Hagley High’s future

Press, 9 November 1981, Page 16

Hagley High’s future

The reaction of many in -the icommunity to rumours that Hagley High School might be closed is evidence that the school has established a special place for itself in Christchurch. Assurances have been given that a final decision about the future of the school is two or three years away and will only be made after wide local consultations. It seems clear that if the assurance that local 'Opinion about the school will be taken into account is honoured, the school has a better than even chance of surviving, r The two reasons given for even raising the question o£ the school’s future are falling rolls — in Christchurch generally as well as at Hagley in particular — and the alleged instability of the school’s main block of buildings. Hagley may be a central city school whose “ordinary” secondary pupils could easily be spread around other more modern secondary schools, but it has established itself as a school with a particular role in education in Christchurch and its future should not be regarded as sealed simply because its immediate area has become markedly less residential over. the years. As a school which provides a particular and different sort of education from other secondary schools in Christchurch it can. properly draw its students from all over the city. Equally, if the school can justify its continued existence on the ground that it serves unique purposes, the fact that one of its several buildings will soon have to be strengthened or replaced should not count against-it. .. It remains possible that for the country as a whole to get the best value for its dollar spent on education, the closing of Hagley High would be justified. But if the

unlikely decision is made-to close the school, Christchurch is entitled to demand a detailed justification for the decision and to have evidence supplied that alternatives to closing the school completely have been explored with an open mind. The school has made important innovations in recent years. These should be protected and if they can only be protected by keeping the school open ways should be found around any financial or administrative obstacles to this. The innovations concern mainly the provision of flexible opportunities for adults returning to school for a “second go.” To keep such avenues for educational advancement later in life open is likely to become more and more important as the job market remains less tight for the skilled and qualified than for the unskilled or ill-qualified. Hagley High is also important because it provides adults with a second chance to secure educational qualifications within an “ordinary” secondary school. Both adults and adolescents at Hagley benefit, greatly it seems, from learning together at the one institution.

Anyone with personal experience of how high schools work knows how much depends on a school having an atmosphere conducive to learning and pride in its traditions. The traditions at Hagley. of mixing adults and adolescents and of providing opportunities for educational advancement to adults who would otherwise be denied them, such as those with young children in their charge through the day, are only a few. years old. But they are already entrenched and make Hagley High School an institution whose future should be of special concern.