Friday 28 November 2014

NZnews is taking a break and will be back on Monday 8 December.

Funding system pushing tertiary institutions towards fraud

TEU
News that the tertiary education minister Steven Joyce is investigating alleged fraud of at least $10 million from public tertiary education is shocking, but it is the outcome of the financial pressure institutions find themselves under, says Lesley Francey. Lesley Francey says ... TEU is the union for everybody who works in tertiary education, including polytechnics, teacher education, universities, wānanga, private traininginstitutions, REAPs and other providers. We are a ...

Teachers who force-fed children can keep teaching 

Two early childhood teachers who admitted to mistreating young children in their care can continue to teach, although it will be under strict conditions.Mary Lucia Herepo Ngapo and her daughter Rebecca Rose Ngapo worked at the Te...

Health Department shuts down Auckland school 

An East Auckland school has been closed by the Ministry of Health because of an outbreak of a tummy bug.

Thursday 27 November 2014

Minister acknowledges work of sector groups

Hekia Parata | Education
Education Minister Hekia Parata has acknowledged the work and commitment of groups across the education system to help lift educational achievement for all students. Ms Parata has met sector representatives, ranging from early childhood education through to senior secondary schooling, following her reappointment as Education Minister. “I meet these groups regularly and it was important to share with them my priorities for this term of Government and to hear their views about how we continue to work together to raise educational outcomes for our kids. ...

$8.6 million extra for school funding transition

Hekia Parata | Education
Education Minister Hekia Parata says $8.6 million has been provided to help schools transition through decile funding changes. Ms Parata says the Government knows that schools that have moved to a higher decile rating will need time to adjust, and an 18-month transition period and additional funding will assist them. ...

Record number of bachelors degrees in 2013

Steven Joyce | Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment
An annual report on the performance of the tertiary sector confirms that the number of domestic students who completed bachelors degrees in 2013 is the highest ever, Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says. Profile & Trends 2013, released today by the Ministry of Education, showed that last year 26,200 bachelors degrees were completed by domestic students, up 4,950 since 2010 – an increase of 23 per cent. ...

New school decile ratings released

New decile ratings for schools across the country have been released by the Ministry of Education today.More than 2400 state and state-integrated schools had their decile rating recalculated following last year's Census.

Where school deciles are on the move 

Half of all schools in the wider Christchurch area will see their decile increase next year.

Windfall for schools as decile ratings drop 

Principals say it's "party time" in many Auckland schools because the city's housing shortage has bumped about half the region's schools down the decile ratings - winning them extra state funding.Official figures, recalculated based...

More funding for lower-rated schools

3News NZ
A third of New Zealand schools have been moved to a lower decile rating, meaning they'll receive increased funding from next year. It's been seven years since the decile ratings of the country's 2400 state and state-integrated schools were recalculated.

More kids in low decile schools

NZ City
The Ministry of Education on Wednesday released its new decile ratings and 800 schools have been moved to a lower rating, meaning they'll get more funding. There are now 8000 more children in low decile schools than there has been in the past.

Schools failing to report staff to Teachers Council

Principals say some schools are breaking the law by threatening to report staff to the Teachers Council unless they resign.

Concern schools not reporting staff

Principals say some school boards are breaking the law by offering not to report staff to the Teachers Council they are in dispute with if they choose to resign and go quietly.

Problem charter school review delayed

The Ministry of Education says an ERO review of troubled Northland charter school Te Kura Hourua ki Whangaruru has been delayed - but will ultimately be released.

Big boost in teaching kids to read

Reading big books to schoolchildren while also sounding out words in the story has been labelled a "breakthrough" to improving literacy.Newly published research from Massey University and Auckland University found children who were...

Top jobs change at Hamilton school

Stuff.co.nz
A Hamilton school currently under a commissioner is looking for a new principal, and now also a new deputy. The week before interviews to find a new principal for Silverdale Normal School, acting principal Margaret Begley announced her resignation to ...

High schools eye agribusiness to bolster industry

New Zealand secondary schools are trialling an agribusiness programme which aims to feed more students into tertiary study to provide future talent for the industry.Some 48 students trialled a pilot curriculum at St Paul's Collegiate...

Friday 21 November 2014

Note: NZnews will be taking a short break and will be back on Thursday 27 November.

Minister welcomes vote for new teaching roles

Hekia Parata | Education
Education Minister Hekia Parata has welcomed the vote of secondary teachers in favour of new roles being added to their collective agreement. Ms Parata says the support for the new roles of Community of School Teachers is another significant step forward for the $359 million Investing in Educational Success initiative. “I’m extremely pleased that secondary teachers have seen the exciting opportunities presented by these new teaching roles, both in terms of lifting student achievement and for their own career pathways. ...

Two education initiatives with China

Steven Joyce | Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment
Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce today announced the signing with China of two initiatives that will further enhance educational initiatives between China and New Zealand. The bilateral education arrangements were part of the eighth meeting of the New Zealand-China Joint Working Group on Education and Training, which coincided with the visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to New Zealand this week. ...

Secondary Teachers vote for major tenet of education reforms

Secondary teachers have voted overwhelmingly to accept a major tenet of the government's education reforms. 80 per cent of PPTA members have agreed to include two new teaching roles into their collective employment contract. They're a key part of the government's 360 million dollar policy, which will see the creation of communities of schools. Angela Roberts is the President of the PPTA.

Secondary school teachers vote for new roles

Stuff.co.nz
But PPTA president Angela Roberts acknowledged there would be challenges ahead with 19.7 per cent opposing the inclusion of the Community of Schools (CoS) Within School Teacher and the CoS Across Community Teacher positions in the collective.

Anna Collett: Add passionate teachers to equal maths success

The Herald reported last week that class disruptions and a lack of exposure to algebra and geometry are some of the issues linked to New Zealand slipping from 13th to 22nd in OECD maths ratings.This was based on a three-part Ministry...

Clyde Young: How to run low-decile schools

The Tomorrow's Schools reforms that came into effect in 1989 were designed to deliver "better educational opportunities". The restructure saw the disestablishment of the Education Department as a way to remove bureaucracy and enable...

Could you pass an NCEA exam?

3News NZ
Around 140,000 students are sitting NCEA this year, and those who sat School Certificate are constantly being told what a cakewalk it is. They say it's an exam where no-one fails, and if you so much as fill out your name, you get a merit. This got the ...

School for delinquents

Stuff.co.nz
In 1905, the Seddon Government was sufficiently alarmed by delinquent young to set up a state farm at Weraroa, near Levin, as a training centre. Boys who became caught up in the court system, often for very minor offences, were packed off to the farm ...

Principal subject of council inquiry

A principal who headed a school that lost more than 55 teachers in four years is under investigation by the Teachers Council.Judd McLauchlan oversaw the high teacher turnover at Manurewa's Rowandale School, before taking the helm...

Top teachers earn recognition, bonus

A trio of Feilding teachers have been recognised as expert educators.

100% Success for Maori Trades Training Students

Scoop.co.nz (press release)
The students, most of whom have received a scholarship under the Government's Maori and Pasifika Trades Training initiative are finishing their programme of study this week having successfully completed their training whilst being hosted by Waiwhetu ...

Thursday 20 November 2014

PM’s Scholarships for Asia announced

Steven Joyce | Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment
Scholarships have been awarded to 160 top students from around the country to study at Asian institutions next year under the Prime Minister’s Scholarship for Asia programme. Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says the scholarships see Kiwi students studying in some of New Zealand’s key markets such as China, Japan, Vietnam and India, with others flying the flag in smaller countries like Myanmar and Brunei. ...

94% of Kiwi schools turn to online resources for better education

Techday NZ
A recent report on New Zealand schools highlights how digital technology is being widely adopted and is contributing to higher student achievement. Since 1993, every two years the survey has been completed, with a focus on information and ...

Change ahead for tertiary funding

Radio New Zealand
Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce said the measures could be included in the tertiary funding system, alongside existing indicators such as course completion rates. He also wanted to use the funding system to make sure institutions were ...

Kiwi school lunch ordering system quicker than making a sandwich

Techday NZ
Parents and caregivers too busy to pack school lunches in the morning can head online and order meals that will be delivered to their children'sschools. Hawke's Bay start-up Lunch online provides families andschools with a convenient and good value ...

Tertiary staff often in misery

Being bullied, ridiculed, harassed or humiliated at work on a weekly basis is standard for some tertiary education employees, according to a nationwide survey of the sector.

Choose language at Hamilton primary

Stuff.co.nz
Whatever language the students are learning in, Nawton School looks outside the classroom too. There's a breakfast club and the school links with other providers. It has a social worker, chaplain, school nurse and homework club. Scooters and ...

Teacher fears Witt diploma 'useless'

A Taranaki teacher fears she may lose her job because her qualification is worthless.

Massey opens Pacific research centre

The opening of a new research centre shows Massey University's commitment to Pacific Island communities in New Zealand and overseas, says Steve Maharey.

Rotorua dad worried about son's future following school suspension

Māori Television
Richard Paul (Rotorua) has been fighting to get an education for his 11-year-old son after he was suspended from Kaitao Middle School in September. The school has said they are not willing to take him back because he's a danger to others. It's been a ...

Wednesday 19 November 2014

Rethink of decile system could have wide implications

Gisborne Herald
Education Minister Hekia Parata has taken on a major challenge with her announcement that she may consider scrapping the complicated decile rating system for schools, but there is strong support for finding a better way to target extra help, where ...

Schools to challenge decile ratings

Stuff.co.nz
The Ministry of Education informed Oceanview Heights School, Waimate Centennial School and Lake Tekapo School they would lose funding based on the rise in their decile ratings. The decrease in funding will be phased in over the next two years.

Economy costly for 18 schools

Stuff.co.nz
Four schools declined to say and the principals of two could not be contacted. ... He said it was a better reflection of where the school was at, as it could not be compared with other bigger schools elsewhere in New Zealand which had decile 10 ratings.

NCEA fees remain unpaid

Stuff.co.nz
NZQA said students must pay their fees to have their results recorded on their Records of Achievement and receive their certificates. ... Through NZQA, the Government charges a fee to recover a portion of the cost of operating the NCEA qualification ...

Auckland Grammar's $6.4m project

Auckland Grammar School is seeking a further $1.7 million for its new $6.4 million classroom project where construction is well advanced.A spokeswoman said building work was up to the final level three and due to be finished about...

WITT admits it failed students

Radio New Zealand
... Education Commission and the New Zealand Qualification Authority released last week found that enrolment and assessment guidelines at the Western Institute of Technology in Taranaki (WITT) were not followed. The review looked at Level 4 and 6 Maori ...

Lincoln may get another school

A second primary school may be built in Lincoln in 2020.

Weltec recognised as a leading education provider by JJL China

Scoop.co.nz (press release)
It's been a great month for international education at the Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec). The largest intake of international students for this time of year received a warm welcome to WelTec's campus last week. To top this off, WelTec has ...

Internationally acclaimed educator giving talk in Rotorua

Scoop.co.nz (press release)
Internationally recognised, award winning educator and social entrepreneur Mary Gordon is coming to Rotorua. As part of her itinerary she will give a public talk about her innovative education programme, Roots of Empathy, on Thursday 27 November at ...

Tuesday 18 November 2014

Education Minister Hekia Parata on decile system

With the release of new decile ratings which determine funding for schools, is there a better way to work out funding formulas so disadvantaged students don't miss out? Hekia Parata the Education Minister discusses the system.

Minister wants rid of decile system

Education Minister Hekia Parata says she wants to start work next year on changing the school decile system.

English is second language for majority of kids at this school

Stuff.co.nz
PETER MEECHAM/stuff.co.nz. SCHOOL REPORT: The principal, staff and pupils at Willowbank School in Auckland discuss National Standards. willowbank principal. Rose Cawley/Eastern Courier. GIVE US A BREAK: Willowbank School principal Deidre

School adopts an open approach

Stuff.co.nz
The traditional classroom has given way to a modern, open class and a new style of teaching. The primary school underwent $350,000 in upgrades over 11 weeks and is now reaping the benefits. Classroomshave been replaced by open spaces and smaller, ...

More tertiary providers reviewed over funding concerns

3News NZ
Forensic accountants are reviewing tertiary providers with similarities to two institutions which have been forced to repay millions after serious course failings came to light. Almost $10 million in funding has been repaid to the Tertiary Education ...

Another school board resigns

Stuff.co.nz
Problems continue to beset southern schools, with the board of trustees at Isla Bank School resigning after falling out with its wider community. The rural school, 35km northwest of Invercargill, is the seventh southernschool in the past three years ...

Private schools attract more male teachers

Scoop.co.nz (press release)
Hereworth School headmaster, Ross Scrymgeour, says the curriculum at private and independent boys' schools is designed to reflect the way boys learn. That includes shorter learning sessions, more hands-on interactivity and a more competitive ...

Big focus on environment for nine successful primary schools

Scoop.co.nz (press release)
Administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand, the Bayer Primary School Science Fund is worth $120,000 over three years and is designed to give primary schools the opportunity to apply for funding to support environmental science education and ...

Monday 17 November 2014

Students can't go to the toilet, let alone do maths

Stuff.co.nz
Some pupils can hardly toilet themselves, let alone reach National Standards in reading and writing, a principal says. * School Report: Results and info on every school in NZ · * 'Desperately trying to catch up' · * 'School is for exploring'. Aranui ...

Principal says schools 'slammed' over National Standards results

Stuff.co.nz
Aranui Primary School, like all Christchurch schools, has for three years been juggling quake-related issues with the high achievement expectations, and principal Mike Allen said none of the extra challenges were taken into account. "We're already ...

School funding needs fixing

Stuff.co.nz
Real Estate agents love it but those at the coal face say the school decile system needs fixing. A Sunday Star-Times survey of nearly 400 of the country's 2400 schools exclusively reveals the extent of funding disparities, in the biggest overhaul of ...

Govt's student assessments not needed in this school

Stuff.co.nz
Yule said there was too much testing in schools now and IB offered a well-rounded alternative with a global focus. There were few, if any countries, with just three assessment levels at secondary school like NCEA and Yule said teachers were ...

Putting mindfulness in the curriculum

Stuff.co.nz
But the 11-year-old is doing his best to concentrate as one of 20 students staring intently at a man, perched like a grasshopper, brandishing a golden stick and bowl in a classroom at Westmere Primary school in central Auckland. Legs crossed, arms ...

Lack of male teachers 'affecting boys'

Students are now less likely to have a male teacher, with many going through their early education years without ever encountering a male role model. Ministry of Education figures show fewer than one-in-five primary school teachers...

School's teacher loss stirs unease

A primary school lost more than 55 teachers in four years - but got a government inspector's tick of approval.Some children at Manurewa's Rowandale School had as many as four different teachers assigned to their class in a single...

State rejects sex ed changes

New guidelines for sex education will be released in a few weeks, but the Government will shy away from ordering schools to teach more than basic biology.The Ministry of Education is due to release the new blueprint in December,...

Herald on Sunday editorial: Give teens stronger lessons on consent

We ask a great deal of schools. When any social problem arises we will agree the solution lies in education, which usually means schools. Where sex is concerned, we need to ask much more of them.Incidents such as the recent "Roast..

Let's talk about sex ... and love, respect and consent

The party is in full swing - teenagers are laughing, drinking and dancing. On the couch in the middle of the room sits a girl - she's wearing a short skirt and is perilously close to drunken oblivion. She's hemmed in by a young guy....

Childcare company flags cuts as risk

Evolve Education Group, which will raise $132 million through a trans-Tasman share market listing next month, has flagged changes to government funding for early childhood care as one of the main risks its business faces.The Auckland-based...

Evolve planning childcare acquisitions

Evolve Education Group plans to use more than $132 million it is raising from a share market float to buy a number of businesses that will create the company.

Teen mums not giving up on education

3News NZ
The children go to daycare, and across the hall mums head to theclassrooms. "Sometimes you're teaching and you're holding a baby at the same time. Sometimes the baby is passed from one mother to another – everything that happens around children is ...

Is a university degree worth it?

3News NZ
It's almost that time of the year when high school students sit down with their parents to plan the rest of their lives. Time-consuming and often very expensive, going to any tertiary institute is a huge decision. Among the big questions are: is it ...

Are student loans bad debt?

Stuff.co.nz
One in five students eligible to borrow from the Student Loan Scheme don't. Most of those will be the lucky ones, whose families are funding their educations, or people funding fees and living costs from savings, or their partner's earnings. For the ...

It's University Challenge 2.0

Stuff.co.nz
Apart from a small branch of the University of Otago's college of education, the city is free from varsity ties, instead reliant on its successful polytechnic for tertiary education. It's a far cry ... Modern universities seem to favour more scientific ...

Friday 14 November 2014

Government and NZRL join forces for families 

Hekia Parata | Education
Education Minister Hekia Parata has announced a partnership with New Zealand Rugby League to improve the education, health and wellbeing of thousands of young people and families. Ms Parata says It’s More Than Just a Game brings together NZ Rugby League (NZRL), the Ministry of Education, the Accident Compensation Corporation, the Health Promotion Agency and New Zealand Police. “NZRL has a strong relationship with 40,000 players, their families and fans across the country, many of them in Maori and Pasifika communities. ...

$200,000 Youth Fund supports 47 projects

Nikki Kaye | Youth

Youth Minister Nikki Kaye has today announced the successful applicants for Youth Fund 2015. Youth Fund supports youth led and designed projects that enable young people to develop decision-making and leadership skills, and engage with and contribute to their communities. “I am pleased to announce that 47 projects will be supported in 2015. These encompass everything from the performing arts and leadership workshops, to environmental projects and community events,” Ms Kaye says. “Initiatives for disabled youth are also included.” ...

Maori, Pasifika achievement key

Radio New Zealand
A successful economy by 2025 will require increased Maori and Pasifika achievement from preschool through to tertiary education. The report says a more productive and internationally connected Maori economic sector is identified as critical for overall ...

Government, NZRL to help youngsters

3News NZ
Education Minister Hekia Parata announced the initiative today, saying the Government was putting $250,000 into it. "NZRL has a strong relationship with 40,000 players, their families and fans across the country, many of them in Maori and Pasifika ...

Students think school deciles reflect quality

Stuff.co.nz
When kids hear the words "low decile", they think it means their school is no good, one of the country's leading principals says. Analysis for stuff.co.nz's School Report shows how National Standards results generally fall away the lower a school's ...

Govt's student assessments not needed in this school

Stuff.co.nz
Because it's independent, there is no legal requirement for the school to use the Government's National Standards system for primary school pupils. Scots has instead adopted its own form of assessing and reporting. Principal Graeme Yule said Scots ...

Look beyond National Standards for progress

Stuff.co.nz
In 2013, the percentage of students reading below or well below National Standards was 40.2 per cent, for writing it was 59 per cent and for maths it was 53.7 per cent. What that did not show was the breakdown by year level or how students had improved ...

Editorial: Lifting quality will get pupils back to low decile schools

Nobody has a good word to say about school decile ratings even when they are properly understood. They are not rating the quality of the education the school provides, they are rating the wealth of its community for the purpose of...

National Standards results should not be published 

It is disappointing to see Fairfax has published a new round of National Standards data and advocacy on the Stuff website. Last year I wrote urging Fairfax not to continuing with publishing the data but it seems they could not resist.

How to motivate your children 

Education consultant and parenting commentator Joseph Dreissen on how to motivate your children.

NZ kids slip in world maths rankings

Class disruptions and a lack of exposure to algebra and geometry are just some of the issues being linked to New Zealand slipping from 13th to 22nd in OECD maths ratings.A three-part Ministry of Education report on maths class learning...

A sixth of tertiary education workers bullied

Tertiary Update Vol 17 No 39 

Workplace bullying is not a problem for tertiary education institutions, says AUT’s Professor Tim Bentley, it is a problem of institutions. Bentley, whose Work Research Institute exposed significant bullying in tertiary education institutions, praised the work TEU was …

Tertiary groups joining forces to fill empty IT jobs

Three of Wellington's biggest tertiary providers want to start a joint information technology course to train hundreds of people vacancies.

Integrated schools hoping for big funding boost

Integrated schools are hoping for a multi-million-dollar funding boost to help them lower their fees and repay some of their 200-million-dollar debt for property upgrades.

Changes to decile funding ignore the real issue

Scoop.co.nz (press release)
Ms Nowotarski said the fact that National Standards results aligned almost perfectly with schools' decile ratings, showed that the socio-economic background of families was by far the biggest factor in educational outcomes. Rather than scrapping decile ...

Govt's student assessments not needed in this school

Stuff.co.nz
There were few, if any countries, with just three assessment levels at secondary school like NCEA and Yule said teachers were increasingly becoming New Zealand Qualifications Authority "compliance officers". "They're spending so much time assessing ...

Students, whanau affected by course failure

Radio New Zealand
The failure of a Māori performing arts course at a New Plymouth tertiary institute will have a huge impact on the 400 students who have had their qualifications withdrawn as well as their whānau, Māori education advocate groups say. The Tertiary ...

Auckland school makes NCEA work for its students

Stuff.co.nz
When it was introduced in 2002, the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) was a messy patchwork of the exam-based school certificate system and internal unit standards. But with refining in the years since, Gargiulo - who has has ...

Childcare roll-up Evolve sets IPO price

Childcare roll-up Evolve Education Group has set the price for its initial public offer at $1 per share and will have a market value of $177 million after it floats on the NZX and Australia's ASX on December 5.The company has registered...

Otago develops new Māori language App to make learning fun

Scoop.co.nz (press release)
“So you don't need to be in a classroom, or near a computer, or taking a Māori language course. “One of the things we know is that making mistakes is an important part of learning. With an app, no one will be looking over your shoulder to see whether ...

Teacher's life-changing aid

A class set of laptops has proved life-changing for a young Aucklander who believes he is New Zealand's only wheelchair-using teacher with cerebral palsy.Onehunga High School English teacher Red Nicholson, 28, thought he would have...

Leadership of college criticised

Stuff.co.nz
Aparima College is at risk unless the relationship between the management and governance can be solved, its new boss says. The Riverton school, which is under statutory management after the board resigned in September, is now being run by ...

Aotea to celebrate students

Wanganui Chronicle
GATHERING: Staff and pupils of Koriniti Kohanga Reo, part of the Aotea District of the organisation which is meeting in Whanganui tomorrow. PHOTO/PAUL BROOKS 270214PBKORINITI. A ceremony at the Wanganui Racecourse tomorrow will be a ...

Digital leaps forward for decile one school

Auckland stuff.co.nz
Not so long ago the pass rates at the decile one school were dismally low, leaving the predominantly Maori and Pacific Island students with limited options. In her 23 years at the school, principal Soana Pamaka has seen it all and for six ... She says ...

Christchurch Schools Rebuild Programme - procurement

Information on the procurement strategy for the Christchurch Schools Rebuild (CSR) Programme.

Wednesday 13 November 2014

'Poorly targeted' school decile funding may be dropped

The controversial decile funding system looks set to be scrapped, just as it is being updated for the first time in seven years.

Schools' anxious wait for ratings

The Ministry of Education has begun informing schools of their new decile ratings and at least one Auckland school will need to rely more on parent fundraising and donations as a result. Decile ratings determine how much money is...

Mike Hosking: Don't judge a school by its number

One of the things you get used to very quickly when you grow up in Christchurch is that people believe the role of the school in your life defines who you are.I went to Linwood High. It's Linwood College these days.Linwood wasn't...

National Standards learning from NCEA mistakes

Stuff.co.nz
School Report: Results and info on every school in NZ · * Deciles for the chop ... NCEA, the secondary schools qualification - full name: National Certificate of Education Achievement - is a well-established feature of New Zealand's education system ...

National Standards 'designed for parents'

Stuff.co.nz
Amuri Area School caters for year 1 to 13 students, and is required to monitor progress using National Standards for its 170 junior students and NCEA for its 100 senior students. It's a decile-eight school in Culverden. The school could apply the ...

Schools' funding on line in review

Auckland stuff.co.nz
Ministry of Education spokesman Graham Stoop said that in the last calculation a third of schools gained a higher decile rating, a third gained a lower rating, and a third did not change. About 11 per cent of school operational funding came from decile ...

Call for more special education support

Radio New Zealand
The Government regulates annual increases to tertiary fees and has held them to a maximum of 4 percent for each of the past four years. The ministry's briefing also suggested linking more of tertiary institutions' funding to their success with Maori ...

Failure of Maori tertiary course has flow-on effect

Radio New Zealand
Maori student advocacy groups say Maori courses have come under fire following revelations by the Tertiary Education Commission about two failed Maori performing arts courses at the Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki. The National Māori ...

Witt students angry at Maori study debacle

Manawatu Standard
The Tertiary Education Commission and NZ Qualifications Authority released the damning findings of their investigation into the certificate ofMaori performing arts (level 4) and the diploma of Maori performing arts (tutoring) (level 6) on Tuesday ...
400 pupils may lose qualifications
Eight involved in Maori courses left WITT
Witt failed us: students

Education project delays 'disappointing'

Stuff.co.nz
SEEKING SUPPORT: From left: John Kotoisuva, Stella Muller, Robert Robati-Mani, Italia Toelei'u, Pastor Esera Maeata'anoa and Iani Nemani are lobbying for the funding of a Pasifika Centre project that should have already been completed.

Why Kiwi kids should learn to code

Stuff.co.nz
At the moment, coding is optional in New Zealand schools and the uptake is limited since it was introduced at NCEA level in 2011. "A lot of students still think coding is just for the greasy-haired geek at the back of the class," says Renea Mackie, who ...

Study regime takes edge off exam jitters

Georgia Webber had "butterflies" in her stomach when she turned up for her first NCEA exam this week.The 15-year-old is sitting level 1 NCEA exams alongside more than 62,000 other students over the next three weeks.Her first exam...

20/20 Trust shows digital tech boosts achievement

The Innovation ...
The latest report by the 20/20 Communications Trust shows that digital devices in classrooms are having a positive impact on student achievement, even if schools are struggling to keep up with the disruptive change they create. ... These new approaches are now demonstrating how they can substantially lift educational achievement, particularly for our most disadvantaged children” said Mr Sherwin. “We know that basic connectivity is essential in the modern ...

Schools eye special bags for phone evidence

Schools are looking into new technology that stops teenagers deleting sexual images from their phones.

Rethinking youth health and education through research

Scoop.co.nz (press release)
The $800,000 RSNZ five-year research grant, titled Rethinking Health Education and Promotion: Health Capital and Diverse Youth, will expand knowledge about youth health by focusing on how young people are developing and applying their own health ...

Teacher goes extra mile for Eva

Stuff.co.nz
New decile rankings hit school budgets Charges laid after sloppy asbestos work Charter schools claim early success Quiz: Are you smarter than a 15-year-old? Students' ambitious trade ... difference for All Blacks. Big spin-offs for NZ Rugby from Eagles ...

Wednesday 12 November 2014

400 pupils may lose qualifications

New Zealand Herald
The TEC has also confirmed Deloitte is conducting an investigation into a third Maori education provider - Manaakitanga Aotearoa Charitable Trust, a Rotorua based private training organisation that offers the same level 4 and 6 qualifications as those ...
$3.6m repaid, and staff resign, after failure of Maori courses at WITT
'Overfunded' education provider ordered to pay back $3.7m
Polytech pays $3.7m back to government

WITT to repay $3.7m in funding

Radio New Zealand
An independent report found the Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki (WITT) had not met delivery or funding standards for Maori Performing Arts courses between 2009 and 2013. The combined Tertiary Education Commission and New Zealand ...

Witt failed us: students

Stuff.co.nz
Yesterday the Daily News revealed Taranaki's polytech had been forced to hand back $3.7 million of funding to the government after graduating students from two Maori performing arts courses they probably did not attend. The 347 students who received ...

Top tips for acing your NCEA exams

Exam time is here for thousands of students across the country. Before the summer fun starts, now is the time do get that last minute revision done.Here are six top tips to make the most out of the study time you have left: 1....

Could do better: annual report card for schools

Plenty of improvement but still much to work on - the New Zealand schooling sector has been given its annual report card.The Ministry of Education report, New Zealand Schools - A report on the compulsory schools sector in New Zealand...

Target School Funding to Student Needs

Scoop.co.nz (press release)
Education funding must support students in need no matter what school they attend, says New Zealand First. “It's heartening that Minister of Education Hekia Parata is considering a review of the decile rating funding component for public schools,” says ...
School on tenterhooks over decile ratings
Schools' funding on line in review

As a school decile shake up looms Rose Patterson argues there are bigger ...

Interest.co.nz
Each school has a decile rating of between 1 (the lowest) and 10 (the highest), which reflects the extent to which schools draw their student populations from low socio-economic backgrounds. Decile one ... Does school zoning hold to NZ's egalitarian ...

Quakes affect school decile ratings

Stuff.co.nz
Ministry staff members are contacting all schools across the country over the next 10 days to let them know the outcome of its latest recalculation of school decile ratings, based on the 2013 Census. Decile ratings are normally recalculated every five ...

Counsellors call for more and better sex education

The incidences of teenage boys getting girls drunk and pushing them into sex will only escalate without more education, say school counsellors.

UN: Education Takes Centre-Stage in Sustainable Future

Scoop.co.nz (press release)
... The role education can play in preparing the world's youth for a sustainable future is becoming increasingly relevant, particularly as the planet is set to face growing economic, social and environmental challenges, the head of the United Nations ...

Evolve Education confirms IPO listing

3News NZ
Evolve Education was set up in May by Greg Kern and Russell Daly of Queensland-based Kern Group and has agreed to acquire several New Zealand childcare businesses, including Lollipops Educare, the in-home childcare Porse Group, Wellington-based ...

Partnership Schools: The Path to Quality Education

Scoop.co.nz (press release)
On this occasion, the topic is the ongoing journey that Partnership Schools face as they improve standards and face political opposition. Last week's newsletter, on social housing, can be read here: http://www.act.org.nz/posts/newsletter-stocks-and-flows.

College leadership criticised in report

Aparima College is at risk unless the relationship between the management and governance can be solved, a commissioner says.

Huge educational spinoffs if Timaru wins the Gigatown

Scoop.co.nz (press release)
As Gigatown, Timaru would have the country's fastest internet. Cabrera said this would increase the institute's ability to deliver quality education to the region and beyond. Cabrera said technology, and in particular the speed and quality of data ...

Young authors & readers to create soundtracks for e-books

Scoop.co.nz (press release)
The New Zealand Book Council and Booktrack have teamed up with top Kiwi author Brian Falkner to pilot a new initiative for young authors to create soundtracks to e-books in the classroom. Brian Falkner will visit Hobsonville Point Secondary School ...

Tuesday 11 November 2014

Applications open for $10m fund for teachers’ ideas

Hekia Parata | Education
Education Minister Hekia Parata has announced that applications have opened for the new $10 million Teacher-led Innovation Fund. The fund is part of the Government’s $359 million Investing in Educational Success (IES) initiative to help raise students’ educational achievement. Ms Parata says the fund will allow great ideas to be put into practice and shared across schools. “The heart of IES is about teachers learning from each other and schools working closely together, and this fund really supports that kind of collaborative approach. ...

Decile funding model has flaws - Parata

The Education Minister wants to find better ways of funnelling resources to students most at risk of not doing well. Her comments come as school deciles are re-calculated.

Schools await decile D-Day

Fears are running high among Manawatu schools ahead of this week's decile ratings release, which could see some schools' funding cut by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Schools to learn of any changes to their decile ratings

The latest recalculation of school decile ratings.

The difference between rich and poor schools: Three ways of looking at decile data

New Zealand Herald
... looked at the differences across deciles for the number of entries in each subject and student accomplishment. Graham Jenson, a software engineer in Wellington, had published a separate interactive(above) on his blog at maori.geek.nz, which used ...

Time running out for decile funding system

School decile numbers are about to change, and that will mean changes to funding for nearly 16-hundred schools.

School on tenterhooks over decile ratings

Schools are being told from today about decile rating changes which may impact their budgets.

Your Views on the decile drift - How school rolls have changed according to ...

New Zealand Herald
Many of those schools increasingly cater to Maori and Pasifika - with high decile schools seeing a big jump in Pakeha and Asian enrolments. The Ministry of Education points to changing demographics as one explanation for the trend, revealed by a Herald ...

Patrick Walsh: There's a poverty fault line in NZ schools and it's creating an ...

New Zealand Herald
The statistics published today by the New Zealand Herald showing a demographic shift of European and Asian students to higher decile schools and a corresponding higher concentration of Maori and Pacific students in lower decile schools over the last ...

Your Views on school ethnicity changes

New Zealand Herald
Many of those schools increasingly cater to Maori and Pasifika - with high decile schools seeing a big jump in Pakeha and Asian enrolments. The Ministry of Education points to changing demographics as one explanation for the trend, revealed by a Herald ...

Principal calls for fairer school funding

The school funding system should be reviewed after enrolment figures showed a growing divide between rich and poor, a leading principal says.Education Minister Hekia Parata has again signalled a wide-ranging review could be on the...

New Zealand’s top educators honoured

Five of the country’s top educators have been honoured with ASG National Excellence in Teaching Awards.

Evolve Education eyes NZ childcare firms

Stuff.co.nz
Australian company Evolve Education was understood to be planning to raise $130 million to buy New Zealand early childhood education businesses through a dual listing on the NZX and the Australian stock exchange. Evolve Education said today it ...
Evolve Education confirms IPO listing
Evolve Education confirms IPO, to raise up to $130 million
Evolve Education confirms share float

Exam fees add to stress for families

Hundreds of Manawatu families are applying for financial assistance to help cover secondary school exam costs, with fears pupils' qualifications could be quashed if parents don't cough up.

Schools have a role to play in sexual consent education

Scoop.co.nz (press release)
“While parents have a critically important role to play in this kind of education – and must be actively involved - schools should also contribute so that our young people are receiving these messages from these two important influencers,” Ms McGill said.

There's a lot more to life than a degree

I certainly enjoyed the opportunity to learn after working in hospitality for two years when I finished school.

New Plymouth Boys' High principal resigns

Michael McMenamin has resigned as principal of New Plymouth Boys' High School.

Woman jailed for defrauding Ministry of Education

Stuff.co.nz
A ''cunning and deceitful'' Hamilton daycare centre owner who defrauded the Ministry of Education to the tune of $327,000 has been jailed for three years. Following a five-day jury trial in August, Trixie Rosina Leigh, 72, was found guilty on all four ...

Strong Support for Education in Marlborough region

Scoop.co.nz (press release)
“Our Marlborough Trustees have always shown a real passion for the education sector as a way to make tangible difference in young peoples lives and this has not changed, with education making up 16% of Marlborough's annual donations budget,” says Ms ...

Monday 10 November 2014

Minister wishes students the best for exams

Hekia Parata | Education
Education Minister Hekia Parata has offered her best wishes to the 143,000 students sitting NCEA and New Zealand Scholarship examinations. “This is an exciting time because it’s the culmination of many months of hard work and study, but it can also be stressful and demanding. “I congratulate these students for all their work so far and wish them all the very best over the next three weeks. “I know that parents will be doing everything they can to support their kids over the coming days, just as they have done throughout their lives. ...

NCEA exams start today

NCEA exams start today, Monday marking the beginning of 3 weeks of swot and stress for 143-thousand secondary school students and their families.

It's that dreaded time of year again...NCEA exams kick off

Thousands of students across the country will sit their first NCEA exam this morning.Just over 39,000 students will sit Level 1 science at 9.30am, with more students also sitting Japanese, geography, chemistry and history exams...

First NCEA exam kicks off with science

Stuff.co.nz
Thousands of teenagers head in to their first major NCEA exam this morning. More than 39,000 pupils will sit Level 1 science at 9.30am, along with smaller groups sitting agricultural and horticultural science, chemistry, geography, Japanese, and ...

New decile rankings hit school budgets

Stuff.co.nz
A quarter of a million pupils will be hit by school funding cuts to be announced this week, which principals say will force them to turn to sausage sizzles and "voluntary" fees to resource their classrooms. But in a Peter-paying-Paul exercise, the ...

PPTA members vote on government policy

Secondary teachers start voting today on whether to include the government's new top jobs for teachers and principals in their collective agreement.

Interactive: The decile drift - how school rolls have changed according to ...

New Zealand Herald
Many of those schools increasingly cater to Maori and Pasifika - with high decile schools seeing a big jump in Pakeha and Asian enrolments. The Ministry of Education points to changing demographics as one explanation for the trend, revealed by a Herald ...

Your Views on school ethnicity changes

The number of Pakeha children attending schools in New Zealand's poorer communities has halved since the mid-1990s.Many of those schools increasingly cater to Maori and Pasifika - with high decile schools seeing a big jump in Pakeha...

$24.7 million to transform NAPLAN to online testing « ForeignAffairs ...

Online NAPLAN testing will transform national testing from a written format to a tailored online one with questions that vary in difficulty depending on the ability of the student. “Every year there are concerns raised about ...

Do Schools Really Need Principals?

Rafiq Kalam Id-Din is walking down a hallway at Brooklyn's Professional Prep charter school when he sees a fourth-grader in the doorway of a so-called "djed room." The room, named after an ancient Egyptian symbol for stability, is...

Charter schools claim early success

Stuff.co.nz
On the wall of a classroom full of Maori and Polynesian students at SAMS, a poster reads: "Don't be afraid to fail. Be afraid not to try." Of the 110 students, 93 per cent come from the Government's "priority learners" group. Eighty one per cent of the ...

First certificate opens doors

Stuff.co.nz
SENSE OF CERTAINTY: Joseph Maugaotega has done his first adultworkplace training with Hornby-based B&D Doors and it has given him the confidence to move out of the family home and go flatting for the first time.

St Kent's challenges other schools to save lives

St Kentigern School has set the challenge to other schools to get behind fundraising for Kiwi inventor Sir Ray Avery's LifePod incubators.Sir Ray's charity, Medicine Mondiale, launched a $2 million global fundraising appeal on October...

Teaching awards reflect students and papers

Otago Daily Times ...

University of Otago academics Dr Kristin Hillman (centre), Dr Gill Rutherford and Otago physics PhD student Malcolm Smeaton have won teaching awards. Photo by Gregor Richardson. University of Otago lecturer Dr Kristin ...

NZEI congratulates expert teachers

Scoop.co.nz (press release)
“These are teachers who have proven to be experts in the classroom. They are people who are working at the top of their game. And they're certainly the teachers we want to encourage to stay in the classroomswhere their skills will make the greatest ...

Grant a thrill for Northland lecturer

Northern Advocate
Dr Stewart's research project, titled Maori-Medium EducationalScholarship, will study the results of te reo Maori policies in New Zealand universities. "I'll be looking at theses that are written in te reo Maori and analysing them carefully, comparing ...