Relocated classrooms may house Gloriavale pupils

| Greymouth Star | Arianna Stewart |

Awahono School in the Grey Valley welcomed the addition of two new classrooms this morning, which the Ministry of Education says may also cater to Gloriavale students in the future.

The classroom block was moved late yesterday from Grey Main School, in Greymouth.

The future of the private school at the Gloriavale Christian Community at remote Lake Haupiri, inland from Nelson Creek, has been up in the air since late last year, when the Ministry of Education announced without warning that it was closing the Gloriavale School. This followed a second failed audit by the Education Review Office, which raised concerns about the physical and emotional safety of children there.

Some options for the 100 children who would have needed to fi nd alternative education were fl oated in the weeks before the January 23 cancellation of the school’s registration, including the children doing correspondence through an onsite Te Kura hub, or parents otherwise registering their children at the nearest State school.

Before the school could be closed, the Gloriavale Christian School board of trustees sought a judicial review, which was unopposed by the ministry, and it has since remained open for now.

Awahono School at Ahaura is one of the closest State schools to Gloriavale, but is still about 48km from Gloriavale.

The Greymouth Star asked the Ministry of Education if the addition of the two new classrooms at Awahono meant there are plans to eventually use that school as an alternative for children currently at Gloriavale.

“The roll at Awahono School has been increasing and the school was identified as a candidate for roll growth,” acting director of education for Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast, Carly Ave, said.

“To support ongoing education provision in the Grey Valley and enable schools to better respond to roll fl uctuations, two surplus teaching spaces at Greymouth Main School are being relocated to Awahono School.

“The relocated classrooms would also be able to cater for Gloriavale students in the future, should the families choose to enrol them at this school.”

Since the ministry announced its intentions in regards to Gloriavale Christian School, it has maintained that it is the parents’ responsibility for ensuring their children are legally enrolled in a registered school.

It also said it is parental choice about which schooling option they consider most appropriate.