William Colenso College hits red carpet for national awards

Head girl and board member Tala Utumapu and deputy principal Fiona Craven are among those representing William Colenso College at tonight's awards. Photo / Warren Buckland

It's school out for William Colenso College head girl Tala Utumapu, principal Daniel Murfitt and a group of staff and board representatives as they head for the red carpet in Auckland and a ceremony which could tonight see the Napier school named one of the best in the country.

Colenso is a finalist in three of the four categories of the Prime Minister's education excellence awards, and the overall award in the ceremonies attended by Prime Minister Bill English and Minister of Education Nikki Kaye in the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

It's one of four schools vying for honours in each of the categories of excellence in Leading, Teaching and Learning, and Governing.

But Mr Murfitt, who arrived nine years ago and has overseen a new era of educational innovation and now well-recognised positive reversals in student achievement rates, particularly among Maori pupils, is happy enough for the school to have just reached the finals.

"It's much bigger than I would have thought," Mr Murfitt said. "Potentially we're up for four awards, we'd be happy if we won just one, but we've already come a long way."

He said the improved achievement rates were a big part of the school becoming a finalist.

"Certainly we've had increases in achievement for Maori students," he said. "It's been about being more responsive to needs of the students."

The school opened in 1959 as Colenso High School, the first co-educational school in Hawke's Bay and catering for students from Form 3 (now Year 9). In 2004 it merged on the high school site with neighbouring Wycliffe Intermediate School.

It now has staff of about 35 and a roll of about 400 pupils, including about 30 internationals from a wide range of countries - China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Mexico.

It has had students from other countries, and Mr Murfitt has recently returned from a trip to South America marketing the school's potential.

Next month he will also be heading with contributing school Richmond's principal and board chairperson to "present" at a world indigenous education conference in Toronto.