Rotorua provisional school rolls 2021: Single-sex schools have largest student spike

Rotorua brothers Taylor, 11, and Harrison Beazley, 13, will both start at new schools this year. Photo / Kelly Makiha

More Rotorua parents are opting to send their kids to the city's single-sex secondary schools, which both face significant roll jumps this year according to provisional figures.

However, co-ed schools remain the city's largest.

More than 300 new students are set to join Rotorua school classrooms this year, making up a total provisional class of 2021 of 13,901 students.

The city's two single-sex schools have the largest increase in students compared to provisional rolls last year.

Rotorua Boys' High School is expected to have the largest increase of 171 students, with Rotorua Girls' High School not far behind with an intake of 108 additional students.

The roll numbers show the city's largest schools have remained the same; Western Heights High School retains the top spot.

Rotorua Intermediate, the city's largest intermediate, is also expected to have a decent jump in pupils - 70 more than last year. Westbrook Primary School faces a similar rise.

Lynmore Primary School will remain the largest primary, with an expected roll of 614.

The 2021 provisional roll figures are an estimate, as of December, and may change. They were compared to provisional rolls for 2020.

Rotorua brothers Taylor, 11, and Harrison Beazley, 13, will both start at new schools this year. Photo / Kelly Makiha

Rotorua's Harrison Beazley, 13, has spent the past two years at Rotorua Intermediate School and was has been tossing up his secondary school choices.

A talented golfer and rugby player, Harrison was leaning towards Rotorua Boys' High, given the school's history of success in those codes.

His mother, Bonnie Gillette, said she wanted to ensure Harrison's academic learning would also be a priority.

"I was very impressed with the systems Rotorua Boys' High School had in place academically for all levels to not only help grow the boys but ensure they continued to grow. So in that respect, I was very happy with what they offered so boys' high ticked all the boxes for us."

Harrison also received a scholarship for Boys' High, making the decision to go there even easier.

Younger brother Taylor, 11, spent his primary school years at Westbrook School never doubted where he wanted to go in Year 7.

The skilled rugby player is excited to start his intermediate years at Rotorua Intermediate because of the school's sports academy, Te Ara Poutama.

Gillette said rugby was incredibly important to Taylor and the sports academy gave the school the edge over other options.

Rotorua brothers Taylor, 11, and Harrison Beazley, 13, will both start at new schools this year. Photo / Kelly Makiha

Taylor said he was looking forward to starting his new school and was pleased to be going to Rotorua Intermediate because all his friends were going there.

Rotorua Boys' High School principal Chris Grinter said the roll was "growing strongly", largely on the back of large Year 9 intakes of 300 boys over recent years.

He said a similar intake was expected this year so the roll would continue to increase as the cohorts moved through.

"The school has also been able to back up this enrolment support by impressive academic results. Results in sport and cultural areas of the school programme also underscore this enrolment support and show the school is in good heart."

He said the climbing roll put space under pressure but a new $7 million science faculty set to be built this year would "relieve pressure".

Rotorua Boys' High School principal Chris Grinter. Photo / File

Rotorua Girls' High School principal Sarah Davis said estimating the school roll ahead of time was a bit like "crystal ball gazing" as it was common for enrolments to filter in at the start of the school year.

"Last year we had to put an extra Year 9 classroom in about two weeks into the first term as our numbers grew more than we had expected."

The reason for the increased roll was a rise in the number of senior school students choosing to stay in school, she said.

She said the school had worked hard to ensure a strong senior school curriculum and new subject options to attract students to stay and continue towards further education.

The school had expected a drop in students post-Covid as they believed many might leave to help families with income, but instead were surprised with a flurry of enrolments.

"There was an increase of movement into Rotorua and we expect that to continue."

She said growing rolls in some the city's schools was positive.

"If the schools in the town are doing well, the community benefits across the board."

Rotorua Girls' High School Principal Sarah Davis. Photo / File

Rotorua Primary School principal Fred Whata said his school had "exponential growth" in the past few years and it would only continue at the rate it was going.

He said the school's "innovative and cutting-edge programmes" and staff development added to the school's success, as did an emphasis on relationships with students, staff, parents and the community.

The school worked with teacher-shared classrooms to allow extra support for students and manage numbers "going through the roof", he said.

The school's roll was on track to double since Whata started in October 2018, he said.

Rotorua Primary School principal Fred Whata. Photo / File

Growth had been expected in the region, and the Government announced new classrooms and teaching spaces for local schools in 2019.

Ngongotaha School, Glenholme School and Whangamarino School were each granted one additional teaching space in the announcement.

The Ministry of Education's deputy secretary of sector enablement and support Katrina Casey said schools provided the ministry with their likely roll numbers for the following year in July.

The ministry uses the prediction and factors in historical roll trends in setting the schools' provisional rolls.

"Provisional rolls are used to give schools a guaranteed minimum staffing entitlement for the coming year, so schools can plan ahead."

The Ministry of Education's acting head of education infrastructure service Rob Campbell said in 2019/2020 $45 million was spent on school property, including new classrooms, schools, repairs, renovations and rebuilds in the Bay of Plenty.

Harcourts Rotorua's Hielke Oppers. Photo / File

Harcourts real estate agent Hielke Oppers said there was growth across all suburbs in Rotorua as demand for housing in the city soared and growing school rolls were a flow-on effect from this.

He said some suburbs were outperforming others, and there was high demand in Westbrook, Lynmore and Fordlands.