The New Zealand Principals’ Federation (NZPF) President, Leanne Otene, has expressed her surprise at the recent pronouncements of the Minister of Education, on the Q and A Show, that the roll out of the new curriculum in Literacy and Mathematics is going magnificently well.

"Other than Cambridge Intermediate School, I am not sure which schools the Minister is visiting, but this is not the feedback I am receiving as President of the Principals’ Federation," she said.

"I am hearing from schools that the year by year mathematics curriculum is not working at all well - especially in Intermediate schools - who have received only year 7 and 8 resources, yet have children up to two or even three years below that level and some children exceeding their level," she said.

"We have been very clear for many years now that our learners do not arrive at school all the same. They arrive at school with a broad range of readiness for formal learning, and about 30% will need some form of learning support. Conversely, there are children who exceed their year level. That is why we have always opposed a year by year curriculum," said Otene, "because it sets up an expectation that every child is exactly at their year level, which is simply not true," she said.

Otene was also less optimistic than the Minister about the roll out of the professional learning for teachers and principals, and said trying to change two major areas of the curriculum at once was not the best way to design curriculum change.

"We are pleased that the Minister has offered free professional learning in Mathematics and Literacy for our principals and teachers," said Otene, "however we have received varying feedback on the quality of professional learning on offer, because it is a ‘one-size-fits-all approach’", she said.

"We know that schools are at different stages of development, with some having adopted structured literacy, for example, several years ago and some are well familiar with the mathematics resources. Other schools have no experience of either structured literacy or structured mathematics," she said.

"NZPF called for a slowdown of the curriculum change, asking for one subject at a time," she said, " so that teachers and principals could be fully trained and feel confident and competent to implement the changes," she said.

"If we are to be successful, then it is critical that we also inject substantial resources into learning support," said Otene. "Successive governments have failed to adequately address learning support, and we have seen no improvements with the present government," she said.

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