The Education Review Office says it is not confident the board of trustees of two Northland schools are up to the job and will return within a year to carry out another review.
Mangamuka School in Okaihau and Motatau School in Kawakawa will both be required to go through a repeat review process within the
normal three-yearly cycle.
Mangamuka School is a small rural co-educational school that caters for 22 Year 1-6 children. All students are of Maori descent and come from within Ngapuhi boundaries.
A 2007 ERO review noted the impact that staff changes could have on the school - at the time the school had a relieving principal with new teachers. Since 2007 there had been further significant changes of staff, including the appointment of the junior teacher to the position of principal in February 2009 and a new junior teacher at the end of term three. Both teachers were fluent in te reo Maori and are linked to whanau, hapu and iwi in the local area.
The board of trustees reported that the change in staff had been a positive move. The principal had re-established a strong home-school partnership by reconnecting with marae and businesses in the local area. "These connections have helped to build a strong sense of whanaugatanga across the community," the report said.
However, it also said students needed the benefit of a programme that better reflected the New Zealand curriculum and the progress and achievement of students could not be established because of "incomplete analysis of the data available".
The board of trustees and principal needed to take immediate action to meet their legal obligations in relation to the quality of learning programmes, including curriculum planning and implementation; the analysis and use of achievement information; a performance management system for all teachers; procedures for the stand down, suspension, and exclusion of students from the school and for monitoring attendance.
Principal Iantha Mutu said: "We're really enthusiastic about our next report, which will inform our practice."
Motatau is similar to Mangamuka School, with a 100 per cent Maori makeup, but its 33 students stay two years later, until Year 8. The two composite bilingual classes acknowledge the importance of reflecting Ngati Hine identity in students' learning experiences.
A 2008 ERO report identified several areas for improvement, including governance and management, professional leadership, the quality of teaching and learning, and student achievement. With external support, trustees have made good progress in improving the operations of the school, with most issues addressed, the latest review said.
Changes in staff had resulted in a decision to restructure classes and to change strategies for the provision of te reo Maori.
But school-wide achievement data showed that in reading, writing and numeracy, "some students continue to achieve below national expectations for their age."
Motatau School principal Noeline Paurini, could not be contacted.
ERO said it was not confident that the board of trustees of either school could govern in the interests of the students and the Crown, and it intended carrying out another review within 12 months.
ERO doubts two school boards
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