Parents Sleeping Rough Outside Queensland State Schools To Ensure Enrolments

IT’S one of the most coveted waiting lists in the state and some parents will go to great lengths to secure a spot.

These dedicated parents are sleeping rough in a bid to send their kids to Ascot State School – one of the most prestigious government schools in Queensland.

The waiting list for available spots at the school officially opens at 8am today.

On Sunday night, eight families were lined up outside the school and more arrived this morning.

One mother said she had queued for 48 hours straight to secure a place for her daughter.

For some parents though, the wait may have been a bit much. Among those in line were nannies and family friends paid up to $400 to clinch a spot.

The first parent in line, Nicole Scarinci from Warner, has camped out since 10am Saturday in an effort to secure a spot for her son, Aiden.

“So at 8am tomorrow, they will open the gates and we will get an enrolment form with a number on it and hope for the best,” she said.

“We just spoke to the principal and she seems to think that it’s not even guaranteed that we will get a spot so it’s still up in the air.”

Hendra’s Melissa Goscomb was fourth in line and said her chances of getting daughter Millacent in are high.

“We have a lot of friends and family that have been through this school and have been very happy with their child’s performance,” she said.

After a weekend of ‘camaraderie on the footpath’, it is now a waiting game for 15 Ascot State School student hopefuls.

Parents who live just outside the prestigious schools catchment zone slept rough, some from Saturday, to be first in line when enrolment for next year opened at 8am today.

Most seated on camping chairs inside the school after gates opened at 6am, there was even a mattress leaning against the fence this morning.

Hendra resident Elissa Morley had been queuing since 7.30am on Sunday to get her daughter into prep and were fifth in line.

“We’re a bit exhausted but hopeful that it will pay off,” Ms Morley said.

“There was a bit of camaraderie on the footpath there, all the parents having a chat.”

Ms Morley lives just outside the catchment zone and hopes her daughter will get a spot, although it is still unknown how many are available.

“Some years they [Ascot State School] take quite a few and some years they take none is what I believe, so we have our fingers crossed,” she said.

But if things don’t go her way, she plans to do the same at Eagle Junction State School to try her luck there.

President of Ascot SS P&C committee Sarah Comiskey said this phenomenon occurred annually, with 30 parents queuing up one year.

She said beyond the school’s stellar reputation parents were drawn to the extensive music and extracurricular program, plus the ability for students to study at their own grade level instead of the level they were supposed to be at.

Source: Gold Coast Bulletin 6 February 2017

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