Second Montessori college closes

KENT BLECHYNDEN/The Dominion Post

SCHOOLS OUT: Enrolled Athena Montessori College pupil Imojen Hancock is upset the school has to close because of a financial shortfall.

Relevant offers

A falling roll has forced a private Wellington high school to close after the Government declined a $50,000 request for help.

Parents of the 30 pupils enrolled at Athena Montessori College, in Willis St, learned of its closure late last week just days before the school year starts.

Athena Montessori, which opened in 2002, was the first New Zealand high school to offer Montessori-style education.

The international learning organisation was founded by Maria Montessori, an Italian doctor and Nobel peace prize nominee. Its philosophy is based on spontaneous, self-directed learning, in which children are encouraged to work at their own pace. The first school of its type opended in 1907 in Rome.

Athena's closure follows that of the two-year-old Montessori College of Auckland last year.

Board chairman Simon Mahony said the school community worked hard for seven months to gain control of its declining financial situation.

"However, small private schools don't have the ability to ride out tough times like larger ones do.

"Since the beginning of 2007, the roll has declined from 75 down to just 30, partly due to a large bubble of senior students who have graduated over the last two years."

At its peak, Athena had about 100 pupils, but as the roll fell, uncertainty about the school's future led some parents to choose other options for their children, "thus creating a self-fulfilling prophecy".

Six new pupils had enrolled for 2009, but several others had withdrawn. "With the latest losses, we would have needed a much larger number of new students in order to continue."

Mr Mahony said the school had applied for state integration in term four last year, but applications took up to a year to process. Requests for meetings with the new education minister to discuss the college's chances of achieving state integration were declined.

A spokeswoman for Education Minister Anne Tolley said Mrs Tolley declined to meet because she was considering the school's request to integrate, and had to ensure all such applications were treated fairly.

She had also declined a request for financial help of $50,000.

"There is currently no facility available to fund private schools above the per-pupil rates the school is already receiving."

Imojen Hancock, 13, of Eastbourne, was one of the newly enrolled pupils. Now her father, Matt, is enrolling her at Hutt Valley High School instead.

"It [Montessori] was going to be a really good school," Imojen said. "Some of my friends were going there. I just won't be able to do as much stuff at the other school."

Mr Hancock said they had chosen the school because Imojen was bright. "It was ideal. It's very sad."

The family had not yet paid any fees, which amounted to just over $8000 a year. "They [school management] handled it really well ... they've done their very best."

Montessori Association executive officer Ana Pickering did not expect any schools for younger children to close, with several new preschools opening recently.

- © Fairfax NZ News