THE Telopea Park School Parents and Citizens Association has written to Andrew Barr seeking an urgent meeting to discuss the loss of land from the sports fields at Telopea Park School.

“Parents and carers of children at Telopea Park School are very concerned about the ACT Government’s plans to sell part of the school’s historic Montgomery Oval, the title for which has already been transferred away from the Education Directorate,” said Telopea P&C President Paul Haesler.

“The land in question was originally transferred to the public school in the 1970s in recognition of the school’s growing student population. Telopea Park is a K-10 public school with a wide catchment area. Its increasing enrolment numbers within both the Australian and bilingual streams mean that the school attracts a very diverse demographic from across the ACT.

“In 2008 the ACT Education Department recognized that subsequent growth of student numbers had only increased the importance of the Montgomery Oval fields to the school. Andrew Barr himself, as the Minister of Education, was personally involved in facilitating the granting of a crown lease for the fields to the Education Department for the use of the school.

“The Telopea P&C first received official notice of the transfer of the land away from the school in a letter on 9 April and is now seeking urgent talks to discuss the situation.

“We fully support the ACT Government’s efforts at urban renewal in the Manuka area, but do not believe that it needs to include selling the school’s historic tennis courts and significantly reducing the open space available to children attending this world-class public school,” Paul said.