On the first day of term, pupils of Arthur Street School watched as their main hall, two classrooms and the principal’s office were reduced to rubble and dust.
The demolition is the first step of a $10.9 million redevelopment in which the school will be modernised and redesigned.
It is Dunedin’s oldest school, established as Dunedin’s Beach School in 1848 at the foot of Bell Hill before making its way to Arthur St in 1877.
School principal Kim Blackwood said the rebuild had been in the works for over five years and it was great to finally have it under way.
There were a lot of changes that had to be made so schooling could go ahead with the construction, but Covid-19 had primed the pupils well.
With no main hall the school had no area to hold regular assemblies, but under the Red traffic light setting they had been cancelled anyway.
Covid also meant the about 200 pupils had to split their breaks into two different shifts, half the school at lunch while the other half learnt.
Although not required in Orange, the school now had half the playground space so kept the rule.
The pupils were used to functioning that way and could clearly see the construction around them, so never complained or questioned it.
At present, all pupils had to enter through the back entrance of the school, down a set of stairs off Queens Dr.
There were a few children who had accessibility issues, but the construction workers were happy to put their tools down and open the main gate to let the pupils in.
Senior pupils took classes over at the nearby Otago Boys’ High School, which had reorganised to provide two classrooms for Arthur Street School pupils.
