The Education Ministry has suggested shutting down a struggling boarding school that serves children with complex behavioural needs, amid concerns for their safety and learning.
A consultation was launched on the proposed closure of Westbridge Residential School, one of only three residential schools serving students with disabilities.
Supporting documents showed the school had faced at least two years of close scrutiny and had only six students enrolled in the middle of last year.
“Despite ongoing interventions and governance support, significant concerns remain regarding the ongoing health and safety of students and the quality of education that is provided at the school,” the consultation paper said.
The Education Review Office (ERO) reported high levels of physical assaults and property damage in both 2023 and 2024, and a 2025 follow-up found these issues had persisted, albeit at reduced levels due to a smaller student roll.
A briefing to Education Minister Erica Stanford said ERO recommended in late 2024 that enrolments be paused until the school could demonstrate it was meeting students’ needs, leading the acting Secretary for Education to personally assume responsibility for approving enrolments.
The briefing said Westbridge had previously enrolled children aged 8 to 12 but later expanded to include students aged 13 to 15.
“These older students have more complex and challenging social and/or learning needs (including drug and alcohol use) and also require the school to provide access to NCEA pathways,” it said.
The report said students typically enrolled for only a few months, and that over the past five years the school’s roll had averaged between nine and ten students.
The briefing said former Westbridge students had made historic abuse claims, which were being handled by the school’s commissioner.
It said ERO found improvements at the school last year after raising earlier concerns.
These included staff training, ensuring students continued to have access to psychological and specialist services after enrolling, and monitoring students’ social and behavioural goals.
However, it also concluded that concerns about student health and safety remained.
“Assaults and property damage continue. Some incidents, such as continued physical aggression towards teaching staff, are not always documented or recorded by staff,” it said.
“Despite some improvements, the curriculum at Westbridge is not currently fit for purpose for secondary students.”
The briefing said the ministry was confident students currently at the school were not facing the same level of risk as at the end of 2024. However, it noted that student-related incidents would remain a challenge and questioned whether Westbridge was effectively meeting students’ needs.
Consultation is set to close on 15 March, with Westbridge potentially closing in July or August this year.