Senior Albany students will start the 2009 school year at the Junior High. Photo / Paul Estcourt
Senior Albany students will start the 2009 school year at the Junior High. Photo / Paul Estcourt
KEY POINTS:
Plans to put first-year Albany Senior High students in a commercial building have been abandoned - with purpose-built temporary facilities going up at the feeder junior high instead.
The country's first state senior high was promoted as a showcase of the future of education after its scheduled openingin 2009.
But delays, including higher-than-expected opposition to an application to re-designate the latest site on Albany Highway, mean the school buildings will not be ready on time.
At a meeting for prospective students' parents last night, it emerged the Ministry of Education's plan to use a commercial building as a makeshift classroom had been canned.
A suggestion of using North Harbour Stadium was also rejected, as was a plan to extend the junior high for an extra year.
Senior high board of trustees chairman Simon Russell said the school would occupy a corner of the junior high site for a year.
"We think the temporary campus at Albany Junior School is a well-designed solution that will meet the expectations and needs of students, staff and parents.
"Consequently we think this is a great solution as the school will be able to fully function at the beginning of term one 2009, with the buildings facilitating learning across all areas of the curriculum and the full implementation of NCEA."
Mr Russell said the huge response from parents on the issue illustrated how important it was. The wider community had also come forward offering sponsorship and support.
