It will be a new year and a new era for Bathgate Park School, but some are predicting it will be plagued by the same old problems.
The Ministry of Education decided to merge Macandrew Intermediate and Forbury School early last year because of declining rolls in the south Dunedin area.
However, it appears the merger will do little to boost the roll of the newly formed Bathgate Park School when it opens for term 1 next month.
All 157 Forbury School pupils were expected to enrol at the new school, but Forbury deputy principal Matt Broad said only 45 had indicated they would be enrolling there.
A further 39 pupils have said they will enrol at Carisbrook School created by the merger of Caversham, College Street and Calton Hill Schools.
The remainder would be enrolled at 12 other schools around Dunedin.
However, Bathgate Park School principal Whetu Cormick rejected the figures, saying they were "invalid".
Mr Broad said families in the Forbury area had decided to boycott the new school because they had lost confidence in it.
"While the Forbury community were initially opposed to the merger, they worked hard and came around to the idea of merging with Macandrew. There was a major mind-shift.
"But the process of appointment of the principal totally derailed that.
"And that's because of a lack of faith created by the consultation process and the decisions the establishing board of trustees have made."
Mr Broad said the revolt was not about the appointment of Mr Cormick.
Rather, it was about the community not being listened to.
"Our children are going to 14 different schools. That very close community we had here has exploded - imploded.
"This is about the community saying, you [the Ministry of Education and establishing board of trustees] haven't listened to us."
Mr Cormick said he had spoken to principals of schools involved in the Taieri and Invercargill schools review, and found it took about two years for communities to settle down after the school mergers and closures.
He was unaware of the enrolment figures quoted by Mr Broad and believed they were "invalid".
While he could not give enrolment figures for Bathgate Park School, he said he was "heartened by the strong enrolments" so far at the new school, of pupils from Wakari, Musselburgh, Rotary Park, St Joseph's Cathedral, St Bernadette's, St Clair, College Street, Calton Hill, Caversham, Forbury and Macandrew Intermediate schools.
There were also pupils from outside Dunedin who were enrolling at the school, he said.
"This new school is about kids and we want to make sure that this new school is about creating positive and creative learning opportunities for our young people."
