Hon Hekia Parata

Minister of Education
1 November 2016
Redcliffs School to get new site and facilities

Education Minister Hekia Parata has today announced that Redcliffs School is to relocate to an alternative site in Redcliffs, Christchurch.

“After considering all the analysis, I have come to the decision that moving the school away from the current site under the cliffs is the best option for the future of Redcliffs School,” says Ms Parata.

“Every option has been carefully considered, including remaining at the Main Road site. Relocating the school to the nearby Redcliffs Park will benefit not only the current school community, but future students, staff and the whole Redcliffs community.”

One of the major benefits of moving to Redcliffs Park will be the larger site, which means the school would have more room to grow in the future, and allows the option of exploring co-located and shared community facilities.

“My main concern has always been for the well-being of the children. So as part of the decision-making process, a further investigation into the potential psychosocial effects on children attending school at the Main Road site was carried out,” says Ms Parata.

“It found that although the risk of negative psychosocial impacts could be mitigated for most children, this would place additional responsibilities on staff to address and implement the mitigation measures if the school remained on the site, and this is not something that the Ministry of Education or the current board can guarantee in the long term.”

A study assessing the feasibility of relocating Redcliffs School has also been carried out and identified Redcliffs Park, which is owned by the Christchurch City Council, as the most suitable location.

“I have spoken with Mayor Dalziel, who has reiterated her support for a school based in the Redcliffs community, and I look forward to quickly getting through the necessary land processes,” says Ms Parata.

A detailed analysis will be undertaken on Redcliffs Park to find the best site on that land for the school. Redcliffs School will continue sharing the site at Van Asch Deaf Education Centre until the new site is ready, which will likely be by mid-2019.

“This is a very exciting time for the Redcliffs community. Over the coming weeks the Ministry will be working with the board to talk to the community and develop a plan for the new Redcliffs School,” says Ms Parata.

“I want to acknowledge the time and effort that the board of Redcliffs School has put into the investigation process and pay tribute to the staff for their continued dedication to their students.”

More information can be found here.

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