Government moves to rein in Cambridge High

By AINSLEY THOMSON and STUART DYE

The Government has ordered a controversially successful high school to change the way it teaches, and clipped the wings of its trustees.

In an unprecedented move, the Qualifications Authority issued Cambridge High School with a compliance notice - the first given to a secondary school.

Under the notice, the Waikato school - which has a 100 per cent NCEA success record - must stop assessing students in an "achievement recovery" programme or lose its accreditation.

Without this, the 1200-student school could not give approved NCEA courses.

Education Minister Trevor Mallard said he was appointing a limited statutory manager to take over some of the duties of the school's board of trustees.

He was taking the step because of issues the Qualifications Authority had identified.

"These include risks to the education of some students and to the operation of the school that need to be urgently addressed."

Principal Alison Annan and board of trustees members did not return Herald calls last night.

In the past three months the school has faced allegations of manipulation of school results, students receiving NCEA credits for doing tasks such as picking up litter, bullying of staff, financial mismanagement and conflicts of interest.

The allegations gave rise to a series of Government and independent reports into the school.

In June, the Qualifications Authority was called in to examine allegations of mark manipulations, and the Education Review Office was asked to look into alleged staff bullying.

Two weeks later, Mr Mallard said he had asked Auditor-General Kevin Brady to examine the school and its principal over a possible conflict of interest between Mrs Annan and a private international college.

The school trustees then appointed retired district court judge Dame Augusta Wallace to conduct an independent inquiry into the allegations.

On Wednesday, TV3 reported that assistant principal Martin Blackburn had resigned after the school received the draft copy of the Qualifications Authority report.

Mr Blackburn has been accused of writing answers to NCEA questions on a blackboard.

But board of trustees chairwoman Diana Grantham said yesterday that Mr Blackburn was on sick leave.

Authority chief executive Karen Van Rooyen said full details of the report into alleged mark manipulation would not be made public until August 23.

She said it was disappointing to have to take such action against the school.

"Cambridge High School has been running an Achievement Recovery activity which isn't supported by a teaching programme and isn't supervised by qualified teachers.

"Essentially, the activity is focused on helping students gain catch-up credits with questionable educational benefit."


The Qualifications Authority would meet fortnightly with the school to ensure it addressed issues in the draft report, said Ms Van Rooyen.

The authority would conduct another formal review in October.


The Education Review Office report into the school is not due until October, and the Auditor-General is still investigating the conflicts of interest to decide if a public inquiry is required.

Dame Augusta is reported to have been swamped by responses to the independent review.

A former Deputy Mayor of Waipa District, Rosemary Hill, who taught at Cambridge High for 20 years and sent her four children there, is one of a number of parents and Cambridge residents who have criticised the school and Mrs Annan's policies.

Last night, Mrs Hill said she was delighted and saddened by the latest developments.

"It's sad that we've been brought into such ill-repute, but we realise we need to go through this to come out the other end."

Under scrutiny

The appointment of a limited statutory manager at Cambridge High removes some of the school board's powers:

* As an employer.

* Over curriculum and assessment practice.

* Over communications and relationships within the school and between the school and its community.

* Over contact with the media.