Leading alternative education provider for disengaged youth, The BUSY School, held their official opening of its Coolangatta campus yesterday with Senator, the Honourable Anthony Chisholm (Senator for Queensland, Assistant Minister for Education, Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Deputy Manager of Government Business in the Senate) in attendance to officially open the school during the ceremony.

“It was a pleasure to open The BUSY School campus in Coolangatta this morning. For some students, a formal or traditional education just isn’t the right learning environment for them, that’s where The BUSY School can help. It’s a place where students are given the individual support they need to build a pathway to a career or further study.”

The Coolangatta campus opened in 2022 to meet the growing demand for alternative schooling throughout Queensland for the many students who, for a variety of reasons, do not succeed in the mainstream schooling system.

CEO of The BUSY School Lee Aitken said the Coolangatta campus has provided Gold Coast and Northern NSW students with the opportunity to engage with their learning in ways that are suited to their individual needs.

“We seek to understand the needs of the students to help re-engage them through a personalised approach for academic and employment outcomes,” he said.

The BUSY School, an independent senior secondary Special Assistance School network with campuses throughout Queensland, provide individualised learning support, career planning development, and additional vocational training to year 11 and 12 students, with 728 students already enrolled throughout the state, and with that number expected to rise.

The BUSY School is an initiative of The BUSY Group, a not-for-profit organisation that delivers a range of employment, apprenticeship support and skills training for job seekers throughout Queensland, and reinvests into the community through initiatives like The BUSY Schools.

Paul Miles, Managing Director of the BUSY Group said the official opening of the Coolangatta school was another significant step in supporting the Gold Coast community.

“The BUSY Schools recognises the need to support all young people to make the best start to their career. The BUSY School offers students who may not otherwise thrive in mainstream schooling a better chance at fulfilling their education, skills and career goals.”

The BUSY School launched their first campus in Cairns in 2020, which proved to be a resounding success. Since then, further campuses have opened in Salisbury, Shailer Park, Coolangatta, and more recently in Brisbane City and Southport Girls+. A new campus in Cleveland is also planned to open in early May.

L-R: Dr Kamal Dhaliwal, Chair of The BUSY School with student, Marley, from the Coolangatta campus, and Senator, the Honourable Anthony Chisholm, Senator for Queensland, Assistant Minister for Education, Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Deputy Manager of Government Business in the Senate.

Do you fancy yourself a bit of a Michael Jordan on the court? Or are you more of an experienced Nerf hoop-shooter on the back of your bathroom or office door?

For the month of June, we challenge you to hit the courts or set up your own hoop (even if it is a mini hoop in your loungeroom) and let’s see how many baskets you can sink—all while raising money for a great cause. Finesse your hoop-shooting skills and support The BUSY School as we launch our month-long fundraiser. In addition, we will be holding a corporate event on the morning of 21st June at Carrara Stadium for business teams, and it’s guaranteed to get competitive!

About The BUSY School
The BUSY School offers a progressive alternative learning option for senior high school students in Years 11 and 12 who, for a variety of reasons (including bullying, mental health, disruptive home lives and more), have disengaged from school. The BUSY School currently has eight campuses throughout Queensland and we’ve already supported hundreds of young people (who may otherwise have fallen through the cracks) to complete their schooling and go onto career paths or further study. Our campuses offer no fees, and all costs are covered for students.

The BUSY School is a registered charity and all funds raised will help The BUSY School continue to establish new campuses where they are needed most.

We want to encourage more young people to stay in school and find the best start for their career paths. Find out more about The BUSY School.

There are many ways you can support The BUSY Schools Basketball Challenge:

It costs nothing to register yourself and then fundraise individually or create / join a team. Set your goal for how many baskets you can sink in June and how much money you would like to raise during the month, and away you go! Whether you set aside an hour a day or an hour a week to ‘shoot hoops’, you’re doing good! The bonus? You could win a prize just for registering, plus you’ll get fitter and fine-tune your hoop-shootin’ skills—all while supporting a great cause. Look at you go! What a champion! Find out more or Register Now

Spread the word to all your contacts: family, friends, colleagues, business networks and everyone you know. Ask them to sponsor your efforts (or register themselves or join your team) to ensure our fundraising month raises as much money as possible for The BUSY Schools.

If you’re a business in the Gold Coast or Brisbane regions, register a team for the corporate event  – 21^st June, 9am-12pm at Carrara Stadium.
We are requesting a contribution of $1,500 from each business to register their hoop and the battle begins on the reserved courts, with each team having their own half-court. Whoever can sink the most baskets within 4,400 seconds (that’s 1 hour, 13 minutes and 19 seconds) wins the glory! Why 4,400? That number represents the number of Queensland students in 2022 who needed support from special assistance schools so they could re-engage with their education.

If your business is looking for a worthwhile end-of-year cause that is tax-deductible, why not involve your staff and register a team today? Register for the Corporate Event

Register Today or Learn More

You can learn more about The Basketball Challenge and the corporate event at Carrara Stadium on our fundraising website: www.basketballchallenge.com.au

There’s not long now until June!

Want to talk to someone about how you can support The BUSY School?

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Lana Endersby, Corporate Partnerships Manager for The BUSY School M: 0476 772 640 | E: lana.endersby@busyschools.com.au

The BUSY School is thrilled to announce a new charity partnership with von Bibra Auto Group.

With four dealerships including von Bibra Ferry Rd, Ashmore, Robina and Helensvale, the new partnership encourages von Bibra customers to nominate The BUSY Schools as a charitable recipient who will then receive $20 from each von Bibra car purchase.

Lee Aitken, CEO of The BUSY School said, “This is a wonderful demonstration of von Bibra’s support for young people on the Gold Coast who are being supported through The BUSY School to re-engage with their senior high school education and get the best start in their career paths. We are grateful to Wade at von Bibra and his team for being so committed to our cause.”

The BUSY School is a network of eight special assistance schools in Queensland with an education model focused on taking the time to provide individual support for students who would otherwise struggle in the traditional education system. With smaller classrooms and a flexible learning environment which provides opportunities to explore vocational career paths while also attaining their QCE, students who had previously disengaged from school due to a variety of reasons that include bullying, difficult home lives and many other reasons, are supported to re-engage with their education and their future. The BUSY School has already supported hundreds of young people, who may otherwise have ‘fallen through the cracks’, to graduate from high school and start career paths or go onto further study.

There are no fees for students to attend The BUSY School, with all costs covered (including uniforms, study resources and more). Therefore, support from corporate supporters such as von Bibra Auto Group is incredibly important for The BUSY School to operate current campuses and establish new campuses where they are needed most.

If your business is looking for a worthwhile sponsorship opportunity that improves outcomes for young people in Queensland, you can contact Lana Endersby, Corporate Partnership Manager on 0476 772 640 or email lana.endersby@busyschools.com.au

For more information on how you can support The BUSY School visit https://www.busyschools.qld.edu.au/donations/

Last week, The BUSY School was excited to welcome the von Bibra team to our Coolangatta campus to film a new Tiktok video, celebrating the new sponsorship partnership. View the video on our TikTok channel.