Education Review Office says it has significant concerns about Lower Hutt school

After an external review of Wilford School, the Education Review Office said it was concerned about the property and management of health and safety issues. Photo / Google

The Education Review Office is worried about children’s safety at a Petone school.

It said Wilford School had agreed to an external audit to address what the review office described as “significant concerns about the property and how health and safety issues are managed”.

It also ordered the school to stop using a small building and fenced off area as a quiet space for a child with autism.

“ERO has advised the Commissioner and Principal that it is an unsuitable space for children, as it potentially poses a health and safety risk and is not to be used for children,” the office said.

RNZ understood the room had been used for two years for an autistic child and was told by people with links to the school that it was known as “the cage”.

However, the school’s principal Neil Sargisson said the school did not have a space known by that name.

“I can confirm that we have a space that was designed in conjunction with the Ministry and a family as a space for a particular child to use when/if required,” Sargisson said in a written statement.

“The space would only be used in conjunction with teacher aide supervision and on a voluntary basis to meet a child’s needs at the time.”

Sargisson said students with identified needs were never left alone.

ERO’s health and safety concerns “largely related to areas of property maintenance and hazard identification”, he said.

“The commissioner and school staff have already taken steps to address identified issues and are committed to ensuring Wilford School provides a safe and healthy environment for all students and staff,” he said.

The Education Ministry told RNZ it was alerted last month to the school’s use of a room as a quiet space for a disabled child.

The ministry said the school’s commissioner told it the room was not used for seclusion, an illegal practice which involved placing a child in a space they could not exit.

The ministry said the commissioner told it the school had a quiet room for children who needed it.

The review office said if anyone had information about a child being held against their will in the school’s quiet space, they should contact it.

In September last year the Education Ministry dissolved the Wilford School board of trustees and appointed a commissioner to govern the school.

An Education Review Office report from 2019 said the ministry had previously appointed Limited Statutory Managers to help the school.