Extra pupils put squeeze on primary school

By Yvette Wakelin
A Western Bay primary school principal had a first-day surprise yesterday when nearly three dozen non-enrolled children turned up.
An estimated 35 extra children arrived at Otumoetai Primary School - boosting the school roll to 515 and the average classroom size to 27.
School principal Geoff Opie said the beginning of the school year came with a big surprise when pupils who had not enrolled arrived in the school grounds.
"We sort of expected 480 or 490 kids but we have somehow got 515 - and that will probably climb further over the week. It's definitely an influx we didn't expect and it's really put the pressure on," he said.
The news comes just one day after the Bay of Plenty Times revealed the region may get several new secondary schools to cope with dramatically climbing numbers.
Six of the region's eight colleges were found to have more than 1000 students - ahead of the national average of 700 to 800.
The extra numbers at Otumoetai Primary, which were expected to climb to 580 by the end of the year, would also add to the average size of classrooms.
"Our classes vary from about 23 to 32 pupils at the moment," Mr Opie said.
New entrant and junior school classes catered for 23, while middle and senior school teachers had between 29 and 32 pupils each.
"This will no doubt change with the coming and going of kids throughout the year."
Mount Maunganui Primary School principal Mike Shennen said his school was travelling along the same path, with the school roll now estimated at 310 - up 60 on last year.
"We are nearly two class lots ahead of where we were at the same time last year. We were expecting about 288 but we have 306 - that's without the comings and goings of [yesterday]."
He said the average classroom size at the school - which was building more classrooms and taking on more staff to cope with the increase - was also creeping up.
New-entrant class numbers were sitting at 24 pupils, with both middle and senior school at 28.
Tauranga Primary School principal Jenny McNicol said the 400 pupils at her central city school were generally finding themselves in classrooms with up to 31 others.
"In the senior school there are 30 to 31 and in one there are 32 already. In the middle school we try to keep it under 30."
New-entrant and junior school classes, however, tended to be much lower at just 12 - with this number building to the mid-20s by the end of the year.
At Greenpark Primary, an enrolment scheme has meant the city's growth has not had much of an affect on classroom numbers.
Principal Graeme Lind said that at first glance numbers appeared to be "pretty standard", with just a few more children on the roll than in previous years.
"We are looking at about 610-plus at the moment and that includes 16 international students - last year there were 604.
"There are no major surprises."
Matua Primary School acting principal Alistair Eagleson agreed, saying he also had similar overall school numbers, with class sizes averaging at 25.
"The roll is up only slightly on last year. In our senior school we are averaging 28 or 29, our middle school about 27 and junior school in the mid-20s. But the new-entrant classes are all below 20."