Schools call off standards protest

The introduction of national standards has been a tough sell for the government, with protests at conferences like this one, the NZEI in Rotorua last year. Photo / NZ Herald

Protests by hundreds of schools against national standards in reading, writing and maths have been called off.

Schools are required to report on students' learning in relation to national standards, however, many schools have refused to include the standards in their charters this year.

They faced statutory intervention if they did not.

Yesterday, the Boards Taking Action Coalition (BTAC) recommended schools who had opposed including national standards in their charter alter it to include them, but make it clear the school was forced into it, BTAC spokesman Perry Rush said.

The Ministry of Education had threatened those schools not following national standards with intervention, which could end in the schools' boards' dismissals.

"Most schools and boards could see the writing on the wall," Mr Rush said.

But, he said this was a "very, very hollow victory for the Government."

"It really is just a victory in name."

The BTAC was not backing away from their concerns, he told Radio New Zealand.

"We have no confidence at all in the comparable data."

He said one quarter of all schools had taken action against national standards, and 85 per cent of schools had concerns with them.

The next major move from the BTAC would come when schools send their national standards results to the Ministry of Education next year.

-APNZ