KEY POINTS:
The Correspondence School will try to improve the service it delivers to its students.
Chief executive Mike Hollings said yesterday the school was developing a new organisational design and structure to enhance its focus on students.
"Putting students first means embracing personalised learning, which aims to foster engaged and independent learners who can reach their full potential," Mr Hollings said.
"It means growing stronger connections with families, whanau and their communities, and working in partnership with other agencies to provide the necessary support for all our students."
The school has had a number of problems during the past few years.
Two years ago 35 staff lost their jobs through restructuring.
They included 10 school deans, 19 regional representatives, three careers advisers and three regional teachers, who followed 18 of the school's media services staff who lost their jobs at the end of 2004.
Chief executive Debbie Francis said then that she was sorry to lose such "competent and experienced" teachers but the changes were necessary.
The student services review was done to deal with huge roll growth, a changed student population and a budget deficit of $5.5 million.
It would pave the way for a new teaching model under which support services would be redirected to students who most needed them.
Mr Hollings became chief executive in August last year.
He said yesterday that the new curriculum, to be implemented next year, recognised that today's students were different from those of yesterday.
"It gives teachers a large degree of flexibility in applying their professional knowledge."
Mr Hollings said another important element was the schooling strategy, which aimed to improve social and academic results for all students.
"To do this we have to look at how we interact with students in a world they understand, which means integrating e-learning into our teaching and learning practices," he said.
National Party associate education spokesman Colin King said on Sunday that figures released to the science and education select committee showed a 42 per cent growth in alienated or excluded youth being schooled by correspondence between 2000 and 2006. There were 876 children in this category in 2000 and last year there were 1518. He said that during 2006, the Correspondence School roll swelled to 21,521 pupils.
- NZPA
