PORT Macquarie Public School will benefit from a share of the $219 million in additional needs-based funding in 2017.
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It has received an boost of $320,242, bringing the total funding package for 2017 to $836,641.
Camden Haven High School will also benefit, receiving $1,295,387 - an increase of $252,277.
Gonski funding is designed to ensure all children are educated in properly resourced schools.
This needs-based funding started in 2014, after the independent Gonski review warned too many children were missing out due to a lack of resources.
Member for Port Macquarie, Leslie Williams, said the funding was made possible by the NSW Government signing the Gonski agreement.
“These extra resources go directly to our local schools allowing principals to better meet the unique needs of their students and the school community,” she said.
“I have seen schools in the Port Macquarie electorate employ additional teachers with expertise to assist students who need extra support in key learning areas like literacy and numeracy.”
Port Macquarie Public School principal Brett Thurgate said they will spend the money on continuing the strategies currently in place to support students.
“One of those is our ‘Little Dolphins’ 15 week program which is fully funded by our Gonski money,” he said.
“Parents and their pre-school kids attend one day a week to get early literacy and numeracy skills and school readiness.
“The power of that is that it supports the kids through transitioning to our school as well as the parents.”
Another area the Gonski money aids is in Aboriginal learning and social needs.
“We engage an Aboriginal learning officer to support the needs of our Aboriginal students, and provides great connectedness with our Aboriginal community,” Mr Thurgate said.
“We also engage a leader of learning, who is an expert in professional learning, to work alongside our teachers and executive staff to continue the ongoing education of teachers around best teaching practice.”
The school will be putting some funds towards a program that will be school-wide to further support the well being of students. It is still in the planning stage.
“The aim of that is to make them more resilient and socially aware,” Mr Thurgate said.
“It’s got to be all about the kids. That is our business. The beauty of these funds is that we can tailor them to our kids and our community.
“In a lot of ways, not just academically but socially, we see these kids thrive because of these funds.”