Staff and students at Whakatāne School for Young Parents – Rangiātea are celebrating a new chapter after moving into a bright, refurbished teaching space.

The teen parent unit has relocated from its former premises to share an upgraded facility alongside the Early Childhood Education centre at the Ngāti Awa Social Services site on Golf Links Road.

Head of department at Rangiātea, Marion Woodley, said the move marked a promising new season for the kura.

“We’re excited. It is like a new season for us,” she said.

“We’ve been in the process of moving since the end of last year, and they’ve refurbished the space for us.

“It’s a really good way of increasing our partnership with Ngāti Awa, especially with the Early Childhood Centre, because it’s such an important part of our existence here.”

Rangiātea is governed by Whakatāne High School in partnership with Te Tohu O Te Ora O Ngāti Awa, which provides education, health, employment, housing and social services across the Eastern Bay of Plenty.

A blessing and welcome were held at the new site last Monday, attended by kaumātua, Ngāti Awa representatives, and the principal and a group from Whakatāne High School.

The School for Young Parents offers NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3, with a strong focus on literacy and numeracy, alongside practical life skills.

“We also do a lot around financial literacy and support students to gain practical qualifications such as a first aid certificate and their driver’s licence,” Ms Woodley said.

Hospitality and food safety are also part of the programme, with students able to work towards a barista certificate. Ms Woodley is particularly pleased the new premises include a purpose-built commercial kitchen.

“We produce the healthy school lunch programme on site, so we don’t have it ordered in. It was important that we have a commercial kitchen that is fit for purpose.”

Learning is tailored to each student. The large open-plan classroom is set up with desks in a circle, allowing everyone to interact.

“Everyone here is on an individual learning programme. We don’t do a lot of whole-class teaching; it’s more one-on-one support,” she said.

From a strong foundation in literacy and numeracy, staff work with students to identify their career goals and interests, helping them choose subjects that will best support their futures.

A Youth Employability programme focuses on CV writing, interview skills and covering letters.

“Being successful in a job really isn’t just about the credits you’ve achieved,” Ms Woodley said. “It’s about how you work with others, whether you use your initiative and whether you’re reliable. Those are the qualities employers are looking for.”

In their first week in the new space, students focused on whakawhanaungatanga – building relationships and connections to Rangiātea. They created wall displays sharing their pepeha, information about their babies, what motivated them to enroll and their goals for the year.

“They’re also creating vision boards and setting specific goals for their career, educational achievement and wellbeing. We track the credits they achieve throughout the year. It makes their motivation visual.”

The school has 12 students and a capacity of 20. It is open to young parents from across the Whakatāne district.

A van equipped with car seats for pēpi collects students each day.

“We try to remove any barriers to attendance and make sure this is an opportunity to continue education after you’ve had a child. We also welcome hapū in the community.”

The school has been operating for 10 years and continues to see strong outcomes for its young parents.

Student Tuhi, mum to a 12-month-old, said she was enjoying her first week back this year and hoped to gain her restricted licence: “I want to work as a beautician – hair, nails and facials,” she said.

Awatea, mother to a five-month-old daughter, is also working towards her licence and has plans to move to Australia in the future to be closer to family.

Chevelle, mum to an almost two-year-old, began at the school last year and expects to complete her Level 1 and 2 NCEA this year.