School closed due to quake risk
The South Island’s largest secondary school has closed abruptly after discovering a quarter of its teaching spaces are not safe.
An investigation has discovered that 24 classrooms are 25 times more dangerous in an earthquake than a similar new building.
Burnside High School, with a roll of about 2400, is closing today and tomorrow to rework classes after blocks I and J were given a Grade E earthquake rating following a seismic assessment.
Grade E represents a life-safety risk “25 times that expected for a similar new building” Burnside deputy board chairperson Chris Wallace said.
The blocks – containing 24 classrooms – have now been closed, leaving the school without enough space until its new Pukehinau Block opens in July.
Principal Scott Haines said 24 teaching spaces amounted to nearly one-quarter of all teaching spaces, so removing them would require “significant reallocation”.
“Some spaces that are not classrooms today will be classrooms on Monday,” he told RNZ.
As a result, one year level per day, except for year 9, will then be forced to study from home until the end of the term.
Next term, until July, the school day will be split with juniors coming earlier and seniors coming later.
“We appreciate that this is very short notice and will be disruptive for some families, but the school’s priority is the safety of our staff and students,” Wallace said.
“We are not prepared to take any risks around the safety of our students and staff.”
Haines said the school would work with students and families individually if problems or clashes came up.
“We have very resilient students at Burnside, and we learnt many lessons during Covid about how to manage off site and online learning.
“Parents and students can be assured ... that the exceptional educational outcomes that Burnside High School is renowned for will not change.
“Our reputation is as one of New Zealand’s leading secondary schools and that is not due to our buildings, but rather our incredibly talented teaching staff.”
The Ministry of Education gave the school permission to continue using the blocks until July but supported the decision to close them.
Burnside High School will reopen on Monday with new timetables and teaching locations.