Move mooted for special needs pupils

Three Christchurch special schools could be relocated to mainstream school campuses under a $14.1 million Education Ministry shakeup.

A ministry report says nonresidential schools and their satellite locations are ‘‘not best placed to serve current and future demographics and community needs, or to support inclusive practice’’.

There has been a mixed response to proposals, including Ferndale School moving from Merivale to Aranui’s new community campus, Waitaha from Templeton to Rolleston, and Allenvale from Bryndwr to an existing school in the north of Christchurch. The ministry noted proposals should not be progressed without support.

Under the Greater Christchurch Education Renewal Plan, $14.1 million was set aside to reshape special education in the city. This was preferred ‘‘rather than simply putting things back the way they were’’ with a $6m repair bill..

The schools’ boards will consult staff and parents about the proposal and report back to the ministry by mid-June.

Ferndale board of trustees chairwoman Jacki Morris’ main concern was about the ‘‘incredibly tight’’ six-week turnaround.

The school had been in Merivale for nearly 75 years, where it had ‘‘fantastic’’ support from nearby schools, including Rangi Ruru Girls’ School and St Margaret’s College.

‘‘You can’t just build up a community in the space of months, it takes years for that to happen,’’ Morris said.

‘‘It is traumatic because we’re talking about the most vulnerable children in our community and there is weight on our shoulders to get it right.’’

She wanted to assure parents the same staff would be working with their children, regardless of the outcome.

The school had many highly medically fragile pupils, and close proximity to hospital was important for them.

‘‘What is the east going to look like in 2017, I don’t know,’’ Morris said.

Allenvale School principal Graeme Daniel said the school was open to co-locating with a mainstream school, especially since its Bryndwr building had already been identified as too ‘‘leaky and defective’’.

The school was opposed to being located as far away as Kaiapoi, and it preferred to be attached to a primary school.

Daniel, who is also Special Education Principals’ Association president, believed parents needed the choice to enrol special needs children in specialist schools, and integrating all into mainstream school was not the answer.

Despite Waitaha showing an initial preference for staying on its current site, principal Margaret Dodds said it would be ‘‘negligent’’ not to consider all options for its growing school population.

It was about ‘‘providing authentic parent choice, wherever that is’’, and future-proofing the school, she said.

Ferndale parent Gillian Templeton was concerned about the school being located within the Aranui campus, or any other mainstream school.

‘‘You don’t fix something that’s not broken.’’

Her daughter Rachel, 14, has Down syndrome, autism, little speech, would never be toilettrained, and needed constant monitoring. ‘‘She is so settled there, so happy.’’

Leaving Ferndale’s Merivale community would mean losing the support network she was grateful for. Even staff at the Merivale McDonald’s knew Rachel’s non-vocal classmates and how to communicate with them.

She was concerned about Rachel and the medically fragile pupils being in Aranui, so far from the hospital.

Ministry spokeswoman Katrina Casey said co-location would mean new buildings for the schools, equitable access, and enhanced inclusion, but no school would be forced to relocate if it chose not to.

Education Minister Hekia Parata will receive the final report at the end of next month.