thebears

Anybody sending their kids to this school?

happy in nz

why are you asking?

thebears

Used to attend

annaerb

When did you attend Manurewa ,if you don't mind me asking as my Brother went there. My OH went to James Cook.
You wouldn't want to go to either of the schools now especially James Cook.

thebears

83 to 86

Since Thompson left the board of governors went into decay.

Drove past and didnt get out of the car.

So sad - it was a great school.

annaerb

LOL, that's when my Brother was there. Mmmm Wonder if you knew him

urbanproject

My partner attended James Cook a few years ago (later than thebears though) and they said it's gone even worse since they left :scared:

annaerb

Yes, I believe it has. We were told that the police patrol it everyday now and have the sniffer dogs there also.

thebears

Bit like UK schools then

Oh well glad we are sending my daughter to a nice private girls school.

kiwiblossom

My son went to James Cook briefly in 2005, and has friends there now.
Unbelievably, it was safer and offered better learning opportunities than the public school he attends full time in Japan. (I realize that in giving that info I might just as well put our names right here, but never mind!).

Caveat: son was in the accelerate class - and wasn't at the school long enough for us to find out much about the unstreamed classes. Whatever you may think of streaming by ability/academic achievement, it did at least mean that the kids who wanted to learn were free to get on with it, and there were also places for kids who needed a lot of extra support with learning or social skills. Son's classmates were not thinking of tertiary studies, even in the accelerate class and even though there were some bright kids there, so it could be a lonely road for a kid expected to go on to university, but it might also be worth considering changing schools at that level.

I noticed the kids had a good rapport with the school guards. Police drive by son's public school here in Japan several times a day too, and they need to. Yes, there are rough kids there, as you might expect from the area, but I see them in Japan too. Of course JCHS is not just like King's College, but there is also more than meets the drive-by eye (and yes, driving by at the end of the school day is a bit of a nerve-wracking experience).

We spoke to the Manurewa High School principal at the same time, and had the impression of an active and broad-minded school, but they also had a lot more pressure from people wanting to enrol from outside the MHS school zone.

The population of both school zones has shifted, and schools must serve the needs of the kids who come through their gates, but from our limited experience of schools in that area, there are some outstanding and dedicated teachers and leaders serving in these schools. They have their work cut out for them, but some of the classes ours sons have been in have been great.

What Manukau City needs is a grammar school, but I doubt we'll be getting one!