Demolition has begun on Gunnedah's Elgin Street, as Carinya Christian School continues its expansion, with everything progressing as planned for stage two.
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Principal Chad Kentwell said the pandemic has not halted physical works, yet at one point he harboured fears the financial impacts felt by families could pose problems in the future, especially with enrollments.
The property on 44 Elgin Street was purchased and is being demolished, with offers being made for the house next door.
The idea is these two blocks will make up stage three of their master plan, which would include the Early Learning Centre for the prep classes.
"There hasn't been any setbacks in terms of process, in planning of the build," Mr Kentwell explained.
"The only issue with regards to the COVID-9 was just monitoring the economic impact, and the impact on the Gunnedah school community before we made the final decision to go ahead and build.
"But we haven't actually seen any loss in enrollments throughout this period of time, they have remained strong, and we continue to have inquiries at the school."
We felt very strongly about wanting to keep people here, or about people not having to leave the school because of financial stress caused by COVID-19.
- Chad Kentwell
He said the school offered a "very generous discount" on school fees for term two.
They also offered additional assistance for people who had been financially impacted by the pandemic.
"We felt very strongly about wanting to keep people here, or about people not having to leave the school because of financial stress caused by COVID-19," he said.
"This has meant enrollments are remaining strong, and we are still in a good, positive position to proceed with plans."
For stage two, it is expected works will be completed to have Year 9 start in 2021, and Year 10 in 2022.
At the beginning of 2019, the new middle school complex for students in years 5 to 8 was completed.
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"I think during this COVID-19 crisis, it's our staff that have done an incredible job accommodating the needs of our students," Mr Kentwell said.
"We are excited to have them back this week, and continue to be excited about the future of the school."