Te Awamutu Primary School has converted its staff room and library into three classrooms to meet record enrolments.
Sharon Griffiths
School principal Sharon Griffiths told The News of the measures taken as enrolments had already busted last year’s record 600 and were expected to reach 650 by the end of this year.
The Teasdale Road school board and Ministry of Education have responded with a proposal to shrink its existing enrolment scheme home zone.
The move comes after Te Awamutu College said it would not accept students from outside of its zone next year, including siblings of current students, as it is full.
“Over the last six years we have steadily grown every year,” Griffiths said.
“Last year we got to 600. Today we have 628, and 650 by the end of the year. We have to take everybody that’s in the zone.”
The board and ministry’s proposed zone amendment removes from the school’s home zone an area southwest of the school between State Highway 3 or Kihikihi Road, Park Road, and Golf Road.
The proposed change is intended to reduce the pressure on the Te Awamutu Primary School roll, resulting from significant growth in Te Awamutu.
“A lot of people are moving into Te Awamutu,” Griffiths said. “A lot of people from South Africa and the Philippines. We are trying to minimise our growth by minimising our zone.”
Under the proposal, currently out to public consultation, second priority will be given to siblings of current pupils, third priority to siblings of former students, fourth priority to children of former pupils, and fifth priority to children of employees and board members.
The removed area sits within the enrolment zone of Pekapekarau School in Te Rahu Road.
“Pekapekarau is a vibrant school which is growing,” said Pekapekarau School principal Tania Bagley.
“We do have spaces for students and this amendment doesn’t negatively impact us. We welcome visits of whānau who are interested in enrolling and being part of our school.”
Kihikihi School will also be implementing a home zone next term, to help manage enrolments.
The school roll is currently 28 pupils above the Ministry of Education’s recommended 185 pupils, principal Sunny West said.
“I am pretty excited about the growth in the area,” West said. “It’s great news for all of us. But we are very limited in capacity.”
The News asked the Ministry of Education whether all of the changes in Te Awamutu meant that the town needed new primary and secondary schools to keep up with the growth.
Ministry of Education Hautū (deputy secretary) Te Tai Whenua (central) Jocelyn Mikaere said there was no immediate requirement for new schools in Waipā.
“Increases in school rolls in Te Awamutu are managed through effective use of enrolment schemes, which provide schools with the ability to manage overcrowding. If growth exceeds the capacity of existing buildings, investment in additional teaching spaces will be considered,” she said.
“Proposals to increase a schools roll and add year groups require ministerial approval. We work with schools on these applications, timeframes differ depending on the information provided.”
Consultation on shrinking Te Awamutu Primary School’s enrolment zone opened last week and closes on October 25.
Te Awamutu Primary School
