Addington School

Addington School is a primary school in the suburb of Addington, Christchurch, New Zealand. It is a year 1 to 6 school with a roll of approximately 230 children. The school runs a Conductive Education Unit for children with motor disorders.

Addington School
Address
22 Brougham Street, Addington, Christchurch 8024
Coordinates43°32′53.86″S 172°37′6.03″E
Information
TypeState coed primary, years 1–6
Established1881 (1881)
Ministry of Education Institution no.3271
PrincipalTrudy Heath
School roll278[1] (April 2023)
Socio-economic decile3
Websitewww.addington.school.nz
Office at Addington School, Christchurch

History

A school was opened in Addington in October 1881,[2] as a side school to the overcrowded West Christchurch School.[3] It was originally called West Christchurch Side School and had a roll of 253 pupils in five classes, with four teachers. By 1887 the roll had increased to 288 and it was decided that the school should become a main school. In 1892 the Addington School district was established, with the railway line as the boundary between it and West Christchurch district.[3]

In 1893, when Addington School opened under its new name, the roll was 385 - 135 more than could be accommodated in the buildings. A new infant block was built during the year, and another building was rented.[3] There was a headmaster, five teachers and four pupil-teachers.[4] A swimming pool was built around 1903 and used by the Christchurch Amateur Swimming Club as well as the pupils of the school.[5]

The Headmaster from 1893 to at least 1903 was Mr William Nixon Seay, who was born in Ireland in 1863.[4]

The First Assistant Master in 1903 was Mr Hans Kennedy. He enjoyed many different sports such as cycling, cricket and rowing.[4]

The Infant Mistress from 1893 to at least 1903 was Miss Mary Sisson Shirtcliffe. She had studied at West Christchurch School and then spent four years as a pupil-teacher at East Christchurch School. She then spent two years at the Normal Training College and was Infant Mistress at Ashburton before moving to Addington School.[4]

In 1909 a fire destroyed much of the school and pupils were accommodated at West Christchurch and in marquees on the Addington grounds.[6] The buildings were rebuilt and re-opened in February 1910.[3]

In 1936, a group of former students formed the Old Students' Association. It operated until 1956, during which time it organised fundraising events to purchase books for the library and to fund the annual school picnic.[3]

60th anniversary celebrations were held in 1941, 75th anniversary celebrations were held in 1956, and centennial celebrations were held in 1981.

Notable people

Pupils

Adam Scott, a Christchurch violinist who performed with many orchestras in both New Zealand and Australia, attended Addington School and learned music there with Mona Neale. When Scott was 10 years old, Neale invited him to join a string orchestra with some of her other students.[7]

Ali Ahmadi was commended for his work with the Addington Action Committee, formed to help local residents recover after the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake.[8]

Staff

David Ching was the principal of Addington School for 17 years, during which time he established the Conductive Education Unit. He also served as a member, and later chairperson, of the NZ Foundation for Conductive Education. After his retirement from Addington in 2005 he continued to work for the Foundation as National Co-ordinator. In 2016 Ching received a Civic Award from the Mayor of Christchurch, Lianne Dalziel, in recognition of his dedication to primary education and sports.[9]

References
  1. "New Zealand Schools Directory". New Zealand Ministry of Education. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
  2. "Addington School". Addington School. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  3. Clarke, Rae (2006). Addington Primary School - 125 Years 1881-2006. p. 13.
  4. "Primary Schools | NZETC". nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  5. "Christchurch Amateur Swimming Club | The Community Archive". thecommunityarchive.org.nz. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  6. National Library of New Zealand. "Papers Past | THE FIRE AT ADDINGTON SCHOOL. (Dominion, 1909-02-12)". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  7. "Violinist a musical perfectionist". Stuff. 21 August 2015. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  8. Stylianou, Georgina (25 March 2011). "New arrival wins praise in Christchurch earthquake aftermath". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  9. "CONDUCTIVE WORLD: CIVIC AWARD FOR DAVID CHING". www.conductive-world.info. Retrieved 5 March 2016.

External sources
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