One year and one day ago I wrote on the end of the travelling school. A school that travelled with the carnival families to teach their children.
Today on Twitter Kerry Blades tweeted:
These are our travelling classrooms, aren't they the best, they follow the kids every week to a new town! #NSTSC pic.twitter.com/x1ZpUjjNIO
— Kerry Blades (@LadyRanga) July 12, 2013
They used social media to shame the Victorian and NSW governments and support from Peter Garrett and Bill Shorten to raise some money for the classrooms and the carnival parents raised another $68,000 to buy a semi-trailer to tow them. Read the Brisbane Courier for more of the story at the time.
An incredible effort but as Kerry tweeted:
it is just too hard to send away a 6 yr old to board for school
The carnival community hire the teachers, an accounting firm does the books and parents help out with the kids doing distance education. As you would expect, internet connections can be a problem which has led to parents skipping the online lessons. Unfortunately they have no guarantee of future funding.
If you want to keep up to date with what is happening with the National School for Travelling Show Children follow the #NSTSC hashtag on Twitter
A good news story. Hopefully they can find funding to secure the future of this essential and unique school.