Kelston Girls’ College (KGC) is a single-sex girls state
secondary school in
Kelston
Kelston is a small village and civil parish in Somerset, north west of Bath, and east of Bristol, on the A431 road. It is situated just north of the River Avon, close to the Kelston and Saltford locks. The parish has a population of 248.
...
, a suburb in
West Auckland, New Zealand. It was created in 1963 when the roll of Kelston High School (formed in 1954) became too large for the site on the corner of Archibald and Great North Roads.
The boys moved to a
new site further down Archibald Road and the original site became the home of Kelston Girls' High School (now Kelston Girls' College).
History
In 1888, New Lynn School, one of the first schools in West Auckland, was opened on the current site of Kelston Girls' College. In 1914, the school was relocated to its modern-day site on Hutchinson Avenue. In 1954 the Kelston High School, a co-educational school, was opened at the site of the old New Lynn School.
It was the third high school to open in
West Auckland, after
Avondale College
Avondale College is a state coeducational secondary school located in the central Auckland, New Zealand, suburb of Avondale. With a roll of students from Years 9–13 (ages 12–18), it is the third largest secondary school in New Zealand.
...
in 1945, and
Henderson High School a year beforehand.
Kelston High School was separated into two schools in 1963, with Kelston Girls' High School remaining at the site and
Kelston Boys' High School
Kelston Boys' High School ("KBHS") (Te kura tuarua o nga tamatane o kerehana) is an all-boys state secondary school in Kelston, a suburb in the Waitakere region of Auckland, New Zealand. It was created in 1963 when the roll of Kelston High Scho ...
moving to a new campus to the north.
In 1993, a
marae
A ' (in New Zealand Māori, Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian), ' (in Tongan), ' (in Marquesan) or ' (in Samoan) is a communal or sacred place that serves religious and social purposes in Polynesian societies. In all these languages, the term a ...
was established on the school grounds.
In 2004 Kelston Girls' High School Board of Trustees decided to undergo a change of name. Following consultation with the community, the school was renamed Kelston Girls' College. At the time Board chairwoman Rosemary Caldwell commented that the name change would help to attract international students.
Curriculum
Kelston Girls' College is a Te Kotahitanga school. Te Kotahitanga is an education style aimed at raising Māori student achievement. It prescribes that the student is at the centre of learning in the classroom and that culturally responsive relational trust is the focus of all teachers.
Demographics
As of 2014 the school's ethnic composition was as follows:
*Māori 16%
*NZ European/Pākehā 4%
*Samoan 30%
*Tongan 11%
*Fijian 6%
*Middle Eastern 6%
*Indian 5%
*African 3%
*South East Asian 3%
*Cook Island Māori 2%
*Niue 4%
*other Pacific 8%
*other 2%
Kelston Girls' College receives a number of students who have come to New Zealand as refugees. These students are supported with an orientation programme, regular homework tutorials and career planning.
Hauora centre
Kelston Girls' College has an onsite
Hauora
''Hauora'' is a Māori philosophy of health and well-being unique to New Zealand.
It helps schools be educated and prepared for what students are about to face in life.
There are four dimensions of hauora: ''taha tinana'' (physical well-bei ...
centre. Students have access to a doctor, registered nurse, physiotherapist, guidance counsellors, youth work, social worker and family planning services. The purpose-built centre aims to support students' physical, emotional and mental health.
Notable alumni
*Justice
Debra Mortimer, Justice of the
Federal Court of Australia.
Sport
*
Brenda Matthews – athletics, represented NZ at the 1972 Summer Olympics, 1996 & 1974 Commonwealth Games
*
Monalisa Codling – rugby,
Black Ferns
The New Zealand women's rugby union team, called the Black Ferns, represents New Zealand in women's international rugby union, which is regarded as the country's national sport. The team has won six out of nine Women's Rugby World Cup tourname ...
*
Linda Itunu – rugby,
Black Ferns
The New Zealand women's rugby union team, called the Black Ferns, represents New Zealand in women's international rugby union, which is regarded as the country's national sport. The team has won six out of nine Women's Rugby World Cup tourname ...
*Aldora Itunu – rugby,
Black Ferns
The New Zealand women's rugby union team, called the Black Ferns, represents New Zealand in women's international rugby union, which is regarded as the country's national sport. The team has won six out of nine Women's Rugby World Cup tourname ...
*
Beverly Weigel
Beverly Dawn Edith Weigel (born 16 August 1940), with her first name commonly misspelled as Beverley and since her marriage known as Beverly Robertson, is a New Zealand athlete. Mainly active as a long jumper, but also as a sprinter, she represen ...
– athletics, represented NZ at the 1956 & 1960 Summer Olympics, 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games
Notable staff
*
Haidee Tiffen – cricket,
White Ferns
The New Zealand women's national cricket team, nicknamed the White Ferns, represents New Zealand in international women's cricket. One of eight teams competing in the ICC Women's Championship (the highest level of international women's cricket ...
References
External links
*
{{Schools in Auckland
Secondary schools in Auckland
1963 establishments in New Zealand
Educational institutions established in 1963
Girls' schools in New Zealand
Schools in West Auckland, New Zealand