Schools Will Welcome Chance To Carry On Good Job

4TH February 2009

For Immediate Release

Schools Will Welcome Chance To Get On With A Good Job

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says the majority of schools are performing well, and changes to the review cycle will let them get on with the good job they are already doing.

The Education Minister has announced that schools which are performing consistently well will be reviewed every four to five years, rather than the current three. On the other hand, schools which are not performing will be reviewed more frequently.

NZEI says the majority of schools in New Zealand are working well and delivering quality teaching and learning.

NZEI President Frances Nelson says the Minister is creating a high trust model which will be welcomed by those schools and they will appreciate the show of confidence.

For those schools which go into a more rigorous review cycle, she says the review process needs to be more than just a simple weighing and measuring exercise.

“Often schools which are not performing feel like they’re being scrutinised and shamed. That can result in good staff leaving and a poor image of the school created in the community or media. In the end it’s the children who are stuck in the middle.”

“We need to acknowledge that it takes time to make definitive changes in a school, and those schools which are struggling don’t want to constantly be told what they’re doing wrong, without support to find the best way forward. To be successful, there must be an assess and assist process where problems are not only identified, but firm solutions found as well,” says Ms Nelson.

ENDS

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