FAMILIES who live near New Lambton Public have vowed to fight a government decision to cut them out of the school's intake area.
Parent Erin Kenneally said New Lambton Heights families were "in shock" after the Department of Education decided to proceed with - and immediately enforce - proposed changes to intake areas it announced less than a month ago.
These include reducing New Lambton Public's area and increasing Wallsend South Public's to include New Lambton Heights streets Ridgeway Road, Ardlessa Way, Floralia Close and Croudace Street.
"It's beyond comprehension," said Ms Kenneally, who was planning to enrol her daughter at New Lambton in 2021.
"We're still fighting and we're not going to give up, because we don't think it's right for our community.
"You can't bring in something like this and not stagger it or introduce it over a period of time.
"This is going to put a lot of pressure on families that have a child going next year."
Related: New Lambton families told children may be outside enrolment zone for the school one kilometre away
Related: New Lambton Public School families call for review of proposed intake changes
Enrolled families considered inside the area before the change retain the right to enrol future children, as long as they remain at their current address.
Lena Vestad Hansen lives on the same road as the Kenneallys, but her son can attend next year because her daughter already does.
Ms Vestad Hansen said families were "angry" at the disruption and inequality the decision had caused.
"We are outraged at the fact this is such a bandaid approach," she said.
"It's going to force people up here to go through the loophole and rent a house [in the intake area] for six months so their children can go.
"They will find a way to take advantage of the loophole because it's been left open."
She said as well as the school's feedback form, families had collected 34 signatures on paper and 199 on an online petition.
Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery has written to the Minister for Education on behalf of 50 families.
The Newcastle Herald reported earlier this month the department was reviewing reducing New Lambton's intake area due to an "ongoing increase in enrolment demand", while increasing Lambton Public and Wallsend South Public's areas.
New Lambton Heights Infants' intake area will be located inside Wallsend South's area.
Families said they understood the need for change and believed Wallsend South was a good school, but had concerns about the short turnaround and lack of consultation, saying only enrolled families were told about the proposed changes and a July 1 livestream.
People were given two days to fill in the feedback form, but this was later extended to July 16.
Families were also concerned about children not being educated in their own community, using busy roads to get to Wallsend South instead of walking, stage five of the Inner City Bypass, why part of Kotara was still in the area, why so many out of area children had been able to enrol, plus why New Lambton Heights wasn't considered in Lambton's or New Lambton South's intake areas.
Principals emailed enrolled families on Monday to say School Infrastructure NSW, five local principals and the director of educational leadership had concluded their review and made a recommendation to the department to proceed with the changes.
They acknowledged "the distress" caused to families.
"As a result of comments submitted, an additional four scenarios were developed and carefully considered," they wrote.
"However, it was determined these did not have the capacity to achieve the outcome needed without creating additional implications that were more problematic for families and the department."
Intake areas will have to be monitored, they said, and "may be subject to further change".
Ms Kenneally said she was perturbed the email was sent only to enrolled families and didn't address concerns.
"How could you ignore that much feedback?" she asked.
"There was zero touching on issues brought up by so many people. I'm thinking the feedback form was just lip service and they had made up their minds weeks ago about the change."
She said she wanted to know the data that indicated the four streets would increase enrolment enough to warrant their exclusion, considering the school had not been in contact with the residents about the changes.
Croudace Street's Sarah Fisher was planning to send her daughter in 2022 and learned of the changes through her neighbours.
She said she's "dumbfounded" by the "knee jerk reaction".
"Decisions can't be made [properly] unless you've weighed up the pros and cons and consulted people - and they haven't."
