New classrooms imminent for Kaiapoi school

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Northern Outlook

By David Hill, local democracy reporter

Kaiapoi Borough School is hoping a new modular building design will speed up the the process of acquiring new classrooms.

After ending last year at close to capacity, principal Hayden van Lent is hoping to have two new classrooms in time for term four.

The new classrooms were being built in Nelson and were due to be trucked down to Kaiapoi by September.

"It’s exciting. Our school is growing," van Lent said.

"Last year we were close to capacity and the Ministry [of Education] recognised that and is moving quickly to ensure we can cater for the extra numbers.

"The modular design is a quicker design, so we have been pencilled in for further classrooms as the roll grows."

The school ended last year with 400 pupils, he said.

All of the classroom spaces were occupied in term four last year, with just the staffroom, hall and library available for use.

The school began the new school year with 375 pupils and was expected to keep growing due to the growth of the Silverstream sub-division.

The roll was just 301 back in July 2021.

The modular design or offsite manufactured buildings is a new method being utilised by the Ministry of Education to speed up the building process and minimise disruption for schools.

The new buildings can be used for roll growth, building replacement and emergency response.

As the buildings were built offsite, there was minimal disruption for the school.

The builders simply came in and laid the foundations before transporting the new buildings to the school.

Van Lent said while there was a standard design, the school had some options around its preferences for the interior layout.

"The process has been great and it means we can continue to focus on the most important thing, which is teaching and learning and giving our tamariki the best outcomes."

* Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ on Air