‘There will be no stopping us’: Ellesmere College redevelopment begins

Friday, 9 August 2024

Ellesmere College acting principal Antony French says it's exciting the old school will be rebuilt.

Ellesmere College’s full school redevelopment is finally under way five years after the announcement, as its leaky buildings near two decades past their expiry date.

The three-phase redevelopment would finish about 2028 and completely transform the 530-student school, acting principal Antony French said.

Ellesmere’s current buildings arrived in 1981 with a 25 year lifespan. 38 years later, in 2019, a redevelopment was announced so the Ministry of Education directed Ellesmere to spend less on maintenance.

As plans were finalised and consents secured, the school continued to suffer from “quite a few leaks” and used temporary electric heaters to stay warm in the out of date classrooms.

Ellesmere College acting principal Antony French says “there will be no stopping us” once the school redevelopment is complete.

French said the “timely” redevelopment would bolster everyone’s morale.

“When you teach in a space that isn’t really fit for purpose or isn’t modern new facilities, it does impact on your kind of mood and your thoughts about the place.

Construction on the school’s new learning hubs will begin early next year, after storm and waste water systems are strengthened.

“The strength of the staff is what makes this place what Ellesmere College is and I think once we get the buildings that match that there will be no stopping us. It's going to be great.”

Following lots of behind the scenes planning and trials, the school had landed on a “tailored” design that would bring the best out of its teachers and learners, he said.

Ellesmere College’s buildings were given a 25-year lifespan in 1981.

After storm and wastewater systems were strengthened, half the school field would be fenced off and construction would begin on barn-red learning hubs early next year.

About 18 months after that, classes would be held in the new buildings, while the administration block, library, whare and gym were worked on. By 2028, the original school site would become part of the school field.

The new school would have capacity for 750 students and the roll would likely be very close to that number as new subdivisions were going in directly opposite the campus.

The redevelopment should be completed by 2028.

Although the only aspect of the school that would remain the same was the steel beams of the gym, the ministry classed the project as a redevelopment - not a rebuild.

French noted they were keeping the gym’s structure to retain the large floor space it had - if they were to build a new one it would have been smaller.

“It’s been a bit of a process but we’re excited to be right there.”