A lack of affordable houses on the Otago Peninsula is contributing to a decline in some school rolls.
Other factors included children attending schools in town, because it was more convenient for the family, local school staff say.
At the latest community board meeting, pupils from Macandrew Bay and Portobello schools were invited to share things they liked about the peninsula and things they thought could be improved.
Macandrew Bay School pupils highlighted the need for more affordable housing.
The school’s acting principal Nic Brown said that, when discussing what the pupils could talk about at the meeting, they had a chat about the school roll being down.
‘‘That has been a wee bit of a trend for the last few years,’’ Ms Brown said.
Many families had moved away from the area into more affordable and warmer accommodation in town and therefore had left the school, she said.
Others who really wanted to stay in the area commuted their children to the school and spent at least a year looking for a suitable home to buy.
Compared with last year’s roll, the school had about 10-12 fewer pupils this year, Ms Brown said
It usually had about 165 pupils by the end of the year but was more likely to reach about 152-155, she said.
A decreasing roll was worrying when it came to roll return on July 1.
Each year the Ministry of Education audits roll returns to make sure schools receive the correct funding and staffing.
It generates what the staff entitlement will be for the following year, and may determine a school has more teachers than it needs.
‘‘We’re hoping we’re not going to have to go down that track but it is a concern.’’
Ms Brown said the school was trying to attract more families to the area but knew there were some factors, such as affordable housing, that were out of its control.
Macandrew Bay had a lot to offer families, including the beach and cycleway, and was only a 10-minute drive from the city, she said.
Portobello School teacher and community board member Cheryl Neill had similar thoughts.
‘‘At Portobello School this is of particular concern as our roll is decreasing due to the fact that availability of houses on the market is low, rentals are hard to come by and suitable land to build on is difficult to find,’’ Ms Neill said.
‘‘People are looking to move to Dunedin for more affordable housing and we would like them to come down to the peninsula, settle here and send their children to the local schools.’’
Portobello School acting principal Ruth Faulkner supported Ms Neill’s comments and believed there were other issues impacting the roll.
That included parents working in town and enrolling their children at a school that was closer to their workplace, Ms Faulkner said.
Previously, children had to attend their local school due to proximity under the enrolment scheme, she said.
Broad Bay School principal Greg MacLeod said unaffordable housing was a problem city-wide, not just on the peninsula.
He agreed with Ms Faulkner and said families often sent their children to schools in town because it was easier for after-school care and activities.
Housing developments were in the works in Broad Bay which Mr MacLeod hoped would attract more people to the area.
The Peninsula Connection cycleway was ‘‘absolutely magic’’ and made people more aware of Broad Bay and its close proximity to town.
‘‘In the next five years I predict that we’ll have an increase in our roll rather than a decrease,’’he said.
