Jocelyn Mikaere, Ministry of Education deputy secretary for the central area, said the school’s board identified a need for additional support and the ministry offered an LSM as a solution.
“The aim of any intervention is always to return the school to full self-management as soon as practical. We monitor all school interventions closely, as we will be doing with Mangakōtukutuku College,” she said.
The ministry has appointed Dr Shane Edwards to the LSM role.
“Dr Edwards has responsibility for all functions, powers and duties of the board as an employer, to establish policies and procedures, to manage financial operations and to manage communications,” Mikaere said.
Some parents have blamed a lack of communication within the school.
Karen Glass told RNZ that parents were not consulted over the LSM decision but were simply told it was happening. She said it remained to be seen whether an LSM would make a difference.
“I think there wasn’t honesty about what occurred [with the lockdown] ... if you can’t be transparent with what happened, why do you think the parent community would have faith in you?”
Edwards said communication was the currency on which good relationships between schools and families were built.
“I do have a belief that communication in schools in general can be stronger and it is something that we always want to be checking on – how good is our communication to families, what are the ways we are communicating, and is it responsive to them?”
The former Melville High School. Photo / Google Maps
Glass said she wanted better communication but also more interaction with parents when the school made decisions.
For example, she was not happy with the way the timetable was structured, which allowed only one learning break in the day, even for Year 7 and 8 students (aged 10-13).
“They said that’s to reduce the amount of issues that occur in the playground,” Glass said.
She tried to talk to the school about it but said it was unwilling to change the timetable.
Edwards said he was aware of the issue and hoped to have it changed by the start of term three.
“We are now in the process of reviewing the timetable, the breaks, the number of classes ... especially at our junior levels.”
After the reported brawl in February, parents said on social media that they were too scared to send their children back to school.
Edwards said the health and safety of students, staff and property was a key responsibility of boards.
“Good learning can’t occur if children don’t feel safe, and good relationships can’t occur if families don’t feel safe, and staff can’t do their core business, which is teach, if they don’t feel safe.”
He said the school had brought in emergency management specialists Harrison Tew to help the school in lockdown training with staff and students.
The ministry said it would work with Edwards to identify and consider any additional support the school might need.
It is expected that Edwards will stay for several months at least. He said it would depend on progress but that the job of an interventionist such as himself was to return full governance to the board as soon as possible.
“And I’ll do that as soon as I’m confident that learning is at the centre of everything the school does, that students and staff are safe and that the community feels that their voice is valid.”
