School of the Week: Pillans Point

Walking into the school grounds, a sense of calmness sweeps over me.
I am not overwhelmed by the screaming of over-excited children. Instead I see children sitting in the courtyard, working quietly in the morning sun. Peaceful.
I walk into the school office and I'm ushered into the office of principal Ian Fletcher. He sits me down and asks me to peer into an object. This object is about 10cm tall, disk-shaped, with a hole in the top, the size of an old 50c piece. At the top of this object is a red plastic ladybug.
"Reach out and touch it," he says. When I lean forward, my fingers brush empty air.
"It's a hologram. The kids love it," Mr Fletcher said. "It's a bit like education, you can see it but you can't handle it. You can't touch it but it can be manipulated and changed."
Mr Fletcher has been principal of Pillans Point School since 1994. Before that, he was principal at Waihi Beach and Central Takaka, in Golden Bay, Nelson.
When asked why he does what he does, Mr Fletcher replies: "I love the children. They always come first. They're at the centre and that's the way it should be."
Mr Fletcher returned to Pillans Point this term after nine-week sabbatical. During that time he researched effective ways of learning.
"What I've researched and found is very similar to what we've already been doing here ... so I know we're on the right track," Mr Fletcher said.
One thing he outlined from his findings was a child's ability to learn when the time was right.
"People learn when they were ready, not when they're sitting at their desks," he said.
"The big thing is that we're teaching them to be capable, they're learning how to learn. When these children are ready, they'll learn in any environment."
The school motto is Learning Together, which incorporates 10 core values - honesty, responsibility, independence, respect, reliability, tolerance, motivation, caring, compassion and pride.
Since the school was established in 1957, it has grown from 250 children and eight classrooms to just over 400 students and 17 classrooms. This year, the student roll is the largest it has ever been.
Having a strong foundation in primary education was imperative for children to go on to succeed in later life, Mr Fletcher said.
Being well-balanced was another focus of the school and Pillans Point offers a range of sporting and cultural activities.
Walking around the school with Mr Fletcher, it is clear pupils at Pillans Point are well-rounded, confident children. A feeling of calmness circulates around a classroom we go into. That serenity is something Mr Fletcher says is an important element of Pillans Point School.
The serene atmosphere encourages children to learn. He says the school has a "very high achievement rate" and had no concerns about the Ministry of Education's proposed National Standards.
"We've always had a standard at school and what we do here exceeds the National Standards ... so we're not going to bring our standards down to meet the new requirements. "
About one in 10 students were below the standard but he wasn't concerned. "We record the progress from when they come in as a 5-year-old and we record the difference at the end of the teaching. Not every child is the same so, of course, the end product is going to be different," he said. "What we want to do in this school is keep that belief that we can keep the quality up while being in a friendly, family-like atmosphere."
Most of the children who attend Pillans Point School head on to Otumoetai Intermediate. Because of this, the classes are "shuffled" each year so students can get to know everyone in their year level.
The school also has a buddy system where older students are partnered up with younger students. That encourages active learning and allows the children to interact, Mr Fletcher says.
Recent upgrades include a new library, renovated resource rooms and refurbishing of classrooms.
"This school has a real family feel ... and it's a pleasure working here," Mr Fletcher says.
PILLANS POINT SCHOOL

Where: 101 Maxwells Rd, Buretta.
Pupils: 405.
Staff: 34.
Decile: 9.
Principal: Ian Fletcher.
School mission statement: Learning Together.
Website: www.pillanspoint.school.nz