ERO explains the rise in bad reviews
WELLINGTON: The Education Review Office says a greater focus on schools in difficulty is behind an increase in the number of bad reviews issued in the past financial year.
The office’s annual report for 201819 says that 18% of the 658 schools the office visited needed development or intensive work, up from 11% in the preceding financial year.
However, the report showed the office visited nearly twice as many schools than it had previously identified as needing improvement, and less than half of those were successful in showing they had improved.
Education Review Office chief executive Nicholas Pole said that the increase was driven by more intensive involvement and reporting for schools needing development or intensive work, rather than a jump in the actual number of schools in difficulty.
‘‘In the past year, we have begun doing ‘midpoint reviews’ in the twoyear cycle for those schools to provide more timely information to the school boards, to help them address the concerns,’’ Mr Pole said.
‘‘This has resulted in an increase in reporting, but we hope it will actually result — over time — in a reduction in the number of schools in difficulty, by helping them get back on track more quickly.’’
Despite the increase in poor review findings, the report said that 6% of all schools needed improvement, down from 7% in the 201718 financial year.
It said that the ERO considered 4% of all early childhood centres needed improvement.