or to promote research and innovation hubs, as in the case of the proposed JCU ‘knowledge precinct’ or university town, centred around the university, hospital, medical school, Discovery Rise and the proposed high school development. Cutler (2009, p.7) notes that the increasing interest in precincts is driven by a number of trends, but particularly emphases the following three functions and benefits:

� the increased importance of cross-sectoral collaborations for both research and industrial outcomes;

� the growing prominence of “wicked problems” requiring inter-disciplinary, cross sectoral and cross-functional skills and partnerships; and

� the demand for “interpretative spaces” and open spaces for information exchange and discovery.

A number of existing well known precinct developments are summarised in Figure 29, which also separates them into brownfield vs greenfield developments, and organic vs planned / incentive driven developments. Box 13 provides more detail on case studies.53

Figure 29: Matrix of precinct developments

Source: Cutler, 2009, p.5.

53 For other case studies in Australia and internationally, see Harding et al. (2010).



Box 13: Case studies - examples of knowledge precincts in Australia and internationally

Monash / Clayton precinct: an extended, industrial district, housing a significant proportion of Victoria’s

light industry alongside major research facilities, including CSIRO. It was a largely unplanned precinct,

which commenced in the late 1950s. More recently, substantive collaborations between Monash

University and CSIRO have developed, including the 2008 announcement of a joint facility to be funded

under the Education Infrastructure Fund. In recent years, Government investment has more actively

leveraged the nascent precinct opportunities through the location there of major facilities such as the

Synchrotron and an NCRIS funded nanotechnology fabrication facility.

The Bio 21 precinct in Parkville, Victoria, is another example of a precinct development based on existing

assets and a ‘natural’ grouping of existing medical research institutions. The Victorian Government has

made significant investments in linkage projects and facilities between these institutions and a major

“branding” exercise to scale and leverage existing assets. In terms of precinct and innovation policy,

these interventions focused on enhancing the “flows” and relationships between pre-existing stocks of

capability.

SEQ: PACE 101: The Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence (PACE), the planned developments at the

adjoining Princess Alexandra Hospital site and the wider “101” concept incorporating the

redevelopment at Boggo Road leverages off the existing hospital asset, but aims to add new capability

and opportunities to it. The relocation of PACE near the Hospital has been the catalyst for the current

initiative to develop a new cluster of related activity around the site.

The Multifunction Polis project in Adelaide in the late 1980s was a major greenfield development based

on attracting foreign investment through multinational partnerships, notably with Japan, However, the

project was poorly executed - a bidding war between the Australian States saw the development

launched in Adelaide, which failed as a location to attract the Japanese. It also engaged little leadership

involvement outside of government and the nominated property developer.

The Parc Científic Barcelona (PCB): is a meeting point where universities, businesses and society come

together to promote innovation, particularly in life sciences. It aims to promote quality research, to

revitalise the relationship between universities and businesses and also to support the dialogue

between science and society. Founded by the University of Barcelona in 1997, it has become an

international point of reference for the promotion of innovation. At present, PCB is composed of 2,200

professionals, and is home to four research institutes, more than 50 companies, more than 70 research

groups and a wide range of research support technology, as well as an incubator for biotechnology

companies. Some of the institutions that make up PCB work within the field of Nanotechnologies: The

Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) - a research institute covering most bioengineering fields

which includes a research programme on Nanobiotechnology - and the Institute for Research in

Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) - a non-profit research institution engaged in basic and applied biomedical

science. PCB also hosts the Nanotechnology Platform, which provides researches with the facilities

required for nanotechnology research projects, particularly in nanobioengineering.

One-north Singapore: One-north is a 200-hectare development located next to Singapore’s acclaimed

Science Parks and close to the National University of Singapore (NUS), the National University Hospital

(NUH), Singapore Polytechnic and Holland Village. Collaborations with NUS and NUH are complemented

with one-north’s work, research, entertainment and recreation facilities. There are three knowledge

precincts each with its own emphasis: Biopolis, a state-of-the-art biomedical research campus mixed

with residential, business, education and institutional uses; Fusionopolis, a synergistic hub for the

infocomm technology, media and sciences; and Vista Xchange, a corporate and business service centre.

Sources: Urbis (2010), Cutler (2009).



There is a range of literature discussing the benefits of such knowledge precincts, although there do not appear to be any attempts to quantify such benefits. In addition, as Cutler notes, there is relatively little disinterested research into outcomes and lessons from experience with knowledge precincts (Cutler, 2009, p.2). Surveys of US and UK firms have shown that they place a premium on informal interactions with universities, including geographical proximity and ease of access to open forums that promote such interactions (Cosh et al. 2005).54

Figure 30: Types of university-industry interaction contributing to innovation - US and UK firms' survey

responses (% of companies)

Source: Cosh et al. 2005

Lester (2008) emphasises that the role of a university in a knowledge precinct centres on education but also acting as “a public space for ongoing local conversations about the future direction of technologies and markets. The importance of the public space role of the university ...is often underestimated”.55 Cosh et al. also emphasise the “multi-faceted role of the university” as involving education of people; providing public space; problem solving; and increasing the stock of “codified” useful knowledge.

Cutler cites seven “first principles” for a successful innovation hub (Box 14); Urbis (2010) built on Cutler and other relevant literature in their more detailed list of success factors specifically for science and university-centered knowledge precincts (Box 15).

Potential points of failure include the following: path dependence and “lock in” to closed industrial or research paradigms; lack of strong foundational participants with a sustained financial and strategic commitment; inadequate scope or balance of participation; significant gaps in relevant and accessible skills or resources; internal inconsistencies and incompatible values; and lack of a stable and predictable government planning and regulatory environment.

54 Cosh, A., Hughes, A., and Lester, R. (2005) UK PLC Just How Innovative Are We? Cambridge MIT Institute. 55 Lester (2008), cited in Cutler, 2009, p.8).



Box 14: Cutler's ‘first principles for a successful innovation hub’

1. There should be clear common and shared purposes and strategic intent. The purpose and rationale

for co-location must be able to be articulated. By contrast, many co-investments or partnerships can be

pursued on a distributed basis (as in global supply chains).

2. The major precinct proponents should be able to articulate and subscribe to core operating values

and principles which establish concordance around the ‘rules of the game’ and effective and appropriate

– and proportionate – governance frameworks. The objective is to develop a space free from internal

contradictions or from undue constrictions on the patterns of activity which are needed to give life to

the spatial elements.

3. Demonstrated potential for added value. That is, there is a greater benefit for a participant from co-

location – in terms of doing something better, faster, cheaper – than on a standalone basis. This benefit

may be immediate, or prospective. In the case of prospective benefits participation may provide future

growth options which might not otherwise exist. The test question is what might a participant be able to

do beyond that which was possible previously or on a standalone basis.

4. Transaction and co-ordination costs should be lower within a precinct than would otherwise be the

case, as a function of trust and social networks minimising the requirement for institutionalised

contracting and risk-shifting.20

A sustainable precinct must combine investments in both innovation

stocks and in innovation flows and non-traded interactions.

5. Generic program or policy design principles – adapted to particular circumstances – are applicable to

precinct initiatives (see Cutler 2009 for more information).

6. Some ‘natural’ market organiser or ‘curator’ of a putative precinct is needed who functions to broker

and facilitate relationships. This role may vary, in function and assignment, over the life cycle of a

precinct and may be formal or informal.

7. There is a need for mechanisms to ensure ongoing motivation through champions and achievement

reports.

Source: Cutler, 2009.



Box 15: Knowledge precinct success factors - Urbis (2010)

Location: A precinct has to be located in a place

with a pleasant, convenient and supportive living

and working environment so that technological

entrepreneurs will like the place, and are willing to

work and develop their businesses in that place.

Preparation: Precinct preparation refers to the

stage before opening. Three factors are classified

into this group.

-A flexible physical layout: The physical layout for

both internal building structure and external

landscape should allow maximum flexibility

because the property requirements of

technological firms change more rapidly than

those of traditional and commercial users.

-Sufficient financial resources: A science precinct

should be regarded as a long-term investment for

return, i.e. financial return, technology transfer, or

job creation. Sufficient financial resources have to

be available to assist park property development

and/or tenants’ knowledge-intensive activities.

-Familiarity with the market: A feasibility study

should be conducted to identify the potential

market segments of a precinct as well as factors

attractive to potential tenants.

Precinct management team: It is important to

have a highly professional and fully committed

management team in the fields concerned such as

property management and marketing.

Single shareholders: Are generally more likely to

achieve success than multiple owners

Higher Education: Successful science precinct

owners tend to have a higher education institution

in their ownership structure, whether as joint

partners, in consortia or standalone.

Separation of Roles: Successful science precincts

effectively manage conflict by maintaining a clear

separation between ownership and management,

balancing competing interests and expectations

and forging innovative ways of doing things

between diverse parties.

Collaboration: Higher education institution

involvement is relatively high in successful science

parks; however, collaboration appears to be a

necessary but not sufficient condition for success

since unsuccessful science precincts also enjoy

significant collaboration with higher education

institution.

Services included: Successful science precincts

maintain comprehensive urban services portfolios

and also appear to adapt their portfolios to sector

composition and tenant lifecycle stage, when

necessary.

Strategic Intent: Successful science precincts act

on a clear vision and strategic intent, one indicator

of which may be the mode of start; successful

science parks have a ‘fixed date’ or ‘rolling’ start

within a short period of time.

Source: Urbis (2010)

9.5 Financial impact on Queensland Government

9.5.1 Capital expenditure

At this stage, it appears that the Queensland Government would need to meet the full cost of capital expenditure under whichever option is chosen, as JCU sees its contribution as occurring in-kind through the provision of land (and any buildings contained on them) to the project. Hence the Government would need to spend from $21 million to $65 million, depending on the option, in CAPEX to construct a JCU High School.

Assuming that, from the time of a Government decision, it would take around six months to one year to complete the professional services associated with the design phase of the project, and then up to 18 months to build the high school, the Government would potentially experience the following financial impacts (Table 30).



Table 30: Estimated time profile of CAPEX associated with options

Options 2012-13

$M

2013-14

$M

2014-15

$M

Total

$M

1. Refurbishment 1.1 9.4 16.6 27.0

1a. Refurbishment (no boarding) 0.9 6.8 13.5 21.2

2. Greenfield 1.4 12.3 21.7 35.4

2a. Greenfield (no boarding) 1.1 8.7 17.3 27.1

3. Full high school 2.6 22.4 39.7 64.7

Source: MJA, 2012.

Note: Assumes decision on JCU High School is made in late 2012 or early 2013. Professional services expenditures

are assumed to be split evenly between 2012-13 and 2013-14. One-third of construction CAPEX is assumed to occur

in 2013-14 and two-thirds in 2014-15.

9.5.2 Recurrent expenditure

The recurrent financial impact on the State Government is different from what the additional OPEX would suggest, because the State Government provides greater funding to State Schools than private schools per student. Assuming the difference in State Government funding per student is around $6,000 p.a., based on data reported on the My School website, the cost of having, say, 100 students who would otherwise have been at a private school is $0.6M p.a. The proportion of students attending a JCU High School who may otherwise have attended a non-Government School is potentially high – for example, the QASMT Principal estimates around 50 percent of her students came originally from a private school. Hence we simulate the financial impact of the JCU High School options on the State Government under a range of scenarios around the fraction of students who would otherwise have attended a private school (10 per cent, 25 per cent and 50 per cent).



Table 31: Recurrent financial impact on Queensland Government

Proportion coming from non-Government

schools

Options Item 10 per cent 25 per cent 50 per cent

1. Refurbishment OPEX p.a. $6,617,728 $6,617,728 $6,617,728


High Schools p.a. $3,402,000 $2,835,000 $1,890,000




2. Greenfield OPEX p.a. $6,724,045 $6,724,045 $6,724,045


High Schools p.a. $3,402,000 $2,835,000 $1,890,000




3 Full high school OPEX p.a. $15,582,136 $15,582,136 $15,582,136


High Schools p.a. $9,072,000 $7,560,000 $5,040,000


Government schools saving $240,000 $600,000 $1,200,000


Source: MJA estimates, 2012.

Potential offsetting revenue streams

These recurrent cost estimates do not take into account any offsetting revenue streams from either:

� the payment of school fees by parents or guardians;

� the payment of boarding fees by parents or guardians; or

� revenue earned by the school from the hiring out of facilities such as the multi-purpose centre.

The level of revenue from boarding would depend on whether the State Government chose to cover the cost of schools fees and/or boarding at the JCU High School for students who meet certain eligibility criteria.

9.5.3 Balance sheet

There would also be impacts on the Queensland Government’s balance sheet (Table 32), but these are irrelevant in a cost-benefit analysis as what matters in a cost-benefit analysis are the relevant streams of benefits and costs associated with the new assets. The transfer of land from JCU to the Queensland Government, for example, only represents a net benefit to the community to the extent that the land is applied to a superior use to the alternative use (its opportunity cost).



Table 32: Queensland Government balance sheet impacts

Options Buildings

$M

Land

$M

Total

$M

1. Refurbishment 27.0 7.2 34.2

2. Greenfield 35.4 9.7 45.2


Source: MJA, 2012.

Note: Land transferred to JCU is value at $300/m2, based on consultation with JCU. The Western Campus site for

option 1 has an area of 23,976 m2 and the neighboring greenfield site for option 2 is 32,383 m

2. The full high school

in option 3 is assumed to take the land area of both of these sites and hence has an area of 56,359 m2.

9.6 Financial feasibility – common issues across options

The initial barrier to financial feasibility is finding sufficient funding to pay for the required CAPEX to build the school. DETE currently has no money set aside for a JCU High School in its capital works budget forward estimates, so either:

� new money would need to be provided from Queensland Government consolidated revenue; or

� DETE would need to allocate part of its existing capital budget (Table 33) to the project, giving it preference over competing projects.

Any decision to fund a JCU High School would be best made by the Cabinet Budget Review Committee, given the importance of considering other priorities for Government funding, and given the Government’s commitment to return the budget to surplus by 2014-15, consistent with the recommendations of the Queensland Commission of Audit. While this feasibility study can provide advice on the desirability of different JCU High School options relative to the base case of not building a JCU High School, it cannot compare the JCU High School options with the large number of proposals for different projects that are included in the budget process.

Table 33: DETE capital budget

Item 2011-12 est.

actual

$M

2012-13

estimate

$M

Total land, buildings and infrastructure 426.1 394.6

Total plant and equipment 46.0 55.9

Total capital purchases 472.1 450.5

Source: Queensland Government, State Budget 2012-13, p. 23.

It appears the project would have to be funded by the Government, as JCU does not have available funds. Nor do any private schools appear interested in developing a campus on the site.56

56 However, one major private school in Townsville indicated an interest in working more closely with JCU

through cooperation on the supervision of IB students. The principal of the school proposed that the Government may wish to consider the option of an IB scholarship for students to study the IB at a North Queensland school (currently only Cairns SHS and Townsville Grammar offer the IB in North Queensland).



Furthermore, there does not appear to be suitable Commonwealth funding sources to assist in meeting the construction costs of a JCU High School. Of course, the Commonwealth may contribute funding once a school is established to assist in meeting ongoing costs and capital investment requirements, as it does with other schools.

Once a school is operational, there are potentially a number of funding sources available, including:

� State Government;

� Commonwealth Government;

� contributions from parents and guardians, including boarding fees;

� fees for the provision of teacher professional development; and

� charges for the community to use school facilities (e.g. multipurpose facility).

However, the absence of money specifically set aside for the project introduces a risk to DETE and the Government – if a JCU High School proceeds, DETE may need to defer building a school elsewhere where there may be a more pressing need based on regional population growth.



10. Conclusions and recommendations

This section presents the conclusions of the feasibility study based on the analysis presented in this report. A number of recommendations for Government are provided.

10.1 Summary of conclusions of feasibility study

The feasibility study has not been able to demonstrate expected measurable net economic and social benefits from a co-located JCU High School. Any decision to build a co-located high school would need to rely on the expectation of large, unmeasurable benefits from teacher professional development and co-location within a knowledge precinct.

Based on the analysis undertaken in this feasibility study, options 1 (refurbishment) and 2 (greenfield) appear superior to option 3 (full high school), and option 2 may be considered superior to option 1 if a high value is placed on maximising the potential for innovative learning spaces and ensuring the school is aesthetically pleasing so that it attracts sufficient students to ensure its viability (Table 34). Option 3 (a full high school) appears less attractive than the other options, given its large CAPEX and doubts about whether it is necessary in that location, based on Townsville’s projected population growth.

There are a number of considerations against the full high-school option, including:

� a standard high school may affect the viability of some existing State High Schools that are currently significantly below capacity in Townsville (e.g. Heatley and Thuringowa);

� a standard high school at JCU would have major implications for traffic and may require significant road works both on and off-site;

� a standard high school would cost in the order of $50-70 million; and

� there may be local government planning issues with locating a standard high school at JCU, as a school in another location may be better embedded within a residential community.

It remains an open question whether constructing a co-located JCU High School is the most cost-effective means to address the relatively low matriculation to university in North Queensland. In the absence of choosing one of the infrastructure options, the Government should note the possibility of non-infrastructure responses, such as greater use of e-learning and the use of existing JCU accommodation during university vacations to provide residential courses for secondary students.



Table 34: Pros and cons of JCU High School options

Option PV of additional

costs

$M

Pros Cons

1. Refurbishment 49.1

($33.9M

without

boarding)

Least expensive of infrastructure options.

Potentially can achieve aims of lifting university matriculation in North

Queensland and enhancing teacher professional development. Also there

may be significant though unmeasurable benefits through two-way

knowledge transfer through co-location.

Modest student numbers (450) means more likely to achieve enrolment

targets than option 3.

Slight environmental benefit from re-using concrete shells of existing

Western Campus buildings.

Significant risks to DETE and the Government, including that adversely

impacts on existing schools at same time as does not obtain sufficient

enrolments.

Using existing shells of buildings reduces flexibility to develop innovative

learning spaces.

Refurbished buildings may look less aesthetically pleasing than option 2

buildings on a greenfield site and may be less attractive to students.

2. Greenfield 56.7

($39.3M

without

boarding)

Provides ultimate flexibility to provide purpose-built facilities with


Similar educational benefits as option 1, though the potential to offer

more flexible, innovative learning spaces may result in slightly higher

benefits.

Buildings may be more aesthetically pleasing than option 1 buildings,

helping to attract students.

Significant risks to DETE and the Government, including that adversely

impacts on existing schools at same time as does not obtain sufficient

enrolments.

More expensive than option 1.

3. Full high school 104.9 May relieve pressures on other high schools.

A University High School covering years 7-12 could yield benefits by

providing students with early exposure to university life and educational

and research opportunities.

Large CAPEX that may be unnecessary, given stricter enforcement of

enrolment management plans and the possible construction of a Rocky

Springs SHS would reduce pressures at Kirwan and Pimlico and expected

future pressures at William Ross.

Not the best location for a new SHS, given population growth is occurring

in Townsville’s North and potentially at Rocky Springs.

4. Without

project case

0.0 No additional cost.

Does not preclude non-infrastructure responses such as e-learning and

use of existing JCU accommodation when vacant for residential courses

for secondary students.

Does not address lower matriculation to university in North Queensland.

Source: MJA, 2012.



10.2 Summary of project risks

There are a number of significant risks to the feasibility of a co-located JCU High School, including risks to its technical, economic and financial feasibility (Table 35). Most substantially, there are risks around whether a JCU High School will attract:

� sufficient numbers of students (i.e. 150 students in each year level); and

� the composition of students required to render it economically feasible – i.e., a significant proportion of students who would not otherwise have gone to university.

At the same time, even though it may not attract sufficient students to be viable, it may still have adverse impacts on existing Townsville high schools, particularly State High Schools such as Pimlico and Kirwan, by taking the academic cream away.

Another way of expressing these risks is that it is possible a JCU High School would simply attract high-performing students from existing Townsville high schools who would go on to university anyway.

It is important that these risks are taken into account in the cost-benefit analysis, even though they cannot be quantified. Decision makers should bear in mind the risks when considering whether the unmeasurable and intangible benefits of the project could be sufficient to justify its costs.



Table 35: Assessment of project risks

Risk Likelihood Potential for mitigation

Technical

1. If refurbishment option is

chosen, unobserved structural

weaknesses may become apparent

once work commences.

Medium High. It is likely the additional costs would

be covered by the project contingency

cost estimated by Mitchell Brandtman.

2. School does not attract 150

students per year level which is

necessary to offer full curriculum.

Medium Unclear. The school will need to develop

strong linkages to JCU and market these

to potential students.

Economic and financial

3. School does not attract

sufficient students to ensure

viability.

Medium Difficult to assess. The school may need to

be marketed aggressively in domestic and

international markets to attract sufficient

students, given the small population of

the surrounding region compared with

other regions with co-located schools.

4. School simply attracts students

who have attended university

anyway and would have been high

achievers at existing schools.

High Low. It is expected that high performing

students (and their parents) at existing

Townsville schools will be most attracted

to the co-located high school and the

possibilities for fast-tracking of tertiary

studies.

5. The school has adverse impacts

on existing schools in Townsville.

High Low. It is apparent that a high proportion

of JCU High School students would come

from Pimlico and Kirwan and place at risk

the reputations for academic, musical and

sporting excellence these schools have

established.

6. The cost of the project is

significantly higher than estimated.

Low High. Cost estimates by Mitchell

Brandtman include a 15 per cent project

contingency, which is designed to cover

budget over-runs.

7. Sufficient revenue from parental

contributions or charges for

community use of facilities cannot

be secured to cover the additional

costs of a co-located high school.

Medium Medium. The JCU High School could

charge a modest fee similar to

Queensland Academies of up to $2,000

per annum, which would be very

competitive with private schools in

Townsville. Also JCU may make a financial

contribution for joint use of any

multipurpose facility.

8. The unmeasurable benefits of

co-location are not as significant as

expected.

Medium Medium. This largely depends on the

commitment of DETE and JCU to

encouraging and facilitating cooperation

and interactions.

Source: MJA, 2012.



10.3 Recommendations

Recommendation 1: The Government note the significant benefits that could arise from the application of the co-located University High School model developed in this feasibility study.

A co-located high school at JCU’s Townsville campus could act as a “lighthouse school” in North Queensland, demonstrating evidence-based teaching practices in an innovative environment and encouraging tertiary attainment in North Queensland, which is currently lower than the State average. The school would benefit from:

� gifting of land on which it would be built;

� sharing of existing facilities on the JCU campus, including libraries, ovals, a swimming pool, a drama theatre and specialised research labs;

� capitalising on international networks created through JCU’s presence in Singapore and other international markets; and

� importantly, being able to draw on the human and intellectual capital readily available to its staff and students through its co-location on the JCU site.

The school would be an important contribution to the Townsville Knowledge Precinct being developed, which already capitalises on the value of co-location, and includes the Townsville Hospital, CSIRO, AIMS, Tec-NQ, ACT for Kids, JCU research entities and other new elements in development.

Through the use of either new or existing boarding facilities on campus, a JCU High School would provide opportunities for students across the broader North Queensland region, particularly to Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in rural and remote areas. It would also provide the opportunity to cultivate ‘international mindedness’ through the recruitment of international students, paying particular attention to JCU’s international market and opportunities therein.

The benefits of co-location with JCU in Townsville’s Knowledge Precinct are potentially important. These benefits would include the two-way transfer of knowledge between JCU High School teachers and students and JCU researchers. In particular, co-located high school students and teachers would benefit from access to JCU academics and researchers who are world leaders in marine, environmental and health sciences, with a strong representation in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The two-way transfer of knowledge would occur through interactions that are both formal (e.g. joint research projects and guest lecturers) and informal (e.g. meetings in the cafes and libraries). These interactions are much more likely in a co-located high school.

There are also important regional benefits that could flow from raising the standard and profile of State education and creating the first State school of its type outside South-East Queensland. By acting as a “lighthouse school”, a JCU High School could contribute to improving educational outcomes across North Queensland.

Although the University High School model presented in this report was developed in the context of this feasibility study, the model is potentially of wider application and may be relevant to university campuses in other centres, such as Cairns and other regional cities.



Recommendation 2: The Government note the identified risks and costs involved in a co-located high school in Townsville and, on the balance of the costs versus benefits, not commit funding to the proposal in the short to medium-term, while recognising that the benefits of the project are such that the opportunities for a co-located high school in regional cities such as Townsville should be reconsidered in the future.

While a co-located high school at JCU’s Townsville’s campus may be technically feasible (i.e., there are buildings available for refurbishment and sufficient space for a greenfield site), there are doubts about its economic and financial feasibility at this time. Based on the analysis in this report, there is potential for a University High School to improve educational outcomes in North Queensland, but there are risks it would adversely impact on existing State and private high schools in Townsville and still may not reach its enrolment targets.

That said, it is evident a rationalisation of high school enrolments is needed to resolve enrolment anomalies in State high schools across Townsville, particularly low student numbers at Heatley Secondary College and Thuringowa SHS and large numbers of out-of-catchment enrolments at Kirwan and Pimlico SHSs, which have a relatively superior academic performance. This feasibility study has assumed that the rationalisation of high school enrolments in Townsville, to balance enrolments to capacity, would occur through the enforcement of Enrolment Management Plans (EMPs). That is, the study has assumed existing Townsville State High Schools remain open. Any rationalisation that involved a reconfiguration of current State High Schools in Townsville would mean that the feasibility of a JCU High School should be re-examined.

The feasibility study has assessed the quantifiable costs and benefits using cost-benefit analysis. This approach has limitations when it comes to a co-located JCU High School, however, where the potential benefits are challenging to estimate, and their realisation depends on the achievement of JCU’s vision of a Townsville Knowledge Precinct.

In its consideration of a co-located JCU High School, the Government may wish to consider, in addition to the measurable economic and financial considerations:

� the unmeasured co-location benefits noted under Recommendation 1; and

� the equity benefits that could accrue from the co-located high school through its potential contribution to lifting matriculation to university in North Queensland.

Noting that our understanding of the potential market for a JCU High School will increase over time, it may be beneficial to re-examine the feasibility of a co-located high school at JCU’s Townsville campus (or elsewhere in North Queensland) in the future.



Recommendation 3: The Government note the unique opportunities available through a partnership between JCU, DETE Schools of Distance Education and the network of high schools across North Queensland to extend innovative delivery of educational programs for improving higher education participation without additional infrastructure.

Through the Reference Group and public consultations, a number of opportunities to improve educational outcomes in North Queensland were raised. The opportunities, which are not mutually exclusive, include:

� a virtual JCU High School, involving extensive use of online delivery, similar to delivery by Schools of Distance Education, including online bridging courses to university studies and online introductory JCU courses for fast-tracked senior students across Queensland; and

� the use of JCU boarding facilities, particularly when JCU students are home for the holidays, to accommodate high school students from across the region who are undertaking short courses (e.g. in a summer semester) on the JCU campus.

Taking up these opportunities would involve substantially smaller outlays than the options examined in this report, although they may not attain the full range of benefits of co-location discussion under Recommendation 1.

Recommendation 4: The feasibility study should be made available for public access via the DETE website.

In the interests of transparency and to promote public awareness of educational issues and opportunities in North Queensland, the feasibility study should be publicly available.



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Appendix A: James Cook High School

Reference Group

Chair : Richard English Regional Director, Corporate Services Division, DETE

Members:

Lee Callum

Lyn McKenzie

Nola Alloway

Alan Carpenter

John Hathaway

Cr Jenny Hill

Leandra Boothby / Mick Cutler

Kim Donaldson

Executive Director, Strategy, Research and Performance, Infrastructure Services Branch, DETE

Deputy Director-General, Education Queensland (or delegate)

Pro-Vice Chancellor, Faculty of Arts Education and Social Science, JCU

Director – Discovery Rise Project, JCU

State Government Local Member (Townsville) (or delegate)

Mayor of Townsville City Council (or delegate)

QCPCA Representative, North Queensland Region

ICPA Representative, North Queensland Region



Appendix B: Consultations

Table 36: Details of consultations

Organisation Representatives Date Consultation

type

Townsville Enterprise Ross Contarino 16 July 2012 In person

Townsville Grammar School Richard Fairley

(Principal)

17 July 2012 In person

Tec-NQ Tom Petterson

(Principal)


Cathedral School Ian Gamack (Principal) 17 July 2012 In person

Skills Queensland Neil Miller and Peter

Hagan


Aviation High Phil Cooper (Principal) 19 July 2012 In person

Pimlico State High School David Morris

(Principal)

19 July 2012 Phone

Queensland Academy for Science,

Mathematics and Technology

Kath Kayrooz

(Principal) and Stephen

Loggie (Foundation

Principal)


Queensland Academy for Creative

Industries

John Jose (Principal) 19 July 2012 In person

Queensland Academy for Health

Sciences

Jane Sleeman

(Principal)


Townsville State High School Scott Stewart

(Principal)

20 July 2012 Phone

Catholic Education (Townsville

Diocese)

Dr Cathy Day 20 July 2012 Phone

Kirwan State High School John Livingston

(Principal)

20 July 2012 Phone

Thuringowa State High School Grant Dale (Principal) 20 July 2012 Phone

William Ross State High School Allan Evans (Principal) 23 July 2012 Phone

Independent Schools Queensland David Robertson

(Executive Director)

and Allan Guse

(Principal Advisor

Strategic Resourcing)


Brisbane State High School Wade Haynes

(Principal, former

Principal of Kenmore

SHS)

25 July 2012 Phone

Heatley Secondary College Bruce Edwards

(Principal)

25 July 2012 Phone

MacGregor State High School Karyn Hart (Principal) 25 July 2012 Phone



Organisation Representatives Date Consultation

type

Kelvin Grove Secondary College Regan Neumann

(Executive Principal)

26 July 2012 Phone

Chancellor State College Bevan Brennan


26 July 2012 Phone

Shalom Christian College Steve Thomson

(Principal)

27 July 2012 Phone

Queensland Resources Council Katrina-Lee Jones

(Manager, Education

Strategies and

Services)


Calamvale Community College Leanne Nixon


2 August 2012 Phone

Brisbane School of Distance

Education

Neil McDonald


3 August 2012 In person

JCU Sandra Harding

(Vice-Chancellor)

20 August 2012 Phone

Education Queensland International Jo House (Executive

Director)


Indigenous Schooling Support Unit Ken Schaumberg

(Director, Northern)


Australian Science and Mathematics

School

Jayne Heath (Director,

Professional Learning

Services)

5 September

2012

Phone

JCU Professor Jeff

Loughran (Pro-Vice-

Chancellor, Science

and Engineering)

Professor Ian Wronski

(Pro-Vice -Chancellor,

Medicine, Health and

Molecular Sciences)

27 September

2012

Phone

ACT for Kids Renee McAllister

(Regional Director,

North Queensland)

28 September

2012

Phone

Source: MJA, 2012.



Appendix C: Map of Western Campus

Potential buildings for refurbishment include:

� 251: E Block (old library)

� 254: Western Campus Amenities

� 258: Western Campus Annex

� 265: Western Hall – Dining Hall

� 262: Western Hall – A Block (accommodation)

� 263: Western Hall – B Block (accommodation)



Appendix D – Cost estimates from Quantity

Surveyor



Appendix E – Lifecycle cost estimates