AN Altona Meadows father planning a private autism-specific secondary school in Melbourne’s west has secured a potential campus site in Werribee.
Stephen Morgan has been offered the lease on vacant land owned by Werribee Baptist Church at the corner of Heaths and Derrimut roads.
More than 200 families have expressed interest in enrolling at Mr Morgan’s Private Autism Special School (PASS), which would be registered for 50 children. His son Corey, who has severe autism, would be one of the students enrolled.
“If the state government signs up to Gonski, then we’ll be proceeding immediately,” Mr Morgan said.
“We’ve got until September to lodge our registration application. We’re in ongoing discussions with Independent Schools of Victoria, who are the peak body for private schools, and we have the teachers.’’
Mr Morgan said Corey had flourished under the Innovative Developments in the Education of Children with Autism (IDEA) program at Fawkner’s Moomba Park Primary School. The program was piloted in 2010 and teaches children with autism in a mainstream school setting. But Corey has only three years of primary school left.
Mr Morgan was last year named annecto carer of the year, which recognised him for negotiating to find a suitable school site, founding Melbourne’s first special needs swim school and opening a respite centre at Werribee.
Western suburbs Liberal MP Bernie Finn confirmed rumours that the IDEA program could be introduced at a prep-year 12 government school being built at Laverton, the first stage of which would open mid-2014.
