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No Place to Play for Te Horo School Children

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

No Place to Play for Te Horo School Children


TE HORO, KAPITI COAST, 9 DECEMBER 2016

For the last term of 2016 there have been no playgrounds at Te Horo School on the Kapiti Coast, and the kids there have one Christmas wish… A playground for 2017 after their old ones were demolished due to Health and Safety concerns.

The students of Te Horo School in Kapiti have been left without playgrounds for Term 4 of 2016 after health and safety concerns regarding both the Senior and Junior playgrounds saw them closed at the end of Term 3. The school is now faced with the large unplanned expense of replacing them.

With the new regulation playgrounds to cost over $95,000 the school is seeking support from business and the wider community to raise the necessary funds.

Background
In mid 2016 three separate playground advisors identified the Te Horo School Senior playground as a Health and Safety risk. It was discovered that several of the timber frames were beginning to rot at the base and new regulation bark was needed (at a cost of approximately $13,000), in addition a lot of the equipment was too close or outside the regulation safe fall zone distance. Added to these issues was the age of the 20 year-old playground which meant that once equipment was altered the school was required to bring all of it up to modern standards.

Taking all of this into account and to meet the duty of care in keeping children safe, the decision was made to close the senior playground late in Term 3.

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Unfortunately following this the Junior playground was also closed in late Term 3. Originally the school planned to re-bark this area in the October school holidays, however when the matting was lifted it was discovered that many of the posts had completely rotted away making the playground unsafe.


Moving Forward
During October and November 2016 quotes were gathered and the total cost of new playgrounds is $95,000.

As a country school with a roll of just over 230 students this is a large amount to raise in a short time frame, and the Home and School Committee, Board, Parents, and Staff have been working tirelessly on how to raise the funds needed.

This week the school confirmed the designs for the new Senior and Junior playgrounds. The Home and School (PTA) are funding and initial $50,000 from existing fundraising and the remaining costs of approximately $45,000 will need to be raised and paid in installments during 2017. The school is also in the process of applying for a grant to assist with the shortfall from fundraising.

Te Horo School welcome expressions of interest from Business and the Community to sponsor equipment or donate to the playground fund and work with them to ensure that the children have safe places to play in the 2017 school year.

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