FIVE INTERMEDIATE SCHOOLS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 121, 17 February 1944, Page 6

FIVE INTERMEDIATE SCHOOLS

Wellington Plans BOARD DISCUSSES PROCEDURE

•The Wellington Education Board has decided to proceed with proposals for the establishment of intermediate schools in the Wellington city area. At a meeting of the board yesterday, Mr. L. J. McDonald submitted a report ou behalf of members who were deputed to wait on the Director of Education, Dr. C. B. Beeby, for the purpose of discussing recommendations drawn up following consultation with school committees in the respective groups. Mr. McDonald said that the director had shown a sympathetic interest in and response to the representations that were made and based on the viewpoints of the school committees concerned. In the first instance the director had doubts about the wisdom of circulating what could only be regarded as a tentative report, but was satisfied, from results achieved that it was a step in the right direction. In connexion with the southern group of schools the proposal was to establish an intermediate school by the utilization of the existing buildings at -South Wellington. It was stated that there was some disagreement to this proposal so far as the member’s of the South Wellington School Committee were concerned, but Dr. Beeby said that the department was not in a position to incur capital expenditure on new buildings- in cases where existing schools .were available in suitable and.centrally situated positions. So far as the central group was concerned it was thought that the taking of the Mount Cook primary school premises would involve the erection of an infant school adjacent to the present Mt. Cook site. This would obviate the necessity of young children being required to pass over dangerous thoroughfares ou their way to and from the neighbouring schools. The position here was to be re-examined with a view of determining whether Mount Cook or Te Aro was the better site. In the case of the northern group arrangements were in hand for an inspection of sites to be made —in company with the Minister of Education, if possible—in order- that finality could t>e reached. The proposal involved the erection of-a new school somewhere in the Khandallah-Johnsonville area, and the matter was one of some urgency if the erection of additional primary schools accommodation was to be avoided. Mr. McDonald informed the boar-! that it would appear that there was a reasonable prospect of the board being able to jiroceed with as little delay as possiblewith a scheme for the establishment of three intermediate schools in tilt Wellington city area. The western and eastern groups would probably take longer to establish. In the former case a site would have to be selected and a new intermediate school erected. There was not the same pressure for additional primary school accommodation in this district. In the latter case the proposal involved the use of the Miramar South primary school building, and there were difficulties to surmount before the scheme could be proceeded with. The schools in the groups are:— .Southern group: South Wellington, Newtown, Berhampore Island Bay, Ridgway, Houghton Valley. Central group: Mt. Cook, Brooklyn, le Aro, Clyde Quay, Roseneath, IVadestown (tentatively). ■ Northern group: Ngaio, Khandallah, Johnsonville.

Western group: Karori, Karori West, Kelburn, Northland, Thorndon. Eastern group: Miramar South, Miramar Central, Miramar North, Lyall Bay, Seatoun, Worser Bay, Hataitaq Kilbirnie.