34 schools badly affected by quake

The Christchurch earthquake has left 34 schools in the area badly affected. While structural engineers had yet to assess the damaged schools, many of them looked beyond repair.

Minister of Education, Anne Tolley, visited three of the hard-hit schools - Shirley Boys’ High, Shirley Intermediate and Avonside Girls’ High - last week.

Sue Hume, principal of the latter, said the school had been earthquake strengthened in the 1990s, yet many of the buildings had significant structural cracks visible on the exterior brick walls.

Tolley acknowledged while parents wanted to get their children back into learning as quickly as possible “just be a little patient with us”.

Schools needed water, power and wastewater services and any reopening would increase the amount of traffic on wrecked and congested roads at 9am and 3pm.

The earthquake had left up to 15,000 students in limbo. Some had enrolled with the Correspondence School since the earthquake and the school was gearing up for more.

Hundreds more had left Christchurch and were enrolled in schools in other regions.
The damaged schools were still being assessed and it may turn out that some would be able to use some of their buildings in some way.

Tolley said the damage included sinkholes, liquefaction, split concrete, cracked buildings, collapsed roofs and other structural damage.

There had been no deaths and the only report of injury was a teacher who broke a toe, she said.

Christchurch’s badly damaged schools are:

State: Avonside Girls’ High, Banks Avenue, Burwood, Chisnallwood Intermediate, Christchurch Girls’ High, Ferndale, Freeville, Heathcote Valley, Heaton Normal Intermediate, Manning Intermediate, Mt Pleasant, North New Brighton, Phillipstown, Shirley Boys’ High, Shirley Intermediate, Shirley, St Martin’s and Kaiapoi Borough.

State-integrated: St James’ (Aranui), St Peter’s (Beckenham), Christ the King (Burnside), St Mary’s (Christchurch), St Paul’s (city), Our Lady of the Assumption (Hoon Hay), Our Lady of Fatima (Mairehau), Our Lady of Victories (Sockburn), St Albans Catholic, Catholic Cathedral College and Marian College.

Independent: Christ’s College, St Michael’s Church School, Cathedral Grammar, Rangi Ruru Girls’ School and St Andrew’s College.