Plans for new co-ed secondary school

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32975, 22 July 1972, Page 16

Plans for new co-ed secondary school

(By our education reporter)

Pressure of enrolments in all State secondary schools in Christchurch for 1973 has accelerated plans to build a new co-educational secondary school to serve the south-western area of the city.

The new school, which will be built on land owned by the Department of Education in Carmen Road, Hornby, will probably take precedence over plans to build a new secondary school in the North New Brighton area. More than 4150 pupils have applied for entrance to State secondary schools in Christchurch next year. Contrary to previous estimates, the Department of Education is experiencing some difficulty in finding places for some of them.

It has been helped by several schools taking more

pupils than they desire. Negotiations are proceeding with three schools—Lincoln, Hagley, and Riccarton high schools—to take extra numbers to meet the pressure on enrolments from the HombySockbum area. SINGLE-SEX SCHOOLS This year’s enrolments indicate that there has been a drop in the number of applicants to single-sex schools in Christchurch. There has also been a marked discrepancy—more than 200 —in the number of boys applying for [admission to schools over the I number of applications from girls.

If existing State secondary schools in Christchurch declined to take extra new applicants — and secondary school boards have a right to do this —then it would mean that the Department of Education might have to make use of the right of the Minister of Education to impose some sort of geographical zoning system for Christchurch secondary schools. The situation is, however, unlikely to deteriorate to this point, as most secondary school boards have agreed to take more than their normal quota in the expectation of plans for a new school being speeded up. Asked to comment on the likelihood of a new secondary school for Christchurch soon, the district senior inspector of secondary schools (Mr R. U. Roy) agreed that “there would be no trouble in starting a new school in Hornby if there was one ready tomorrow.”

Without the co-operation of secondary school boards, the department might have had some difficulties, Mr Roy said.