The Ministry of Education is set to open the new campus in 2025, and is holding public meetings to consult on two options for the site – a new independent state year 9 to 13 secondary school with its own enrolment zone, or a second campus of Rolleston College.
It will be sited near Lemonwood Grove School.
For the first option, the new school would have its own identity, governance and uniform.
Principal consultant Dr Gabrielle Wall at D and G Consulting, which the ministry has contracted to consult on the two options, said it is currently too early to know specific details of what the school will look like and how it will operate.
“All these features would be informed by the community down the line,” she said.
It is likely that neither school would take out-of-zone students, as is current practice in the Rolleston area.
Out-of-zone students already at Rolleston College and their younger siblings could continue to attend the college.
The southern area encompassed in the new secondary school zone is expected to experience rapid growth due to residential growth and the movement of large cohorts into secondary year levels.
The school would have a starting roll of about 500 pupils.
For the other option of two campuses for Rolleston College, one site would be a junior campus and the other would be a senior campus.
The new proposed site is about 2km from the college.
Another potential split is year 9 to 11 and year 12 to 13, which is the option favoured by Rolleston College.
College management believe this later would better align with NCEA changes and would give year 11 students leadership opportunities.
There will be three public meetings to gather feedback and answer questions. They are: March 1, 7-8pm at Rolleston Rugby Football Club, March 3, 7-8pm at West Melton Community Centre, and March 4, 7-8pm at Rolleston Rugby Football Club.
•Give your feedback via a ministry survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RollestonSecondary
