Contributed by Craig Hingston
Hope New School at Dural has announced it is now accepting enrolments for children from Year 1 through to Year 12.
The School, which caters for children with moderate intellectual delay or Autism Spectrum Disorder, had been enrolling from Years 3-12 since its inception in 2015. New Hope School was granted the change by the New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA).
This is welcome news for parents because it means they no longer need to place their children in mainstream schooling for the first couple of years.
The announcement comes at the same time as New School is preparing to move to new and larger premises which will easily cope with the enrolment increase. Construction is underway on their uniquely designed school on land adjacent to the existing campus. It features a “village community” layout and cottage type buildings to help students feel more at home.
New School Director, Dianne Dowson, said, “These new buildings will allow us to grow to meet the needs of more families. They will include therapy rooms, withdrawal rooms, kitchen facilities and staff areas. Future stages will include an assembly room, sensory room, technology rooms and a library.
Of course, the buildings are not what creates the character of a school. New Hope School is a unique and special place already and we are known for the care that we provide to our students.”
