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Our Place
Clyde Quay School

We’re one of the oldest school sites in the city.

 

Clyde Quay School was established in 1889 and used to be located near Clyde Quay on Wellington’s waterfront - hence our name.

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Our campus is based across three levels bordering Elizabeth and Brougham Streets.

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Property Upgrades

  • CQS buildings are undergoing significant upgrades to improve and modernise our facilities for our students, teachers and staff. 

  • These works will continue over the 2024-2026 period and include internal layout, acoustic and bathroom upgrades, along with external weathertightness, window replacement and re-roofing works. 

  • The school board property subcommittee works closely with the Ministry of Education and property managers to oversee the delivery of these projects, to keep these upgrades progressing, and to minimise disruption to teaching and learning. 

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Timeline & Progress

  • Pohutukawa classroom rebuild (completed 2021)

  • Library window replacement (completed 2024)

  • Rimu internal layout and renovation (completed 2024)

  • Hall re-cladding, window and door replacement and re-roofing (scheduled late 2024/2025)

  • Karaka renovation (scheduled 2025)

  • See more detail on playground masterplan projects (link to section)

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Our new playground masterplan development 

  • The need to upgrade our ageing, tired playgrounds led to the establishment of a parent-led working group in 2022 who undertook a major consultation with students and staff on reimagining our school grounds.  

  • In summary, we heard from our school community that ‘better sports facilities, social and meeting spaces, more green, more stuff to climb, gentle play areas’ would better meet our needs.  

  • In early 2023, the school engaged Studio Pacific Architecture (SPA) to redesign our outdoor play spaces based around student experiences. 

  • A new CQS site masterplan was delivered by SPA and the playground working group, and approved by the Board of Trustees in 2023.  This plan reimagines our school layout to improve sports and recreation spaces that meet the needs of our school community in 2024 and beyond.  

  • The multi-year programme of work is being led by the playground working group, made up of parents, board members and teachers, but is very much reliant on a wider group of parents, major fundraising via grants and monies raised by Whānau and Friends (WAF) and pro bono support.

  • CQS does not receive funding to enhance our outdoor grounds and facilities other than a minimal groundskeeping and maintenance budget.  The masterplan projects are phased and are school led - which means we need to raise the funds and contract the works ourselves.  

  • They are closely linked to our major fundraising activity being led by the playground working group (parent volunteers and staff) and WAF, and supported by the school board.  

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Harakeke Courtyard (Completed 2023) 

The Harakeke classroom courtyard was extended in size and redeveloped to include adventure playspace, vegetable planters and mud kitchens to support play based learning curriculum for our junior school.  Harakeke and Pohutukawa students enjoy this space. 

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We brought forward this project from ‘phase 5’ providing a purpose designed play based educational space for our new entrants with support from:

  • Four Winds Foundation, The Garden Company Ltd, Lowe & Co Realty, Bone & Lee Plumbing, Construct Group.  

  • Many thanks to the parent volunteers who worked on grant applications, design and contracting, and who helped assemble the lovely planters and playhouse!

Hall move and improve (commencing Term 4 2024 for completion Term 2 2025)

The decision to move the school hall was based around the desire of the students to have separate sports and recreation facilities, and to create a school heart, raising and improving the hall to serve our community better for gatherings, school events and as a teaching and recreation space.

  • The school hall is due for weathertightness works, window and roof replacement (delivered by MoE).  The playground working group and property subcommittee have worked hard to combine these works ‘phase 2’ masterplan projects.

  • The hall project includes the relocation and repiling of the hall to the new location on site (to bring it up to new building code), a new veranda and portico, side access ramp, internal upgrades and remodelling to include a kitchen and bathrooms to support more frequent community use.  

  • We are looking forward to engaging with a mana whenua artist to build and strengthen our cultural identity and links to our place, and positioning the hall as our wharenui, and heart of the school (final planning completed - commencing Term 4)

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Sports Turf development (planned delivery Term 2 2025)

The area currently occupied by the ageing Neptune climbing frame, corner ramp and the current hall location will be levelled and redeveloped as a specialist sports turf suited to court sports. Area will include fencing, seating, storage and a water fountain.

Middle and upper adventure playgrounds (planned 2026)

  • High level concepts have been envisaged by SPA, but have yet to be progressed to detailed design.

  • The lower playground area currently occupied by the turf, perimeter decking and fort will be redeveloped based around the desire to create varied spaces for socialising, challenge, respite and imaginative play, well suited to middle school age groups. 

  • The upper block playground is well utilised by the junior school. We will retain the turf, and renovate and update the current playspace to meet this age group need for social interaction, physical challenge and imaginative play. 

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General entranceway and grounds improvements (ongoing)

  • A rolling series of upgrades to entranceways, social spaces and gardens. Yet to be detailed, but likely to happen as a series of smaller projects alongside major works, where time/funding permits.

  • Refurbished outdoor social spaces for middle and senior school students, review of sun shades placement.

  • North facing seating steps south of the hall create a central space with shade from the existing trees and sun shade. The seats overlook handball courts, and a flexible school community space.

  • A refurbished school entry improves the arrival experience and school identity.

  • Top to bottom block accessibility and flow.

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