Commissioner sought for Waipukurau's The Terrace School

The Ministry of Education is currently in the process of appointing a commissioner for The Terrace primary school in Waipukurau. Photo / Nicki Harper

Two board members have resigned and the Ministry of Education is in the process of appointing a commissioner at The Terrace School in Waipukurau following an Education Review Office (ERO) report that identified concerns about student achievement levels and monitoring.

The review was conducted into the Year 1 to 8 primary school in November last year, and released on January 11 this year.

It reported that achievement levels had remained variable since a 2014 review.

While it noted that principles of te ao Maori and culturally responsive practice were well embedded at the 213-roll school, and there had been some success with a writing programme, it said leaders and teachers were not responding effectively to students whose learning and achievement needed acceleration.

"The school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence of student outcomes are not sufficiently developed. Urgent improvement is needed in leadership and stewardship to bring about the required improvements in student learning and wellbeing," the report said.

It also identified non-compliance in relation to assessment information and an ongoing programme of self review, health and safety and personnel management.

"The board should take urgent action to ensure the school is meeting its legislative requirements by having suitable policies and procedures."

The Ministry of Education's deputy secretary sector enablement and support Katrina Casey said the ministry was currently in the process of appointing a commissioner for the school, who would work with the principal, who was appointed in 2014, to address the concerns raised by the ERO around leadership, governance and employment.

"We always work with schools to support them to resolve problems themselves, and only intervene as a last resort," she said.

"Where we do step in, an intervention aims to bring expertise and fresh perspective. It also acts as a circuit breaker for entrenched problems, so that the focus of the school can go back on teaching and learning."

She said the board of trustees held a special meeting late in January to consider its action in light of the recent recommendations.

"After this meeting the Ministry received formal notification that five trustees had resigned.

"Two of these resignations were effective immediately. To support continued school governance, the three other members, including the chairperson, agreed to continue in their roles until such time as a commissioner is appointed."

School board chairman Wayne Thompson said he had not officially heard from the Ministry where it was at in the process of appointing a commissioner, and as such could not comment at this point.

In its school newsletter last week, the school advised a meeting would be held this Thursday to discuss the ERO report and Mr Thompson said that would be a chance for parents to voice their opinions.

While the school had 248 students in 2014, 68 per cent of whom identified as Maori, according to an ERO report from that year, in the 2018 report the roll was recorded as 213 students, 80 per cent of whom identified as Maori.

The ERO intended to carry out a process of ongoing external evaluation to support development over the course of one to two years, the January report said.