ONE POST-PRIMARY SCHOOL PROPOSED FOR WHAKATANE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 34, 5 September 1949, Page 5

ONE POST-PRIMARY SCHOOL PROPOSED FOR WHAKATANE

Whakatane may soon have two schools, if the present recommendation of the Whakatane School Committee is adopted by the Education Department, .the secretary of the committee, Mr J. H. Duthie, told the Beacon. It is to separate the two present schools to form a primary school and a high school or college each under its own headmaster.

Outlining the proposal, Mr Duthie said that the rolls of both the primary and high schools had now reached the stage where it was desirable that they be separated. At present there were just under 300 attending the high school and well over 700 the primary school. The present proposal of the committee is to have a primary school and a post primary school, in the town. Each would have its own buildings, grounds and teaching staff. At the moment the schools are combined under one headmaster.

The splitting of the schools raises an interesting problem as to what the post-primary school will be called. No doubt the primary school will go under the title of the ‘Whakatane Primary School”, but the position of the high school section is slightly different. It may be called either “Whakatane High School” - or “Whakatane College.” Although the second sounds better there is really no difference be j tween the two. Both do the same work and provide the same facilities.

Asked who would make the decision as to the name of the secondary school, Mr Duthie said he did not know, but whatever name was selected the school would be on the sarhe footing as Tauranga College.