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New classrooms, play areas and bike tracks are just a few of the developments being planned for Mangawhai Beach School to cope with its rapidly expanding roll.
Student numbers have doubled over the past seven years to around 500, making extra space and resources essential.
Principal Aaron Kemp says a conceptual masterplan of 10 projects, or opportunities, has been drawn up, in addition to Ministry of Education plans to build a new 10-classroom block at the front of the school next year.
The new classroom building will be built to resemble a marae, and it will replace six transportable classes that were placed on the school car park last year to cope with the rapid growth in population.
First off the blocks in the school’s masterplan has been clearing a bush block at the rear of the school playing fields to make extra space and a future bike track. Next will be a new play area for intermediate students and opening up a connection to the harbour, which forms the school’s southern boundary.
“We’re trying to get access to the harbour, so students can kayak and SUP in the channel,” Mr Kemp says. “And we’ve been gifted a little motorboat that we can use.”
There are also plans for a natural play area, an outdoor classroom, a bike track and expanding and realigning the sports fields to create three pitches instead of one, as well as eventually replacing the school swimming pool with a larger, indoor facility.
Mr Kemp says that, apart from the Ministry-funded classroom block, funding for the masterplan projects will be raised by the school.
“When I started, seven years ago, the roll was 260, the school had a budget deficit and there were a few issues,” he says. “We’ve got 500 kids here now, and the school is able to fund most things from grants, community fundraising and good management.”
He says that while it may take at least five years to get every project completed, things were already happening.
“It’s all really exciting and it’s going to be really exciting for our kids,” he says.
The school has also built a new dance studio and tech suite in the recreation centre that is shared with the Mangawhai community.
