Rangiora High School turns over a new leaf, as it spends $1.5 million on the removal of modern learning

In recent years, modern learning has been all the rage: the removal of walls in classrooms to create open spaces where students manage themselves and their education. But now in 2024, we are seeing schools turn their backs on this style of learning.

One of these schools in particular is Canterbury's Rangiora High School.

Rangiora is home to one of New Zealand's biggest open-plan learning environments. The building itself cost a total of $15 million. 

The space was designed to house six different teaching areas with two small breakout rooms each. Each space was to hold 60 students at a time. 

In just over four weeks, as a new term approaches, so does a new and improved learning environment.

The school's main building is currently undergoing renovations to get rid of all that open space and instead create 10 single-cell classrooms.

Principal Bruce Kearney has been at Rangiora for only two years but explained that it didn’t take long for him to listen to his students and the community.

“Look I'm not saying that modern learning isn't working, what I'm saying is modern learning isn't working for us.”

Kearney said he just felt people didn’t believe in the open learning space and it was in the school's best interest to make that change.

He has said that the new classroom designs have used inspiration from both modern and traditional spaces, to create the perfect in-between. The improved space is set to be open in relation to light but closed in relation to sound. 

“It is that balance that will make that space really lovely.”

The new renovations have cost the school nearly $1.5 million.

As both teachers and students are eager to get in and experience the benefits of these new improvements, Kearney hopes that other schools will start to evaluate what is working for their style of education.

“The real challenge for other schools is don’t just sit there and assume that it’s okay or it’s not okay, do some research and actually ask your community."

The new space is almost complete and is set to be open for use by the end of this month.