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The delivery of a two-storey, modular classroom block at Warkworth School, to accommodate its ever-increasing student numbers, is well underway.
Warkworth School principal Karney Dawson said the project had progressed quickly following recent planning meetings with Ministry of Education representatives and designers.
“I was a little concerned about what it was going to look like because in the old days you used to get a couple of prefabs trucked in and put on your school grounds, and you ended up having to do all the landscaping, building decks and everything else,” he says.
“But these classrooms are really state-of-the-art. We’re really pleased that it’s not going to look out of place.”
The six-classroom building will be a high-spec design, tailored for the school and built out of weatherboard with steel cladding. It will be constructed off-site by BUILTsmart, a NZ-based company that specialises in designing and building prefabricated classrooms.
Dawson said he and school staff had been closely involved in the design discussions.
“The Ministry really listened to what we wanted.
“There will be three classrooms upstairs and three downstairs, and we want large sliding doors to allow the spaces to flow together. They’ll be able to be closed off depending on what lesson is being taught.”
He said the design would reflect the collaborative learning spaces already used at the school and the flexible layout would allow classrooms to open into larger shared spaces or operate independently
when required.
It would also include breakout areas intended for specialist learning or group activities.
“The designers took photos of the sliding doors we’ve got at the moment. Even right down to the frosting because that particular design matches our school vision.”
While the rooms could be used for a range of activities, Dawson said the main driver for the project was increasing student numbers.
The school roll currently stands at 600.
The modular structure will be built off-site before being installed at the school, a process expected to reduce disruption during construction.
The classroom block will be located on a grassed area, on the senior campus near the dental clinic, with the foundations to be installed in Term 4.
The new classrooms are expected to be ready for Term 1 next year.
