NEW STRUCTURE FOR SOUTH EAST INVERCARGILL SCHOOLING

The Education Minister has released details of a proposed reorganisation of two south-east Invercargill high schools following serious and continuing decline in enrolments at the schools.

"As I told the school representatives last week, there is no point in my making a decision unless it resolves the situation", Wyatt Creech said.

The Minister is recommending that in future there be a single Form 1 to 7 school on the current Kingswell School site. For technical reasons, there would be formal closure of both Cargill High School and Kingswell High School. This would allow a new board to be established and give all staff involved a fair o pportunity to participate in the new school.

Under the plan the future of Lithgow Intermediate School would also need to be determined. The Minister has offered the Lithgow board four options to consider for the future.

These are: amalgamation with a primary school, amalgamation with the new high school, if it is established, amalgamation with any combination of primary schools and the new secondary school or possible closure.

"I have spent some time considering the best step forward for schooling in this area. I appreciated the opportunity to hear various views on the options when I was in Invercargill last week.

"There are strongly held opinions about what needs to be done with the schools in the region. However the fact is that the schools are providing about 1000 more student places than needed."

Since 1990, the school roll at Cargill High School has fallen from 888 to 507, at Kingswell from 561 to 316, and at Lithgow Intermediate from 345 to 148.

"It makes no sense to have two half-empty secondary schools just a couple of kilometres apart and competing for the same falling number of students.

``After considering the issue at some length I believe the best option is to provide one robust, well-resourced, high quality, well-located college in that part of the city,'' Mr Creech said. ``This would appear to be the best long-term solution for south-east Invercargill, and would be fair to everyone concerned.

"Closing the two high schools, and establishing a Form 1 to 7 school on the Kingswell site would bring certainty to the future provision of high quality secondary schooling in the region."

Mr Creech said the Kingswell site was closer to where most of the future pupils would come from and was in better physical condition.

The Ministry of Education has been working with secondary and intermediate schools in south and east Invercargill since 1995 to find a solution to the over-supply of 1000 pupil places.

``Cargill and Kingswell High Schools have recently applied to become Form 1 to 7 or 8 schools. This would not however resolve the issue of having such a large amount of surplus school accommodation,'' said Mr Creech.

Lithgow Intermediate had been working towards an amalgamation with Cargill High School.

"The falling rolls in the region mean there are serious questions about the viability of Lithgow Intermediate after 1998.

``While I acknowledge that there will be some people who are disappointed that their proposal did not succeed, this is decision time for the future of education in this part of Invercargill,'' said Mr Creech. ``We have the opportunity here to put in place the kind of education facilities that will best serve the community for many years. ''

"Full consultation with the schools and the local communities about the plan will now take place, and no final decisions made until all the feedback is considered,: Mr Creech said.