Carisbrook School Board of Trustees immediate past-chairwoman Isabell Sinclair Irwin said she had been in touch with the office of Associate Minister of Education Craig Foss, and was told a decision on how much money is to be put towards the building project, can be expected within the next two days.
While it was not yet known how much money would be provided for the building project, Mrs Sinclair Irwin was delighted with the news, and hoped it meant final approval could be given to the building plans as soon as possible.
The school was to have been developed and ready to accommodate pupils at the start of term 1 this year, following the merger of Caversham and College Street Schools.
The planned upgrade has been delayed significantly while the Ministry of Education urgently considers how to squeeze a higher number of pupils on to the site than originally anticipated. The school has 12 classrooms at present, but will need 20 by next year to accommodate a growing roll.
The board of trustees initially estimated there would be about 418 pupils at the school by 2013, but it was believed the school would reach that number by the middle of this term, and significantly more than that next year.
Because the work has not yet been done, the schools are still operating at their original sites.
The board of trustees and the ministry have yet to confirm what development will take place at the school's main site, at the corner of South Rd and Surrey St.
Mrs Sinclair Irwin said the school had been working with the ministry, on the idea of building a new specially planned school, or refurbishing the existing premises and building additional new classrooms, a library and an administration area. The board's preference was for a new school on the main site, she said.
