Fendalton Open Air School
Encyclopedia
Fendalton Open Air School is a primary school in Christchurch
, New Zealand known for its open-air classrooms. Fendalton Primary School was established in 1875, continuing to provide education for primary school children in Fendalton
for over 125 years. , the school has 520 students, and the principal is Paul Sibson. In 2002 and 2003, it was runner up in the Goodman Fielder School of the Year Awards.
The school started open air classes in July 1924. It was based on pilot programmes in England where it was found that plenty of fresh air and open spaced classrooms allowed children to recover more quickly from disease. The school was closed during the Spanish flu
epidemic of 1919, by the principal Ray Blank, Christchurch medical officer R B Phillips and Professor James Shelley, Education Professor of the Canterbury College
. Blank and Phillips paid for half of the cost of building the new sun facing class rooms with long verandahs and large windows themselves. The previous rooms were so cold that one cup of hot cocoa was sold to the students at a cost of 1d a week.
The School was officially renamed as Fendalton Open Air School in 1963.
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, New Zealand known for its open-air classrooms. Fendalton Primary School was established in 1875, continuing to provide education for primary school children in Fendalton
Fendalton
Fendalton is a suburb of Christchurch, in the South Island of New Zealand.-History:Fendalton was originally known at Fendall Town, named after the original settler of the land, Walpole Cheshire Fendall . Fendall emigrated from Yorkshire in 1850 and took up land north of the Waimairi Stream...
for over 125 years. , the school has 520 students, and the principal is Paul Sibson. In 2002 and 2003, it was runner up in the Goodman Fielder School of the Year Awards.
History
The Fendalton School opened in 1875 at a time when half of the school-aged children in New Zealand were not attending school.The school started open air classes in July 1924. It was based on pilot programmes in England where it was found that plenty of fresh air and open spaced classrooms allowed children to recover more quickly from disease. The school was closed during the Spanish flu
Spanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
epidemic of 1919, by the principal Ray Blank, Christchurch medical officer R B Phillips and Professor James Shelley, Education Professor of the Canterbury College
University of Canterbury
The University of Canterbury , New Zealand's second-oldest university, operates its main campus in the suburb of Ilam in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand...
. Blank and Phillips paid for half of the cost of building the new sun facing class rooms with long verandahs and large windows themselves. The previous rooms were so cold that one cup of hot cocoa was sold to the students at a cost of 1d a week.
The School was officially renamed as Fendalton Open Air School in 1963.
Former Students
Notable students who have attended Fendalton Open Air School include:- Sir Richard HadleeRichard HadleeSir Richard John Hadlee, MBE is a former New Zealand cricketer who played provincial cricket for Canterbury, Nottinghamshire and Tasmania. He is the son of Walter Hadlee, and the brother of Dayle and Barry Hadlee. His former wife Karen also played international cricket for New Zealand.Hadlee was...
, New Zealand swing bowler. - Lynne Rudkin Thompson, author;
- Hayley WestenraHayley WestenraHayley Dee Westenra is a New Zealand soprano, classical crossover artist, songwriter and UNICEF Ambassador. Her first internationally released album, Pure, reached No. 1 on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million copies worldwide...
, Classical vocalist - Frank WorsleyFrank WorsleyFrank Arthur Worsley DSO and Bar, OBE, RD was a New Zealand sailor and explorer.After serving in the Pacific, and especially in the New Zealand Post Office's South Pacific service he joined Ernest Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of...
, Shackleton's captain on the ill-fated 1914-16 Polar Expedition