Minister Confirms Waiwhetu Primary School To Close

Waiwhetu Primary School in Lower Hutt will close from the end of the year, Education Minister Trevor Mallard confirmed today.

Trevor Mallard announced a month ago that he was considering closing the school, pending consultation with all interested parties.

In the interim he had carefully considered submissions from the school and from the local community, but had received no new information that had caused him to change his mind.

The decision to close the school was based on its inability to address serious issues identified by the Education Review Office. The school's roll had dropped markedly in recent years and its financial position had continued to deteriorate.

"These issues meant the school's capacity to deliver a quality education for its students has reached a stage where I can no longer have confidence that it can recover from its current unsatisfactory situation.

" I am therefore convinced that it is in the best interests of the students to attend other schools that will be able to provide them with high quality educational opportunities," Trevor Mallard said.

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