Corran pupils plan protest over merger

Senior pupils at the the all-female Corran School are planning to march in protest at a proposed merger with the Saint Kentigern school.

Old girls' association chairwoman Jo-Anna Anderson said more than 100 people intended to march and old girls would support students if they went ahead with it.

She said former students did not want to lose the history of the school, which spans more than 60 years.

The association found out about Corran's board's decision to fuse with Saint Kentigern at their annual general meeting on Monday night - the same time an email was sent out to parents about the merger.

"You could see the fire in the bellies of every old girl in the room and there was not a dry eye," Miss Anderson said.

The old girls will support senior school students who have organised the march for midday tomorrow.

"We hope there is still time to either change it or take it back to the table," she said.

Miss Anderson was head girl of Corran in 1987 and she is still close to fellow students - there were never more than about 40 students in a year level.

She was upset the school board chairman's message, which appeared in the school magazine Gaudeamus at the end of last year, was at odds with the message he gave parents this week.

In the magazine Brent von Sierakowski cited international studies showing students did better in small schools.

"There seems to be a central theme through all the literature that small, nurturing, personal schools in which educational activity can be tailored carefully to individual students' needs and interests are most effective and most compelling," Mr von Sierakowski's statement read.

But o n Tuesday night he told a hall of outraged parents that the decision could not be changed and that Corran's assets and liabilities would be transferred to Saint Kentigern from the end of this month.

Next year, the school at 514 Remuera Rd would be renamed Saint Kentigern School at Corran, and would cater for junior school girls only.

Senior girls would be encouraged to transfer to Saint Kentigern College in Pakuranga.

The Dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral, Ross Bay, said it was disappointing to have to end a relationship with the school.

Corran chose to affiliate with the Anglican church and girls attended nearby St Aidan's church on Wednesdays.

But Saint Kentigern is aligned to the Presbyterian church.

Other Anglican schools are Diocesan School, Kings School, Kings College and Dilworth.