School bell rings merrily...

The school where I teach has received news that was a huge relief. A government decision was made in September last year to merge our school (320 students) with another school on their site. Today that decision was reversed. Our school will remain open on the existing site. These five-year-olds, their parents and staff members can have certainty once again.

One of the consequences of the earthquakes in Christchurch is that many school children and their parents left the city. The government made the decision in September to close or merge 35 schools. The rebuild of Christchurch, however, has brought an influx back into the city.

Although our school has been spared, the announcement made today includes confirmation that six schools will still merge (12 schools in total) and seven schools will still close. At least one of these schools has a history of 135 years. There is a further consultation period, however it is a very sad day for them.