Hopes for change of mind on residential school proposal

The Principal of a Christchurch residential school which looks set to close, says they hope their submission will convince the Education Minister that they need to stay.

Hekia Parata has pegged Salisbury College in Nelson, and McKenzie Residential School in Yaldhurst for closure - halving the number of residential special schools in the country as part of a review.

Submissions on the proposal closed yesterday.

McKenzie principal Greg Healy says they hope theirs will make a difference.

"Well this seems to have been our last opportunity to put a submission to the Minister, so now it's a matter of hoping that our submission will carry weight, and that it will persuade the Minister to see things differently."

But a Canterbury University Professor says if the Government wants to reintroduce children with behavioural problems back into mainstream schools, they have a lot of work to do.

The proposal will see students home-managed by a range of agencies through the new intensive wrap around service, and be reintroduced into mainstream schools.

But Garry Hornby says they are a long way off being set up to cater for these kids.

"Training of mainstream teachers, but also it's the structures of those schools, we have a lot of work to do in mainstream schools if we're to get them to level where they can cope with these kids after they've had the intensive treatment."

Photo: Supplied