General News
23 April, 2025
Gulf school desperately needs TAFE site: principal
Expansion is not possible without getting access to the dormant TAFE in Normanton, says Gulf Christian College.
Gulf Christian College principal Andrew Evetts says the state government must prioritise a proposed takeover bid of the Normanton TAFE campus to enable a new high school to open next year.
Mr Evetts said there was an urgent need for a decision to be reached so that essential repairs and renovations could commence, and formal accreditation could be sought to ensure the doors are open for the first day of school in 2026.
He said the Gulf Christian College did not have the classroom space to cater for the growing number of students at the school.
Mr Evetts said the first intake of Year 12 students were due next year and the TAFE facility was necessary to ensure there was a high school operating in the Gulf.
He told North West Weekly that the school’s leadership was attempting to provide a pathway to high school graduation that allowed young people to remain in their local community.
“We have to do an accreditation with the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board and that can take up to six months,” he explained.
“So we really need a decision urgently because we are already almost halfway through the year.
“I am out of room at our school, and I need that (TAFE) site for next year. The moment I get a commitment from the state government I can also start phoning tradespeople and arranging for them to come out here – but this is a remote location so that will take time to organise.
“I will get out there and do the weeding and clearing up myself to make sure we can open on the first day back at school next year.
“It is extremely important for our kids that this can happen.”
As previously reported, Gulf Christian College wants to take control of the TAFE site, either through a long-term lease or a direct purchase, to transform the facility into a high school campus and skilled apprenticeship training facility.
The Normanton TAFE has previously been labelled a “white elephant” because the state government does not provide any regular services to the Gulf community at the site, despite employing some grounds staff.
Minister for Employment and Training Ros Bates is yet to make a public statement on the future of the Normanton TAFE campus, despite a formal takeover proposal being presented to her office almost two months ago.
When North West Weekly approached Ms Bates for comment, her office declined to respond.
Mr Evetts said Gulf Christian College had almost doubled its number of students to more than 100 in the past 12 months through a proactive program aimed at reaching out to families whenever there were absences from class.
“We don’t just accept the kids not coming to school, we go out and we talk to parents, and we follow up as many times as is needed to get the kids attending every day,” the principal said.
“Our staff are highly involved in the community, and we are always giving feedback.”
Mr Evetts said that the focus on increasing student attendance, combined with expanding to senior year levels, had meant more classroom space was required.
“We cannot do it with the current buildings we have – we need a decision to be reached quickly,” he said.