A Whanganui area school has been forced to go without essential resources after a decile rating review left it with less Government funding.
Te Wainui a Rua School in Ranana said it doesn't have enough money to buy equipment for classrooms and has had to go without hiring teacher aides after its government funding dropped.
Principal Karleen Marshall said the last year had been incredibly tough: "It's affected everything. We just can't access as many resources as students need."
A 2014 review of school decile ratings led to almost 800 schools nationwide losing funding after their ratings increased, including 11 in Whanganui. The Government allocates schools funding based on these ratings, which are calculated by factors including the wealth of the school's community and the makeup of the school roll. Schools with lower deciles receive more funding per student.
The Ministry of Education planned to move the Te Wainui a Rua decile rating to a five, but the school challenged the decision and it moved to a three.