John Key

Wellington, Sept 30 NZPA - The board of Prime Minister John Key's old primary school has vowed to fight a decision by the Education Ministry to close it.

Aorangi School representatives said Education Minister Anne Tolley confirmed to them today that the closure, mooted earlier in the year, would go ahead.

The Christchurch school was put in the firing line because of a falling roll, costly building work and the fact there were other schools in the area.

The board said today the decision flew in the face of overwhelming community support for it to stay open, and the consultation process involved leading up to the decision was "a sham and legally flawed".

Spokesman Andrew Oh said the school was preparing a further submission outlining its concerns with the process and the decision.

Principal Stephanie Thompson said Ms Tolley today outlined concerns with educational outcomes at Aorangi.

"She said `if they (students) were succeeding superbly I would have been reluctant to move them'."

It was concerning that educational outcomes had now been highlighted as a reason for closing the school when that had not been raised in the past, she said.

The board said if the closure was followed through, legal advice the school received was that there was a clear case for a judicial review of the decision.

Ms Tolley said Aorangi had a falling roll, its buildings needed major investment and the community was served by nearby schools.

"In the current economic climate I don't believe that the school's planned replacement building programme, costing over $2 million, can be justified or is an effective use of taxpayer money," she said.

"Nearby schools have potential capacity to provide a good educational environment for Aorangi's current students and I am confident these children will do as well, if not better, in other schools."

Mr Key said in June he would be disappointed if it closed but understood it faced serious challenges.

"I think for nostalgic reasons anyone would be disappointed. I have very found memories of my time there, notwithstanding that the bell fell on my head when I was a bell monitor."