The Ministry of Education provisional roll data showed an increase in students for many Tauranga schools in 2022. Photo / Getty Images
The Ministry of Education provisional roll data showed an increase in students for many Tauranga schools in 2022. Photo / Getty Images
Growth in one of Tauranga's fastest-growing suburbs is contributing to the climbing roll numbers at some Tauranga secondary schools, one principal says.
Provisional school roll numbers for this year show Tauranga Boys' College is estimated to take on the biggest roll of 2064 students.
The Ministry of Education figures areestimates and may change while the 2021 numbers are based on school roll returns from July 1.
Tauranga Boys' College principal Robert Mangan said he was expecting "well over" 2100 students to start this year.
Mangan said the school had an "especially large" group of junior students anticipating a cohort of 500 in Year 9.
Staff would need to "be strategic" about using all of the classrooms available to ensure there was enough building capacity for students.
"It is a juggle but we anticipate we will be able to manage it."
Provisional figures for Taumata School forecast a roll of 590 in 2022. That was an 82 student boost compared to the school roll return as of July 1 last year.
Principal Gen Fuller said she was expecting to start the year with a roll of 555 which would climb to 600 as the year progressed.
Fuller said she would need to "work closely" with the Ministry if the rate of growth experienced in previous years continued.
"This is a rapid growth area with a number of excellent local schools who provide for students in Years 1-8."
Taumata School principal Gen Fuller pictured with a group of students. Photo / NZME
And she said while the availability of sections in the Lakes was "slowing", there was still a "strong desire" to live in the area.
She anticipated the block would be completed in June this year.
Meanwhile, provisional figures for Tauranga Girls' College estimated a roll of 1376 - a five student increase on the roll return from last year.
But school principal Tara Kanji said they expected to begin the year with numbers higher than those predicted.
The school role stood at 1400 and Year 9 numbers were looking "very strong" with 340 enrolled as of December.
High numbers of enrolments from Otūmoetai Intermediate students contributed towards the roll growth, Kanji said.
The school was undertaking "significant" property projects to support roll growth which included its "fully refurbished" learning hub which would reopen in three months.
Work would then begin to redevelop a three-storey block at the school with significant weathertightness defects. Building was expected to take about 18 months, Kanji said.
Kanji said refurbishment on the 23-classroom leaky building would be "well worth the wait".
She described it as "an innovative mixed open plan space with breakout nooks, learning streets and collaborative spaces" for subjects like visual arts, computer science, technology, science, design and general subjects.
Ministry of Education hautū (leader) operations and integration Sean Teddy said the Ministry managed the network of schools across the Bay of Plenty to ensure that every child had access to a local school.
"This means we need to be aware of and plan for population growth as well as changes and population shifts in the short–term and much further out as well." Population projections, local council information, enrolment data were considered to do this, he said.
Teddy said Taumata School opened in the Lakes subdivision in 2019 to service the growing population.
Secondary students from this area usually attend Tauranga Girls' College and Tauranga Boys' College, he said.
