Hawke's Bay schools challenge new decile ratings after funding loss

Phil Bourke, Flemington School principal. Photo / File

Fifteen Hawke's Bay schools have challenged their new decile ratings - controversially announced by the Government in November.

Of the 122 Hawke's Bay schools analysed by the Ministry of Education, 27 had their ratings reduced, while 35 had ratings increased.

Decile 1 schools are given more government funding, while decile 10 schools have fewer students from low socio-economic communities and receive less funding.

The principal of one school which has challenged the decile review, Phil Bourke of Flemington School, said he did not feel the rating jump from 8 to 10 reflected its community.

"We can't understand how we have gone up two decile ratings when the circumstances haven't changed much in our area," he said.

"Anecdotally, urban areas like Auckland have had their decile ratings go down and rural areas in the provinces have had their ratings go up, which seems a bit back-to-front."

The decile ratings were calculated by using student address information, combined with Census data for small geographical areas.

If Flemington School's decile rating remained at 10, there would be less funding for important aspects of school life, Mr Bourke said.

"We'd have to relook at the budget and look at where funds go.

"Focusing funds in some areas would mean having to trim them back in others," he said.

"To simply have $4000 or $5000 taken away just from a change in decile, we felt we owed it to the school community to see if we could have [the new decile rating] reviewed."

Hastings Intermediate School also had its rating increased - up from decile 2 to decile 3. Principal Andrew Shortcliffe said the school was not happy with its decile increase but had not challenged it.

"We would have applied for a review if we thought it would mean a positive outcome," he said. "It would have taken a lot of time and effort to process when we're meant to be focused on teaching kids.

"Decile rating is an antiquated system."

Eight hundred schools nationwide were moved to a lower decile rating, 784 schools moved to a higher decile rating, and 822 schools' decile ratings did not change.

Schools could request a review if they believed the new decile did not accurately reflect the socio-economic circumstances of students.

As of April 29, 154 schools nationwide had lodged review applications with the Ministry of Education.

The ministry would not release the names of the schools but said schools would know the outcome by the end of May when the decile rating of all schools would be updated on the ministry website.

"We have worked with schools to support them in preparing their applications and no school will lose funding as a result of requesting a review," ministry spokeswoman Lisa Rodgers said.

Education Minister Hekia Parata previously said the decile funding system was well-intentioned but also complicated and "really clumsy".

"There are some significantly disadvantaged kids and families in deciles seven, eight, nine and 10 schools, but overall the average masks that," she said. The decile system, also described by Ms Parata as a "blunt instrument", has been readdressed as part of a wider review of school funding.

Schools whose funding was cut after moving to a higher decile would have an 18-month transition period and additional funding to assist them, Ms Parata said.

"There are many factors that make a good school good and it's important to remember that decile funding only accounts for about 12 per cent of overall funding for schools.

"Decile ranking shouldn't be used as a measure of school quality or school performance."