Archdiocese Communication
ARCHDIOCESE OF WELLINGTON
5 August 2024
Tēnā koutou Parents and Carers,
Important announcement regarding St Bernard’s Catholic Primary School
As a valued member of our Catholic school community, we wish to inform you of a development regarding the future provision of education at St Bernard’s Catholic Primary School.
After careful consideration, the Archdiocese of Wellington has decided to engage with the Minister of Education regarding the process of potentially cancelling the Integration Agreement for St Bernard’s Catholic Primary School.
We are acutely aware of the challenges that accompany the initiating of this process and we remain committed to providing the care and support necessary to ensure the well-being of our families, their students and staff, particularly as we work through this process.
Importantly, the school will continue to operate on a business-as-usual basis, with no changes to educational approach this year and until the Minister makes a decision, so while there is support available now, there is no need for you to make any decisions on your child/ren’s education for some time.
Securing the future of Catholic primary school education in the Archdiocese of Wellington
The Archdiocese of Wellington is committed to ensuring families, now and into the future, have access to high-quality Catholic primary school education.
To ensure that we continue to fulfil our mission of providing the best education possible to our students, we continually review and assess all schools in our network.
Population growth projections for the City of Wellington remain stagnant. This is reflective of current enrolment trends experienced across the education sector, which continue to be driven by population growth, social and demographic changes.
Next steps and support available
Please find attached an invitation to an upcoming Parent Information Session to talk about this process and what it means for you and your family. Prior to this meeting we would like to encourage you to please email any questions to educationquestions@wn.catholic.org.nz. We will endeavour to have these answered on the night.
Following this session, I will be requesting that the Minister of Education considers our proposal to close the school and asks the Ministry of Education to conduct a further assessment and consultation process. Once this is complete, the Minister will make a final decision on the closure.
Should the Minister agree to close the school, we will work diligently to ensure each student has a place in our Catholic school community, with minimal disruption.
This includes identifying several surrounding schools with capacity, resources and opportunities for your child/ren to access, ensuring they continue to receive a high-quality faith-based Catholic education within the Archdiocese. As always, staff will continue to be supported no matter the outcome.
We sincerely thank you for your understanding and for choosing a Catholic education for your family.
Nāku iti noa, nā,
Archbishop Paul Martin SM Kelly Ross
Archbishop of Wellington Vicar for Education