Mosgiel's Amana Christian School hopes to expand into secondary education.
It has called for expressions of interest from families and hoped to be able to register as a secondary school with the Ministry of Education soon, school board chairman Ron King said yesterday.
If successful, Amana would be the only public-access, independent Christian secondary school south of Christchurch, he said.
Opened in 2000, Amana caters for years 1 to 8 pupils and opened a preschool on a separate site in Mosgiel two years ago. The primary school roll is 23.
Two secondary school-aged pupils were being supervised at the school with ministry approval this year, but the school wanted to expand and open a formal secondary department, Mr King said. It was possible the department would eventually grow into a separate school.
The board had surveyed parents of pupils and all supported the school offering secondary education and their children being able to stay at the school, he said. The school was also advertising for expressions of interest from parents whose children were at other schools.
Mr King said he was excited about being able to offer secondary pupils a "fabulous" Christian education curriculum. Developed in the United States, it had New Zealand and Australian content and was approved by the Ministry of Education.
Pupils organised their own learning - with supervision - and sat tests and examinations.
They did not complete NCEA examinations but the curriculum was approved as a university entrance qualification by New Zealand and Australian universities, he said.
