School working for recovery

An acting principal and two new teachers have been appointed to High Street School with the aim of turning around its haemorrhaging roll.

The school's March roll return has fallen from 115 pupils in 2001 to 28 pupils this year.

The school's two teachers and former principal Sue Riddle resigned last year. Many parents had withdrawn their children from the school amid allegations of bullying by the principal between 2008 and 2009.

However, acting principal Wendy Mabon said the school had moved on from those events, and had a team of committed and positive professional teachers and support staff who were working hard to rebuild Dunedin's second-oldest school.

"Our vision is to be widely recognised in the community for quality and diversity of educational opportunity, community participation, pupil wellbeing and achievement."

Miss Mabon said the school was trying to rebuild a connection with the community, in the hope it would encourage families in the area to send their children to the school.

The school had made contact with local early childhood education centres in the area, it ran a 4-year-old preschooler programme (Little Explorers) at the school on Friday afternoons, and held curriculum information evenings aimed at helping parents with their children's learning at home.

The school will hold a Big Day Out at the school for families tomorrow.

Miss Mabon said the school had grown an inclusive, energetic culture which fostered its pupils to become "inquisitive, responsible and happy learners for today and the future".

"Our vision statement is `high expectations, high engagement, high achievement'.

"We are here. We are here to grow. We are here to stay," she said.

- john.lewis@odt.co.nz