Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Youngsters schooled in unique way

Merania Karauria
By Merania Karauria
Editor, Manawatū Guardian·Whanganui Chronicle·
15 Jun, 2010 02:00 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The name has a ring to it and makes what used to be Rutherford Intemediate unique in New Zealand.
The identity of Rutherford (now RJH) remains, and the school uniform is the same, but the name change reflects the new school-structured curriculum delivery that follows the secondary school model.
The change came
after two year's consultation  on how the school could better reflect the pupils' needs;  although in 2005 the school introduced and trialled a  simple specialist programme.
Principal Joy Hannah said their model was unique for New Zealand in the 10-14-year old education group - the middle years - and the RJH teachers and board of  trustees believed pupils were more motivated and engaged by what they learned and the way they learned.
They were in the transistional stage between primary and secondary and their needs were specific, principal Joy Hannah said.
"Their needs are so different. They need a variety of opportunities."
RJH had also found that the pupils' transition into secondary schools was greatly improved due to their knowledge of the secondary structure.
They had a home-based class in literacy, numeracy and social science. But Ms Hannah said it was not possible for the school  to cover these subjects  and its specialist subjects in a five-day week.
So, thinking outside the square but within the law,  RJH now worked on six periods a day on a six-day timetable, involving  45-minute classes.
Qualified specialist teachers delivered health/PE, technology, music, art, languages (French, Spanish, Japanese and German), science, robotics/electronics and te reo Maori - the pupils were not tied to one class for the school day.
Those specialist subjects enabled the school to identify pupils' areas of strength which led to the school's Young Achievers Programme, Ms Hannah said.
Booster classes were for those students who needed a "boost" to achieve because "we want them to thrive".
And  a "bridging the gap year" was available for pupils who weren't yet ready to move on to secondary school.
Again, Ms Hannah said, because RJH did not operate in the manner of a traditional intermediate, the school consulted  secondary schools  on what they did with the pupil.
"You can't take a child who has missed a lot of year-8 and put them in to year-9," she said.
"They're socially and academically not ready for that move."

Every teacher at the school had a copy of Sean Covey's book, 7 Habits of highly effective teens, and Carl Mays' quote of "the real challenge and the real reward is to take who you are and what you are capable of doing, and create the means to achieve your dreams" was the ethos that drove RJH.
Ms Hannah had the final word: "The teachers are here to teach and the students are here to learn."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

RSA 'alive and well' despite premises closure

11 Jul 06:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

‘Everyone went silent’: Whanganui Youth MP speaks in Parliament

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Major Joanna Margaret Paul exhibition opens

11 Jul 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

RSA 'alive and well' despite premises closure

RSA 'alive and well' despite premises closure

11 Jul 06:00 PM

Former members are 'more than welcome' to return, RSA Welfare Trust president says.

‘Everyone went silent’: Whanganui Youth MP speaks in Parliament

‘Everyone went silent’: Whanganui Youth MP speaks in Parliament

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Major Joanna Margaret Paul exhibition opens

Major Joanna Margaret Paul exhibition opens

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Shelley Loader: How we can all get a share of the apples

Shelley Loader: How we can all get a share of the apples

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP