Alexandra schools growing

Reece Goldsmith.
Reece Goldsmith.
Strong roll growth at Dunstan High School in Alexandra is being monitored by the Ministry of Education (MOE) as the primary schools feeding into the high school also experience steady growth.

Dunstan had started the year with its highest roll in a decade, 573, principal Reece Goldsmith said. Last year, the school started with a roll of about 540.

Mr Goldsmith said he was talking to Alexandra and Clyde primary schools and the MOE about whether the roll growth was a temporary spike or permanent growth.

This year, one new teacher had been taken on at Dunstan because of the roll increase, and a room at the school converted to a classroom.

Primary school principals said they expected the growth would continue as more families moved to Central Otago.

The Terrace Primary School is the biggest primary school in the Alexandra-Clyde district, starting the year with a roll of 385. Principal Garry Anderson said he expected it to exceed 400 by the end of the year, as it did last year.

Mr Anderson said he was asking the ministry ''what's the plan'' for future growth in the district, saying planning should be done by the ministry.

MOE deputy secretary sector enablement and support Katrina Casey said the ministry was ''constantly monitoring the potential for roll growth'', particularly in areas where populations were increasing.

Alexandra had experienced ''some growth in recent years'' and the ministry had had ''regular talks with the Terrace school about its roll growth and property management''.

''We advised its principal Garry Anderson that wider demographic analysis is currently being prepared. Once this is available we will share the information with all these schools in the area, as they are all part of the Dunstan Community of Learning. This will give this community a chance to collectively contribute to our longer term planning for the area.''

Alexandra Primary School's October 2015 roll was 180 and its October 2016 roll 204. Its current roll was 200, and another 10-15 new entrants were expected during the year, principal Adele Gott said.

St Gerard's School's October 2015 roll was 136 and its October 2016 roll 144. Its current roll was 140 and it was expected to reach about 150 by the end of the year, acting principal Julie Flannery said.

Clyde Primary School's October 2015 roll was 134 and its October 2016 roll 148. Its current roll was 137, a particularly large cohort of 26 year 8 pupils having left the school last year, principal Doug White said.

The school's roll was expected to reach 150 by the end of the year and remain steady next year, Mr White said.

He said many of the new families moving to the district were bringing a mix of languages and cultures which was diversifying the district and a positive thing.

However, he and Ms Gott were concerned about the shortage of housing for some families.

pam.jones@odt.co.nz

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