Amid pressure on schools in the area due to roll growth, Silverstream Primary School is consulting on a new enrolment scheme which would limit new admissions to people who live in the area.
Principal Greg Hurley said the three major schools in Mosgiel — Silverstream, Elmgrove School and East Taieri School — all accommodated about 350 pupils each but both Elmgrove and East Taieri were close to full and Silverstream was at 85% capacity.
"The biggest issue for us, and this is me knocking on the ministry’s door for quite a wee while now, is the huge roll growth out here on the Taieri and the lack of infrastructure.
"If we’re at 85% capacity according to the ministry, where are all these kids going to go?"
Last year, Mr Hurley was told by Kāinga Ora that it was planning on building more than 100 new houses with two bedrooms or more in the Taieri, which meant up to 300 children would come to the area.
Mr Hurley said Silverstream was two years into a development project for an upgraded four-classroom block that would not add more classrooms to the school but would bring old ones up to standard.
"I think the ministry need to work really quickly and look at solutions.
"I was ringing this bell two years ago saying the growth, on the Taieri itself, we need to be doing something about this because within five years our schools won’t have the capacity for these children and its falling on deaf ears."
Silverstream was going into a community consultation phase for an enrolment scheme that would bring in a home zone at the school next year.
The home zone area would include southeast along Puddle Alley until Dukes Rd North, southeast along Church St until Hagart-Alexander Dr and all side streets off it and northeast along the northern side of Gladstone Rd North.
Any pupils enrolled at the school were entitled to continue attending the school irrespective of where they lived and their siblings would also be entitled to be enrolled at the school.
Elmgrove school principal Chris McKinlay said he was aware of a housing development in the western side of Mosgiel near Wal’s Plant Land which was about 400 sections, but it was about how long it would take to build that development.
"[Mr Hurley] is right in the fact that our schools will reach capacity quite quickly and if there is genuinely other children to come, where are they going to go, I don’t know.
"The ministry will need to be proactive and ensure that classrooms are provided prior to them coming, so we’re not all doing what’s happening in some areas like Central [Otago] where they are teaching kids out of their halls and libraries and corridors."
Ministry of Education south leader Nancy Bell said it was aware of Kāinga Ora housing developments and had factored it into its planning.
"At this stage, there is sufficient capacity across the Taieri schools to accommodate children that live in this area, and enrolments schemes will enable boards to ensure local children can attend their local school."
Kāinga Ora Otago, Southland and South Canterbury regional director Kerrie Young said since last year it had delivered 23 new homes in Mosgiel and a further 24 homes were contracted or under construction.
However, the other planned builds were under assessment while Kāinga Ora worked with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development on locations it would like prioritised under the Public Housing Plan and its approach to housing renewal.
