Hopes high college to be redeveloped

Cromwell College entrance off Barry Ave. Photo:Supplied
Cromwell College entrance off Barry Ave. Photo: Supplied
News a Ministry of Education business case will be prepared for Cromwell College hopefully signals a major redevelopment there, school board of trustees chairman Greg Wilkinson says.

The school was told last week a ministry official had been appointed to prepare a business case for the college, Mr Wilkinson said.

It was "welcome news", and hopefully meant any development there would be major, he said.

"The ministry indicated in July that the combination of ongoing roll growth and ageing buildings and facilities did illustrate a need for a major redevelopment rather than just adding on more classrooms.

"The fact that they are now taking the next step and preparing a case for this to happen is very good news for Cromwell."

School leaders had been working with the ministry this year to develop a master plan for the school and ministry officials who visited in July acknowledged "the challenge we are facing with roll growth and our ageing relocatable buildings", principal Mason Stretch said in August.

The school's roll of about 450 is expected to increase by almost 100 pupils in the next four years. Fifty-four year 13 pupils will leave at the end of the year, and about 104 year 7 pupils will start at the college next year.

The school, which opened in 1978, was comprised of relocatable prefabricated buildings that were "never meant to be here for 50 years", Mr Stretch said.

Mr Wilkinson said the ministry adopted "various formulas for assessing school needs".

There was tough competition for ministry funding, but Cromwell College leaders were dedicated to working closely with the ministry to ensure progress was made in a timely fashion, he said.

"Every space in the school is considered a potential teaching space by the ministry, even the corridors.

"We have plans in place for 2019 but beyond that, with our ever-growing roll, if we don't do anything, we will be teaching in the corridors."

Ministry representatives would next visit Cromwell College on November 26 and it was hoped after that there would be "a timetable of milestones to guide us," Mr Wilkinson said.

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