5000 pupils, nine primary schools, one super high school

Saturday, 13 May 2023

Shannen Hawkins with her son Jacob, 2, at the Neemo Childcare Centre in Rolleston, which she manages.

A school that taught its first pupil just six years ago is on track to becoming the largest in the country.

Rolleston College has gone from opening in 2017 to now having more than 1500 students – making it one of the largest schools in the South Island – and could surpass 3000 within a decade.

Ministry of Education figures show 5163 students are enrolled in Rolleston's nine primary schools and one high school. The town is one of the fastest growing in New Zealand, within one of the country’s fastest growing districts, Selwyn.

Rolleston College, already one of the South Island’s largest schools, will soon split into junior and senior colleges, with a new campus underway about 2km away.

The college, the sole secondary school in the catchment, is in the throes of significant expansion, with planning under way for a second campus for seniors about 2km away, leaving the existing school for juniors. The first stage is due to open in 2025 and the campus is expected to be completed in 2028.

Principal Rachel Skelton said growth had been “considerable”, with the school expected to match or eclipse the country’s largest school, Auckland's Rangitoto College, which has a roll of 3233.

Skelton spoke to The Press from Sydney, where she was visiting schools to learn from her Australian counterparts.

She said she looked at stand-alone junior schools and senior schools, schools that catered for both, and schools that had juniors and seniors on different sites, like Rolleston soon would.

The visits provided “valuable insight into these models and the huge opportunities they present” and, in the case of the multi-campus model, a “look at practical logistics like staffing and transport from schools who already operate successfully”.

Selwyn mayor Sam Broughton said the district’s demographic is skewed towards the young.

“As we've grown in population, our average age continues to decline – it's been young families moving here, or people expecting children.”

Then-prime minister Jacinda Ardern attends the official opening of Rolleston's newest primary school, Te Rohutu Whio, in August 2022.

Broughton said he was happy with the amount of investment from the Ministry of Education in recent years, saying “it's just the growth has been ahead of what was anticipated”.

And while Rolleston College is being expanded, there’s also pressure on nearby Lincoln High School and other schools, he said.

The first stage of a second campus for Rolleston College is due to open in 2025, and it should be fully completed in 2028.

Ministry spokesperson Nancy Bell said Rolleston’s growth over the last decade was rapid and set to continue.

Rolleston College, which was built for up to 1800 students, had been given modular temporary classrooms while work on the second campus progressed, and funding to support additional staffing was intended, she said.

“Assuming population growth continues at a similar rate as in recent years, it is estimated that the roll at Rolleston College could reach 3000 in the early 2030s.”

But it is early childhood education centres where demand has really skyrocketed.

Initially reluctant to move to Rolleston, childcare centre manager Shannen Hawkins said once she was “roped in” she became a convert.

“It’s very busy and growing very quickly, but for the most part, just being able to wander down to the cake shop and the playground – the atmosphere is just lovely.”

Hawkins manages Neemo Childcare, a large early childhood education centre on the outskirts of town.

Licensed for 147, daily attendance is kept to about 110.

“The childcare environment is booming, there are so many families.”

Lemonwood Grove School in Rolleston, one of nine primary schools in the township, opened in 2017

Hawkins said Rolleston had over a dozen childcare centres now, but demand continued to grow as the town did.

“Across the street is earmarked for 300 new houses, it just blows your mind,” she said.

“We just can't fit them in. Everywhere has a wait list – some … till February or March next year.”

To her surprise, there was “nothing” she missed about living in Christchurch, and the Southern Motorway allowed her to visit family and friends more easily than when she lived in the city.

Rolleston is a popular town for families, with nine primary schools and a dozen early childhood education centres.

“In the grand scheme of things the idea of it being far away is really not [true] … it’s so close to everything.”

Maggie Anderson and her family had lived in Rolleston for about three years and “absolutely love it”, but schooling is her biggest concern.

“My children are growing faster than the infrastructure.”

Three of her children are at Lemonwood Grove School, and the fourth will start next year.

She rated the school, its teachers and principal highly – “we couldn’t ask for better” – but said the school itself was concerned about how to cope with future demand.

“The pressure on the school itself … it’s insane. They still go above and beyond, but they’re constantly trying to keep up with the growth.”

The problem worsened as children moved through the system, she said, as there were “really limited options” when it came to secondary schooling.

Rolleston College’s sheer size, along with other concerns, meant she was trying to get her son Lucas, who is neurodiverse, into another school.

“That many students, there's so many that are going to be lost in the noise.

“It means we're now having to go on the ballot for schools we’re not zoned for, which is really scary.”