The Ministry of Education has decided to close Christchurch's Redcliffs School.
Education Minister Hekia Parata formally announced the decision today, citing concerns about the unstable cliff behind the school as the reason for closure.
Redcliffs School was closed during the earthquakes around four years ago. Earlier in the year, hundreds of parents and staff organised a protest march to keep the school open.
Ms Parata says she knows it is not the decision that some had hoped for.
"I have considered the submissions, including expert advice, and I remain concerned about the potential for future disruption to education provision if the school returns to the Main Rd site," she says.
Ms Parata says the school board argued that potential disruption is unlikely, but advice from technical experts means the concerns cannot be ruled out.
"The situation is further complicated by uncertainty over which agency or agencies would be responsible for deciding on a return to the site following a significant event, the private ownership of the land behind the school and the fact that no agency is currently monitoring the cliff face," she says.
There is also uncertainty surrounding the likely timing the school could return to the site.
"As I understand it, there is still no timeframe set for the removal of the houses from the cliff top and no work can begin [on the school] until this happens," Ms Parata says.
She is satisfied that children from Redcliffs are able to access good education at other schools in the neighbourhood.
The school board still has the opportunity to provide further reasons in favour of the school remaining open.
The Government is investing $1.137 billion over 10 years in education renewal in Christchurch, and around $100 million in the next year alone.
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