$24m redevelopment for Balmoral School, Auckland

Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye visited Balmoral School in Mt Eden, Auckland today and announced that Cabinet has approved around $24 million for the redevelopment of the school.

“The redevelopment will see most of the school’s existing buildings replaced or upgraded, and the total number of permanent learning spaces increased from 33 to 42. Two new teaching blocks will be built, including a two-storey block for years one to six, and a new block for years seven to eight,” says Ms Kaye.

“This is an important announcement for the local community, because Balmoral School has faced considerable challenges from both population growth and the poor condition of its ageing buildings.

“The school opened in 1926, and many of its existing buildings have reached the end of their life, with around 70 per cent of permanent buildings affected by weather-tightness issues.

“Temporary classrooms have also been brought in over time, to help meet the growing roll, but these have taken up valuable outdoor play areas.

“The new two-storey block will enable land to be freed up so it can once again be turned into fields for outdoor play and recreation. Of the current teaching spaces on-site, 23 will be replaced entirely, and another ten upgraded.  Nine additional teaching spaces will be added, and the school’s technology block will also be refurbished.

“The revamped school will provide an innovative learning environment, which means it will comprise flexible learning spaces, which can be easily reconfigured to support different teaching and learning approaches on any given day.”

Ms Kaye says the redevelopment is important for the community and will also help address the rapid population growth that’s affecting many areas in Auckland.

“We’re addressing growth in many parts of New Zealand, but it’s crucial we get ahead of demand and ensure there’s sufficient school capacity in our largest city.

“Mt Eden is a popular inner-city suburb, and this has placed pressure on Balmoral School. The redevelopment announced today will enable the school to cater for a roll of more than 900.

“This project represents the outcome of thorough planning. I want to acknowledge the work of the school’s Board of Trustees, principal and staff to get to this point. The Ministry of Education has worked with the Board to enable their vision for the school to become reality.

“We only get one chance in a generation to deliver a significant change in school facilities, so it’s important we take the time to get it right.

“This investment will ensure Balmoral School has a modern, innovative learning environment, which supports teachers and students to raise achievement.

“The next phase is to work with the school community on detailed design work, with construction due to start in early 2017.”

The project includes providing expanded learning areas at Balmoral for the Sunnydene satellite school, which caters for special education students. This will enable the two schools to work closely together to meet the needs of these students.

Notes

What’s the process from here?

A detailed timeline is being developed. Design, procurement and review are expected to be completed by early 2017, when works can commence. Based on current information available, the redevelopment will take around 24 months to complete. The final cost of the project will be determined once procurement processes are complete, but is expected to be approximately $24 million.

About Balmoral School

Balmoral School is a co-educational state school in the Mt Eden area for years 1 to 8. 

Sunnydene Special School is based in Mt Roskill and is for students with intellectual disabilities, many of whom also have physical, sensory or behavioural disabilities.

About innovative learning environments

Unlike traditional classrooms, where teachers addressed students from the front of the class, today’s teachers work more collaboratively with each other and students, in small and large groups and individually according to students’ learning needs.

When new schools are built or existing schools upgraded, this is an opportunity to create comfortable, well-connected and flexible learning spaces that support the creation of an innovative learning environment.

These spaces can be changed to support a range of teaching and learning approaches on any given day, and are also able to adapt to broader changes as education practices evolve over time. Acoustics, lighting, technology, heating and air quality are of a high standard to help students concentrate on learning.