Number one in the learning game

Students and staff at the college in Mairangi Bay assemble for the opening of their maths block yesterday. Picture / Dean Purcell

"Each day we're essentially running a small town," says Elizabeth McKnight, one of the deputy principals at Rangitoto College - the country's largest school.

"It has its challenges, but it works because we have the infrastructure in place."

It was a rare sight yesterday as the 3200 students gathered in one spot to celebrate the opening of a new $3.6 million maths block.

Including staff, it was the equivalent of the population of Kaikoura or Hokitika gathering together.

And like a town, the school tries to offer a complete package for its students.

There's a mini-hospital with a full-time nurse, two tuck-shops for lunch and snacks and a radio station. There are also six fulltime counsellors and two fulltime career development officers.

The board of trustees governs, helped by an active Parent-Teacher Association. Principal David Hodge helms the day-to-day running with the help of 187 teachers and almost 100 support staff.

Another deputy principal, Allison Cleland, said most secondary schools would have similar class sizes - usually about 27 and never above 30 - so the impact of such huge numbers was not felt in the classroom but during breaks and lunchtimes.

"No one person is going to know all 3000 students, but we try to make sure that there are lots of people who know large numbers in each year," she said.

Each form has more than 600 students and they divide themselves among 147 classrooms.

Among them there are 52 nationalities, including 200 foreign fee-paying students.

Ms Cleland said each year level had three staff responsible for the academic progress and welfare of their forms.

Each department had about 28 teachers and a staff room, and the college also had a major staff room for a once-a-day meeting because "there needs to be good communication".

The school turns its size to its advantage. The 63-hectare site has panoramic views of Rangitoto Island and the Waitemata Harbour.

Students have an almost constant stream of activities to get involved in including 45 different cultural activities, 54 netball teams and two musical shows running simultaneously, Ms Cleland said.

"We want to make sure there are lots of opportunities because that's what a school is all about."