The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says education should not be used as a cash cow and the government would be mad to accept Treasury's latest advice.
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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says education should not be used as a cash cow and the government would be mad to accept Treasury's latest advice.

In its briefing to the incoming government Treasury has suggested radical reform to free up money, including increasing class sizes and student-teacher ratios and closing down schools.

"This type of reform would be a huge step backwards for our education system and I don't think schools, parents or communities would be willing to accept it.  It is ill-advised advice," says NZEI President Ian Leckie.

"Parents and schools fought long and hard to lower class sizes and student ratios in recent years particularly in the junior classes, and they would not want to see all that good work undone."

"It's disappointing to hear the Finance Minister say class size doesn't matter when parents and teachers, who see what happens in classrooms everyday, know that children get more out of teaching and learning when they are in smaller groups and can get more one-on-one attention".

"Having bigger classes would also do nothing to improve teacher quality," he says.

Closing down schools would hit communities hard, particularly if there was no educational benefit in doing so.

"Closing a school down impacts heavily on students and families and shouldn't affect a child's right to attend their local school.  Treasury's proposal is purely a money-making scheme for a wholesale sell-off of valuable school property and land which would come at the expense of local communities," Mr Leckie says.

"Surely education should not be a cash-cow for the government.  If Treasury really wanted to free up money in education and improve teacher quality it would reinstate the teacher professional development that the government has taken away and stop wasting tens of millions of dollars on National Standards".

NZEI says worryingly the Ministry of Education's briefing to the new Minister also signals school closures as well as the erosion of school board control over property.
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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says contrary to claims by the Education Minister, principals in south Auckland have no appetite for charter schools.
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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says contrary to claims by the Education Minister, principals in south Auckland have no appetite for charter schools.

Hekia Parata has said that principals and parents are queuing up for the first charter school, and that there is very high demand.

NZEI has spoken to 87 principals in south Auckland.  The vast majority have said they are either concerned or very concerned about the prospect of charter schools, while only four said they could see some benefit.

NZEI President Ian Leckie says they are concerned on a number of fronts.

"Firstly they are suspicious about the government's privatisation agenda for education, secondly they believe charter schools are unmandated coalition policy, and thirdly they feel that low decile communities are being unfairly targeted by government claims that charter schools are needed in areas where underachievement is entrenched."

"Some of these schools work harder than any others in the country to raise student achievement and there is no recognition of the effective programmes they already have in place. The problems of underachievement are complex and principals in south Auckland know that charter schools will do nothing to fix them".

Mr Leckie says it's important to remember that the people of south Auckland did not vote for charter schools and have not been asked whether they want to hand over their children's education to private business where there is limited accountability.

NZEI says there is clearly a disconnect between what the Minister is saying and what people and educators in south Auckland are feeling.

"Perhaps the Minister should release some more details about exactly what these schools will look like and talk to those communities which will be affected by what represents a major shift change to the foundations of our public education system," says Mr Leckie.

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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa is urging the government to come clean about its agenda for education and any plans it may have to change the way school principals are hired.
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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa is urging the government to come clean about its agenda for education and any plans it may have to change the way school principals are hired.

Media reports suggest that the government is planning to make the Ministry of Education responsible for the appointment of principals rather than boards, and also ban them from speaking out against government policy.

NZEI President Ian Leckie says the suggestions are alarming and need to be honestly confirmed or denied.

"There have been a lot of rumours and speculation about the issue and principals and schools are understandably very anxious.  Removing the ability of schools and their communities to hire their own principal strikes at the heart of Tomorrow's Schools and you have to wonder how much further the government is willing to go".

"There's also the question of motive," says Mr Leckie.

"Handing over the employment of principals directly to the Ministry and attempting to gag them is a likely response to principals' widespread criticism of National Standards".

NZEI says like charter schools, the government seems like its readying to push through more unmandated educational change and policy.

"Changing the way principals are hired and managed would represent a major shift to our quality education system.  It would be completely wrong and would be met with opposition from principals, schools and communities.  It would also get the new Education Minister off to a very bad start with the sector as a whole," says Mr Leckie.

"The government needs to front up and be honest about what's on its agenda for education and put an end to the climate of suspicion and mistrust that it is fostering".
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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa is hoping there will be opportunities to forge a strong and constructive working relationship with the new Education Minister.
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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa is hoping there will be opportunities to forge a strong and constructive working relationship with the new Education Minister.

In the new cabinet line-up Hekia Parata takes over the education portfolio from Anne Tolley.

NZEI which represents more than 50,000 teachers, principals and education workers acknowledges that the past three years have been challenging.

NZEI President Ian Leckie says "we have seen a lot of policy and measures introduced such as National Standards and cuts to early childhood funding, which have definitely put a strain on the relationship between educational professionals and the government".

"We have a great education system which we want to see made into a truly excellent one.  To do that there must be a healthy and respectful relationship between the education sector and government".

NZEI believes there are many challenges ahead.

"Charter schools, fundamental problems with National Standards, raising Māori student achievement, the government's failure to commit to 100% qualified early childhood teachers, the future of education in Christchurch, more support for special needs students and recognising the professional work and value of school support staff are all issues which deserve full and open discussion," says Mr Leckie.

NZEI hopes the new minister will take on these challenges with an inclusive and constructive approach which values the voice of teachers, principals and communities.

It also wishes Anne Tolley well in her newly-appointed roles.

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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says the government should not be allowed to push any legislation on charter schools through parliament, without a proper select committee process.
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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says the government should not be allowed to push any legislation on charter schools through parliament, without a proper select committee process.

The government is allowing charter schools to be set up under its coalition deal with ACT, saying they will be trialed in south Auckland and Christchurch.  The policy was not flagged by either party in the lead up to the election.

NZEI believes legislation will be needed around the funding and governance of charter schools as they represent a fundamental change to the spirit of the Education Act and the Tomorrow’s Schools philosophy of communities running their own schools.

NZEI President Ian Leckie says while the government clearly had detailed policy around charter schools ready to go, the public has been completely blindsided.

"Given that, it is only fair that the any moves to establish charter schools go through proper parliamentary processes so the public at least has a chance to make submissions and have the issues debated".

"Charter schools represent a major shift in direction for New Zealand education and the government must not be allowed to simply pass legislation through the House under urgency, claiming it has a mandate to do so," he says.

NZEI believes that if a select committee was to consider charter schools, it should sit in Christchurch and south Auckland, to hear directly from residents as to whether they want charter schools driving a wedge through their communities.

"There are some very big question around why New Zealand needs charter schools and why the government is so intent on pushing them.  If the government and ACT are so wedded to the idea of charter schools, perhaps they should trial them in Epsom," Mr Leckie says.
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National's education policy for schools is one dimensional and is all about tick-the-box compliance driven by the flawed "National Standards", says the education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa.
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National's education policy for schools is one dimensional and is all about tick-the-box compliance driven by the flawed "National Standards", says the education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa.

Under its just-released policy, "National Standards" are the centrepiece of National’s agenda and will now be used as the key accountability and performance measure across all schools.

"Almost everything in this policy is underpinned by National Standards," says NZEI immediate past-President Frances Nelson.

"Professional development for teachers will hinge around "National Standards", there will be more expert advisors to implement them, schools will be expected to publish plans and targets against them by a certain date, provide templates of clear school reports, and schools and teachers will have their performance measured against them."

"It's frightening to see how much more time and money National is willing to throw into 'National Standards' when parents, teachers and school communities continue to have so little confidence in them," she says.

National is also making it clear that it will do nothing to stop public league tables being drawn up based on "National Standards" information.

Frances Nelson says schools will be very alarmed by this.

"Schools know that because the Standards are so flawed, the level of moderation is so inconsistent, and implementation is so varied around the country, any student achievement data based on them is completely unreliable.  It is unfair and dangerous for 'National Standards' to be used to compare and judge school performance, let alone as an accountability measure".

NZEI is also concerned that National wants to shift the resourcing model to 'incentivise school performance' as it suggests that money will be removed from those schools which are not complying with 'National Standards' or are not performing against them.

"More measuring doesn’t make the pig fatter and National's policy will simply increase the bureaucracy in education without adding value to the people who matter - children," says Ms Nelson.

NZEI also believes it is unfair that National has left it so late to release its education policy in the lead up to the election.

"We know National has an agenda for education.  It should be flagged honestly and within a timeframe that people have an opportunity to debate it and make an informed decision," Ms Nelson says.

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Imposing National Standards on bi-lingual and ESOL students amounts to cultural bullying and will do nothing to help them become competent learners, says the education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa.
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Imposing National Standards on bi-lingual and ESOL students amounts to cultural bullying and will do nothing to help them become competent learners, says the education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa.

The government has changed its advice and is now telling schools they must assess bi-lingual and ESOL students and report to parents against National Standards. It is part of updated Ministry of Education guidelines to schools. Previously these students were assessed against English Language Learning Progressions which were developed by the Ministry of Education and agreed to by the Education Minister.

"National Standards are unreliable and flawed and forcing them on this group of students is a tragedy, particularly as it replaces an assessment system which was appropriate for them and recognised their special learning needs and development," says NZEI President Ian Leckie.

"Measuring bi-lingual children or children who have just arrived in New Zealand against a set of narrow National Standards, completely devalues their own language, and the other skills and knowledge they have.  It will also discourage first language learning which is so important on so many levels".

Research shows that students who have strong literacy in their own language have greater success in literacy in English and bi-lingualism has been identified as a major contributor to the overall academic success of Pasifika students in New Zealand schools.

Ian Leckie says "National Standards for ESOL and bi-lingual students is completely out of step with that and will only serve to label children further and demotivate them towards becoming competent learners".

NZEI also believes schools will be reluctant to measure these students against National Standards, not only because it is unfair and inappropriate, but because they will have to include them in their official reporting.

"If National Standards information is not protected and will be used to compare schools in the form of public leagues tables, there is a risk that schools will either not include these students' results, or skew their reporting to offset them," Mr Leckie says.
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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says it's good to see the issue of compulsory te reo Māori in schools being put squarely onto the political agenda and out for public debate.
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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says it's good to see the issue of compulsory te reo Māori in schools being put squarely onto the political agenda and out for public debate.

The Māori Party has released its education policy in which te reo Māori would be compulsory in schools in 2015.  It also steps out a plan to increase the number of te reo Māori teachers to try and achieve that.

NZEI says compulsory te reo Māori in schools would add value to children's education and to the country as a whole.

Last year a Waitangi Tribunal report warned that te reo Māori was reaching crisis point and urgent change was needed to save it from extinction.

NZEI Matua Takawaenga Laures Park acknowledges that there would be challenges around training enough te reo speakers but having all students learning te reo and having some degree of competency would ensure the vitality of the language.

"Māori is an official language of Aotearoa and it is shameful that only a relatively small number of people are fluent".

Research shows that bi-lingualism can boost student achievement in other areas and makes other languages easier to learn.

"It is ignorant and offensive for people such as the ACT Party leader Don Brash to label te reo Māori as irrelevant and to somehow suggest it has no benefit to anyone but Māori".

NZEI also welcomes the Māori Party pledge to initiate nationwide discussion about compulsory early childhood education.

However it is disappointed that the Party has failed to come out with any policy on the controversial National Standards, given their potential to crudely label students and unfairly compare schools and communities.
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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says Labour's education policy is comprehensive and promotes high quality education for all children.
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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says Labour's education policy is comprehensive and promotes high quality education for all children.

It shows a major commitment to quality early childhood education by promising to restore funding cuts to more than 2000 services nationwide, reinstate the target of 100% qualified teachers, retain existing subsidies and fee controls for 20 hours ECE, as well as develop planned public ECE provision.

NZEI President Ian Leckie says that will help boost participation levels and be welcomed by those services and parents who have been hit hard by government funding cuts.

Labour's policy also places some welcome importance on the role and value of school support staff by promising to provide them with training and it says it will work on the viability of centrally funding their positions.

That is in line with a recent report by NZEI, the Ministry of Education and the School Trustees Association which recommends that school leaders integrate support staff more effectively into teaching teams and provide more training.  NZEI has also long argued that funding school support staff through school operations grants is flawed and needs to change.

"It is great to see Labour listening and taking on board some of those issues and reflecting them in their policy," Mr Leckie says.

It has also listened to calls for full funding until the end of 2012 for quake-affected schools and ECE centres in Canterbury which have had significant roll drops.  NZEI has repeatedly lobbied the government on this issue, saying that full funding is essential to support children and communities and to the region’s recovery.

Labour has already said that as part of its education policy schools would no longer be required to implement "National Standards".

Ian Leckie says "we know that with the ongoing confusion and lack of confidence in the Standards, given a choice, schools would happily get rid of them".

"High quality public education is a critical issue for all New Zealanders and we need policies that will help move our great education system forward".

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The Green Party's just released education policy is a welcome endorsement of quality public education, says the education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa.
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The Green Party's just released education policy is a welcome endorsement of quality public education, says the education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa.

Not only are the Greens committed to a fully-funded public education system, but they would drop the controversial "National Standards", re-establish the target for 100% qualified staff in early childhood, increase school operational funding, and support pay parity and professional development for teachers.

"The Greens' policy reflects a sound understanding of what makes a quality public education system and what puts it at risk," says NZEI President Ian Leckie.

"It clearly recognises the dangers of the flawed National Standards for schools, students and communities and has listened to the ongoing opposition.  Any promise to remove National Standards will be welcomed by schools which are struggling to implement them or are being forced to comply".

NZEI says it is also refreshing to see the Green Party acknowledging the importance of quality early childhood education by promising to reinstate the target of 100 percent qualified staff.  The target was removed by the government which says 80 percent qualified teachers is 'good enough'.

Ian Leckie says "our youngest children deserve the best and having 100% qualified staff is a hallmark of quality education.  We would hope the Greens commitment on this would also see them pushing for a restoration of the government funding cuts to those ECE services which have more than 80 percent qualified teachers".

The Greens' support for more resourcing of schools through higher operational funding will be music to the ears of school support staff.  They are funded through school operational funding which offers them little job security as schools juggle their funding around tight operational budgets.  

"Overall the Greens educational policy ticks the boxes for commitment to quality public education," Mr Leckie says.

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"Teaching students is way more important than being an All Black coach" - Graham Henry, July 2011
New Zealand is celebrating World Teachers Day today. (Saturday 29 October)
World Teachers Day was established by UNESCO and is marked in over 100 countries.
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"Teaching students is way more important than being an All Black coach" - Graham Henry, July 2011
New Zealand is celebrating World Teachers Day today. (Saturday 29 October)

World Teachers Day was established by UNESCO and is marked in over 100 countries.

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa, which represents thousands of teachers in primary and intermediate schools, kindergartens and early childhood centres, believes World Teachers Day is a time to celebrate and value New Zealand’s high quality education system.  

The OECD has described New Zealand as a "top-performing" country in education.

New Zealand’s early learning centres and schools are rated among the top handful in the world while our students are among the top five readers, and also do very well in maths and science.

NZEI President Ian Leckie says "there is fantastic teaching and learning going on in our classrooms and early childhood centres every day, inspired and driven by thousands of passionate and dedicated teachers".  

"World Teachers Day is an opportunity to showcase that and recognise the contribution and the difference that teachers make," he says.

"There's not a teacher in New Zealand who doesn’t want a better future for children and we need investment in education which acknowledges the diversity of our learners and meets the needs of every child".

Teachers, parents, and children from schools and early childhood centres will be taking part in World Teachers Day events around the country.
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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa is repeating its call for the government to support Canterbury children and their families by retaining staffing and funding levels in quake-affected schools and community- based early childhood centres over the next year.
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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa is repeating its call for the government to support Canterbury children and their families by retaining staffing and funding levels in quake-affected schools and community- based early childhood centres over the next year.

NZEI’s Waitaha/Canterbury Area Council is hosting a public meeting at Papanui High School at 7pm tonight where the case will be put to politicians, community leaders, principals, parents, teachers and support staff.

Area Council Chair Sandra Spekreijse says at the very heart of the request are children from the most affected schools and centres in the district.

"Parents are adamant that trusted and caring teachers and support staff are essential for the stability and emotional support of their children.  Keeping staff in place over the next year is essential for the on-going support and stability of children as they recover from the trauma of the past year," she says.

"Over the past year, our teachers and support staff have been heroic.  In many cases they have put their own needs on the back burner as they’ve worked to support children and their families."

Mrs Spekreijse says while NZEI welcomes Education Minister Anne Tolley’s announcement of a consultation on the future of education in Canterbury, schools and early childhood centres are looking for immediate help and support with both staffing and funding.  They want fair and equitable decisions to be made about funding and staffing in all parts of the education sector – from early childhood to tertiary.

"This doesn’t appear to be happening at the moment – given the Government has already guaranteed University funding for 2012 at 2011 levels.  This is exactly what the rest of the sector wants and needs".

"It’s hard to focus on the future when you’re worried about losing the very people who’ve been keeping our schools together over the past 12 months - valuable teachers and support staff.

"What makes it even worse is that support staff are currently funded from operational grants. So schools are now facing the unenviable task of either laying off staff or undertaking essential maintenance tasks like getting the playground, the driveway or the roof fixed".

"We already know that 16 or the 18 ECE centres in quake-affected parts of the city have experienced at least $700,000 in funding cuts due to roll drops - this has led to job losses, and pay cuts with some centres facing possible closure".

"It takes at least five years to get an early childhood centre up and running.  Our centres have all been an essential part of the community support network in Christchurch and to see closing is a major blow to the educational infrastructure in the city," she says.  

Mrs Spekreijse said she had called the meeting so the public had a forum to hear about what was going on in schools and centres and to support them.

"Extraordinary circumstances call for an extraordinary response so we can support our children, families and communities as they recover from the trauma of the past year," she says.

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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says the government is sending very mixed messages about the importance of education in the rebuild of Christchurch.
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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says the government is sending very mixed messages about the importance of education in the rebuild of Christchurch.

The government has announced that funding levels to Canterbury's tertiary institutions will be maintained next year despite an expected decrease in enrolments.  It says it will give them greater financial certainty as they work to recover from the effects of the September and February earthquakes and help contribute to the region's rebuild.

NZEI President Ian Leckie says that’s in stark contrast to the short-sighted approach the government is taking to early childhood services and schools affected by roll drops.

Early childhood services have been given no certainty about their funding even for the remainder of the year and roll drops have meant reduce funding to dozens of centres which are now struggling to maintain staff and keep their doors open.

The government has also refused calls by NZEI to maintain funding and staffing levels for schools until the end of 2012 to help provide additional support to students and keep their learning on track.  Schools were told last week that 167 teaching positions will be lost and there are expected to be support staff job losses if operational funding is also cut.

"If the rebuild of Christchurch is to be successful, children must continue to have access to the best quality education.  It is very disappointing to see the government placing more value on tertiary education while turning a blind eye to the vital role which early childhood services and schools play in educating and supporting children and families," says Mr Leckie.

"Principals, teachers and support staff also fulfil an important social role in many traumatised and damaged communities. Children and their families are going to need extra help and attention for a long time to come".

He says "the government needs to recognise the importance of all education in the rebuild of Christchurch by giving early childhood services and schools the same funding certainty it is giving tertiary institutions.  They deserve no less".
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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says moves to cut hundreds of teaching jobs in Christchurch are short-sighted and will come as a major blow to those schools and communities which are still trying to put themselves back together.
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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says moves to cut hundreds of teaching jobs in Christchurch are short-sighted and will come as a major blow to those schools and communities which are still trying to put themselves back together.

Schools in Christchurch are being sent their provisional staffing figures for next year and the government has announced that overall 167 positions are being lost.

NZEI had called on the government to maintain staffing and funding levels to quake-affected schools and early childhood centres through until the end of 2012, saying extraordinary circumstances call for an extraordinary response.

NZEI President Ian Leckie says "schools have lost buildings, classrooms and playing fields among other things, and now they are faced with losing teaching staff who have worked tirelessly to provide stability and support to traumatised students and their families".

He says it's the wrong time to be pulling resources out of Christchurch as students, schools and staff will need additional support for a long time to come yet.

It's also disappointing that the government still refuses to give any certainty to early childhood centres around their funding, even for the remainder of this year.

Roll drops from the quakes have meant reduced funding to dozens of centres which are now having to make tough decisions about cutting staff, reducing staff hours and wages, or closing their doors altogether.  

"The end result is that children will miss out on vital early childhood education as many recovering communities will be left with no services.  It's critical for Christchurch’s children and families that these centres have their funding restored and receive some guarantees going into the future," Mr Leckie says.

"The government needs to be taking a long-term view in terms of the future of Christchurch education, rather than a short-sighted one which will see the loss of valuable staff and resources at a time when the city needs them most".
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Labour's just-released policy to raise student achievement in primary schools will spell a welcome end to ‘National Standards’, says the education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa.
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Labour's just-released policy to raise student achievement in primary schools will spell a welcome end to ‘National Standards’, says the education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa.

Under the policy, schools would monitor and track student progress against their own school expectations, and would not be required to implement ‘National Standards’.

"This would mean schools could refocus student learning back on the curriculum and allow them to rely on robust and tested assessment practices to measure student achievement," says NZEI President Ian Leckie.

Hundreds of school communities have been bullied into minimal compliance with 'National Standards' but have no confidence that they will do anything to raise student achievement.

Mr Leckie says "considering that lack of confidence and the level of concern and frustration about the implementation of 'National Standards', we know that given a choice, schools would move swiftly to dump them."

Polling also shows that an overwhelming majority of principals, teachers and parents are very worried by the prospect of league tables and believe it will be unfair to compare schools based on 'National Standards' information.

Ian Leckie says because of the lack of consistency in the way ‘National Standards’ are being applied around the country there can be nothing national about them.   

"Any policy which would stop unreliable student achievement information being collected centrally will be welcomed."

Labour's policy shows trust and confidence in the ability of schools to set high expectations for their students, measure their progress against robust assessment tools and encourage learning based on the curriculum and the individual child.

"Once schools are no longer required to use 'National Standards', they will quickly be tossed aside and go down in history as a failed educational experiment," Mr Leckie says.

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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa is urging the government to listen to the voice of tens of thousands of New Zealanders who want funding cuts to early childhood reversed.
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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa is urging the government to listen to the voice of tens of thousands of New Zealanders who want funding cuts to early childhood reversed.

Parliament’s Education and Science Select Committee will today (Wednesday 14 September) consider a petition signed by more than 62,000 people calling for more investment in early childhood education.

"We are now part of an increasingly loud chorus of groups calling for a dramatic improvement in chid poverty through investment in the early years," says NZEI Spokesperson Hayley Whitaker.   

NZEI launched the petition in February this year in response to huge community concern over government's funding cuts to early childhood centres.

The cuts, announced in the May 2010 Budget, targeted ECE services with more than 80% qualified staff and saw thousands lose almost 13% of their funding and parents hit by fee rises of up to 12% nationwide. Many centres say they expect fees to rise again.

The petition, presented to MPs after a large march up Auckland’s Queen St in July,
calls for the funding cuts to be reversed and for the government to invest 1% of GDP on early childhood education as recommended by UNICEF.  New Zealand spends less than 0.8% which is well below the OECD average.

Hayley Whitaker says cuts to early childhood education have affected communities throughout the country causing financial stress to parents and centres alike. "The numbers signing the petition symbolize the strength of feeling among parents and families that the cuts are unacceptable, shortsighted and damaging," she says.

The Select Committee hearing will be held in Committee Room 3 at 10.20am tomorrow (14/9/2011)
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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says the fight against 'National Standards' is far from over and will move to a new battleground.
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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says the fight against 'National Standards' is far from over and will move to a new battleground.

Hundreds of schools have now been bullied into including 'National Standards' in their charters despite serious concerns that they will do nothing to raise student achievement and will negatively impact on children’s learning.

NZEI President Ian Leckie says opposition to 'National Standards' is as strong as ever.

“Forcing schools to be minimally compliant does not mean opposition to 'National Standards' has been stymied.  Just because a school has been ordered to put a statement in its charter does not mean it will be implementing 'National Standards' or measuring children against them”.

“Schools are complying because they don’t want statutory managers put in place, but that can in no way be seen as an endorsement of what is untried and fundamentally flawed educational policy.  The crisis of confidence in 'National Standards' remains,” he says.

Schools and communities know that 'National Standards' and the imposition of 'National Standards' targets will produce inconsistent 'junk' data on student achievement.

Polling shows that an overwhelming majority of principals, teachers and parents are very worried by the prospect of league tables and believe it will be unfair to compare schools based on 'National Standards' information.

"As the implementation of 'National Standards' continues to play out, that is where the real battleground will be and we know that it is something that school communities feel very strongly about," says Mr Leckie.

"The more people see of 'National Standards' and see the consequences of untested policy on children and school communities, the more they realise that 'National Standards' contribute absolutely nothing to their children's learning or achievement."

"There can be no victory for the government in forcing schools and communities to do something which they are ethically opposed to and which they believe has the potential to harm children and New Zealand's great education system," he says.
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Early childhood centres and primary schools in Christchurch will be seeking answers from the Government about continued funding for early childhood services and the staffing of primary schools after next Monday’s Cabinet meeting in the city.
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Early childhood centres and primary schools in Christchurch will be seeking answers from the Government about continued funding for early childhood services and the staffing of primary schools after next Monday’s Cabinet meeting in the city.
The education union, NZEI, today sent an open letter to the Prime Minister, urging his government to maintain funding levels for early childhood centres and schools until the end of 2012.  Cabinet is holding a special meeting in Christchurch on Monday (September 5) to discuss the city’s earthquake recovery.

The government is refusing to give any guarantees to early childhood centres over their current or future funding, and many are struggling to stay open. Some have already faced substantial cuts because of falling rolls since the earthquake and because of the Government’s Budget cuts to ECE which took effect this year. Schools have only been guaranteed current teacher staffing levels until the end of this year, and the jobs of teacher aides and other school support staff is vulnerable because schools' operations funding is stretched.
NZEI has called on the government to act immediately because it believes maintaining a stable educational environment is critical for children and a strong education workforce is essential to the city's recovery.

NZEI President Ian Leckie says: "Access to early childhood education is essential for all children and it is even more important when children and families are dealing with extraordinary challenges and stresses. They need stability and support and the valuable community ties which early childhood services provide."

"The government has a responsibility to the children and families of Christchurch to make sure there is an effective network of services.  If centres are forced to close thousands of children will be denied the opportunity to participate or access vital early childhood education. The Earthquake Recovery Minister himself is saying that Christchurch's population will continue to grow so the government must keep services going now and into the future".

There are a variety of options the government could look at such as a special fund for services to remain viable, discretionary grant arrangements, as well as continued roll related funding at pre-quake levels.

"Rebuilding the city's social infrastructure is just as important as the efforts which are underway to restore its economic infrastructure - schools and early childhood centres are central to that. Hopefully Cabinet will consider that and come up with an appropriate response," says Mr Leckie.
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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa is officially calling on the government to extend full staffing and funding to earthquake-affected schools and early childhood centres in Canterbury until the end of next year.
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The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa is officially calling on the government to extend full staffing and funding to earthquake-affected schools and early childhood centres in Canterbury until the end of next year.

At its Annual Meeting serious concern was expressed about the impact significant roll drops will have on staffing levels and the viability of some schools and early childhood centres.  A resolution was passed calling on the government to maintain staffing and funding levels to Canterbury schools and early childhood centre affected by the quake through until the end of 2012.

The government has said it will extend full funding to schools until the end of this year, but says funding for next year will be based on July 1 enrolment numbers.

"That will mean hundreds of jobs will go and there will be long-term implications for the future of education in Canterbury," says NZEI President Ian Leckie.

"The issue is even more urgent for dozens of early childhood centres which have been given no guarantees about their funding, even for the remainder of this year. Many are being left with no choice but to close their doors and the end result is that children will miss out on vital early education".

NZEI believes retaining a quality teaching workforce is essential to the Canterbury rebuild.

"Principals, teachers and support staff also fulfil an important social role in many traumatised and damaged communities. Students are going to need extra help and attention for a long time to come.
The extraordinary circumstances in Christchurch call for an extraordinary response," says Mr Leckie.

NZEI will continue to work closely with schools, ECE centres and communities, along with the Ministry of Education to push for sustained funding, staffing and resources.
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Thousands of school support staff are set to receive a boost to their pay packets following the settlement of their collective agreements.
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Thousands of school support staff are set to receive a boost to their pay packets following the settlement of their collective agreements.

The settlements come after four months of negotiations and will give most support staff a 4% pay rise over a little under 29 months.

There are 21,000 support staff in New Zealand and they now make up a third of the education workforce.  They include teacher aides, librarians, office managers, ICT specialists and therapists.  They work to support teaching and learning, yet historically have been among the country's lowest paid.
 
NZEI President Ian Leckie says support staff are at the heart of their school communities and play a crucial role in the day-to-day running of schools, and supporting students, teachers, principals and parents.

"As a predominately female workforce, support staff have battled low pay and proven pay inequity for years.   These settlements will go some way towards making up some much needed ground and recognise them for the important and professional work they do in schools".

"Securing a 4% pay rise in the current political and economic environment is very pleasing and one of the most positive aspects is that the settlements lift the bottom rates for support staff to over $15.00 an hour.  That’s a significant line to have crossed in the overall battle to address issues of low pay," he says.

NZEI says changes are still needed to the way support staff are funded.  They are funded through school operational funding which is a flawed model and offers them little job security as schools juggle their funding around tight budgets.  They also predominately get paid only during term time.

The settlement still has to be voted on and ratified.  Paid union meetings for support staff are being held around the country between 29 August and 16 September.

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