The Ministry of Education is being accused of back-tracking on a promise to provide Banks Avenue School with much needed facilities including a sports hall, spartans rooms, hockey turf and associated hard surfaces.

In a letter sent to parents and staff, Board Chair Kirk McKay said the Ministry requested the school take over the Shirley Boys High facilities as soon as the school moved to its new campus at QEII in May last year.

Mr McKay said when staff went to pick up the keys from Shirley Boys High School, the Ministry told them they wanted no one onsite.

The school argued that it was better to have the property being used by students to prevent vandalism.

But the Ministry still refused access, citing health and safety concerns.

Mr McKay said “since then we have watched the property fall into disrepair, on the understanding that the Ministry would make good on their commitment to reinstate it.”

“Now that the Hartley Gym has been demolished, we are effectively at the end of the demolition phase and the repairs to these structures should be commencing.”

The Board met with Ministry staff last Wednesday and were told that vandalism to the property had now made reinstatement uneconomic and it was not prepared to fund the repairs.

Mr McKay said these actions are inconsistent with the deal stuck between the Ministry and the school.

A Banks Avenue teacher is furious at today’s news and told Chris Lynch the original move to a new school was in 2017, then 2020, now 2022.

“We were promised if we moved sites we could retain the old Shirley Boys gymnasium (new gym and Spartan room).

In early mid 2017, the Ministry said the school would be rebuilt on a suitable part of the nearby Shirley Boys’ campus.

The Ministry of Education has been approached for comment.

Chris Lynch will discuss this on his radio programme tomorrow on Newstalk ZB 100.1FM