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Roncalli College is one of two Timaru secondary schools unable to accept new enrolments for next year. Their enrolment books are closed. One – Craighead Diocesan School – must even shed pupils.
Like Roncalli College, Craighead Diocesan is a special character school. And like Roncalli, Craighead has had to close its books to new enrolments for 2025 having reached its roll capacity.
Enough’s enough
Roncalli College principal Chris Comeau says the Catholic co-ed school’s 520-student roll cap has been reached for 2025.
“The number is consistent with previous years but we have had to decline more applications this year due to lack of capacity” he says.
Comeau says he thinks the increase in demand is due to new families moving into the region, as well as a desire for Catholic education.
In his view it’s unlikely that the roll capacity would increase any time soon.
“The only way we would be able to accept more students is if we were granted a roll increase. However, that is unlikely to happen.
“I think we are at the right size.”
Room to grow
Timaru’s Craighead Diocesan School has not only closed enrolments for 2025, but was directed by the Ministry of Education to reduce its over-subscribed roll.
But it could grow a bit more, principal Lara Hearn-Rollo says.
“We have a roll cap of 380 but we are currently over that cap.”
Hearn-Rollo says Craighead is managing reducing the roll at entry points like year 7 and 9. But it’s not easy.
“It’s really hard [to turn girls away]. Under our enrolment scheme it often means we cannot bring in new families to the school, particularly at year 9.”
The school was 20-30 students over capacity.
Hearn-Rollo doesn’t see that as an issue. “We’ve got the capacity. Our auditorium would take 450 and when we look at our buildings the capacity is 450.
“If you’ve got those bigger numbers it does allow you to have more in the way of options you can offer.”
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