The State Government will invest $12.3 million over four years to establish 2 new primary school Intensive English Centres to strengthen support for the children of newly arrived migrant and humanitarian entrants to Western Australia.
The establishment of these new Intensive English Centres are in addition to the 14 successful centres that have been operating since the 1970s.
Intensive English Centres are co-located with primary and secondary schools and enrol newly arrived migrant and humanitarian entrants, as well as some locally-born and international students.
These students require intensive English language tuition prior to commencing mainstream schooling. Students typically spend one or 2 years in an Intensive English Centre.
The 2 new centres will provide additional places to meet the demand resulting from increased migration to Western Australia in the past 2 years.
Funding is allocated for each student enrolled, as well as an allocation to cover specialist staff and to enable smaller class sizes for this intensive program.
The funding will also be used for school bus services for students who live a distance from the Intensive English Centre. The 2 new Intensive English Centres will be operating from the start of the 2025 school year.