Mr PETER DRAPER (Tamworth) [1.59 p.m.]: During a recent visit to Gunnedah Public School I was extremely impressed to learn of a new program that recently started. This fantastic school looks after 160 enthusiastic young students and is fortunate to have the services of many dedicated and talented teachers. There has been a significant shift in Gunnedah Public School's demographics over recent years, with the percentage of low socioeconomic status and Aboriginal students growing significantly. Today more than 60 per cent of the student population is of Aboriginal or Torres Straight Islander descent.

When I visited the school I met Pastor Patrick Deller and his group of nine wonderful volunteers from the Grace Christian Centre, who had their Brekky Club in full swing. Every Tuesday and Thursday this dedicated group provides breakfast for up to 60 students. They offer cereal, toast and toppings, fruit juice, fruit and, in the colder weather, a glass of hot Milo. Pastor Deller told me:

The whole concept of the Brekky Club is to make sure that at least on two days a week, the kids have a nutritious breakfast, which in turn improves concentration and participation in the classroom. It helps our church to be relevant in the community.

Teachers report a marked improvement from students who have breakfast before going to class. While the church pays for most of the ingredients, Kellogg's have kindly donated cereals and Whitehaven mine has contributed $1,000 towards the costs.

Gunnedah Public School is the recipient of the Priority Schools Funding Program plus the Priority Action School funding, and now under national partnership agreements funding is being provided for students from a low socioeconomic background. The school undertook a thorough analysis of its students, staff and families. They found the analysis very challenging but beneficial, as it provided the impetus to develop programs to meet the ongoing needs of students and their carers.

Early Birds is a new initiative at Gunnedah Public School to provide high quality early childhood education for children in the year prior to them starting school. Staff at Gunnedah Public School have raised their expectations regarding the potential for young children to learn and achieve, and are helping young people to realise their full potential. The school examined preschool attendance information, results of Best Start Kindergarten Assessment, family composition and demographics plus employment prospects of parents in developing the program. The need for quality early intervention, school readiness programs and targeted support in literacy and numeracy were clear in the analysis. The first of many planned and structured parent and staff meetings occurred earlier this year.

The parents' appreciation of the program, the outstanding young teacher and the volunteers is nothing less than glowing. Gunnedah Public School has tried to make a real difference. I am confident that the school will continue to build a great partnership with mums, dads and carers, resulting in much-improved outcomes for the children. The program runs three days a week. Funding supplied under the National Partnerships program is being used to provide a qualified early childhood teacher, plus a full-time teacher's aide, to coordinate the program, with assistance from a number of very enthusiastic volunteers. Early Birds offers a combination of developmentally appropriate play-based activities plus school readiness activities, and is designed to develop social and communication skills, motor skills and pre-reading and writing skills. Children also have access to the resources and staffing that are available to the rest of the school. Their sessions with the school's specialist personal development, health and physical education [PDHPE] and the technology teachers are an extremely popular part of the week.

Another aim of the Early Birds program is to increase parent and community involvement within the school. Parents and carers are welcomed into the classroom at any time. They are invited to the school for regular communication and information sessions. Although the program has been running only for a short time, the level of parent and carer involvement has been extremely pleasing to school staff. The Early Birds and indeed all the Gunnedah Public School staff believe that there are many benefits that will flow from this program. The children who attend Early Birds become familiar and comfortable with the school environment and they get to know staff and routines. This knowledge helps to make their transition to kindergarten as smooth as possible. The program also allows school staff to identify children who have additional needs so they can access appropriate intervention and support from an earlier age, consequently increasing each child's opportunities for success in their later years of schooling.

I commend the volunteers from the Grace Christian Centre for their very important role in providing breakfast at Gunnedah Public School. I particularly congratulate the school's Principal, Phil Rees, for his initiative and his very strong leadership. I also highlight the special role of the Early Birds program teacher Allison West, who is a fantastic and dedicated teacher. Gunnedah Public School is doing very special things for its community. It is giving its kids a wonderful educational experience. From my perspective, it is another example of why our public education system is so strong in New South Wales.

[The Assistant-Speaker (Mr Grant McBride) left the chair at 2.04 p.m. The House resumed at 2.15 p.m.]