Big plans to overhaul education system

Intermediate schools could be scrapped, boards of trustees stripped of their powers, and school zones and funding overhauled if the recommendations of a major review of schools are accepted.

The long-awaited report into Tomorrow’s Schools – the self-governing model of the past 30 years – recommends introducing ‘‘education hubs’’ to manage the appointment of principals, school property, suspensions and expulsions, and provide an advocacy service for families with complaints.

The report made 31 sweeping recommendations in eight key areas including calling for a limit on out-of-zone enrolments, which it said some schools had used to ‘‘unfairly and illegally’’ prevent local students enrolling.

The taskforce report also proposes scrapping the country’s 115 intermediate schools and removing the decile funding system.

Each of the proposed 20 hubs would be in charge of about 125 regionally grouped schools – roughly equivalent to the number of state and state-integrated schools in Christchurch.

Appointed by the education minister, the hubs would be independent, but monitored by the Ministry of Education. They would be staffed by a mix of practising educators, iwi and community stakeholders.

School boards would keep responsibility for things like student achievement and community engagement. Boards would likely have a veto or final approval rights over principals – who would be appointed by their hub on a five-year contract – and could ask for control over some or all of their property funding.

Teachers unions the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) and the Post Primary Teachers’ Association welcomed the ‘‘bold’’ proposals.

NZEI principal’s council chairman Peter Hopwood, who is also the principal of Invercargill’s Donovan Primary School, believed an overhaul of the country’s education system had been ‘‘simmering for a long time’’.

But he believed there needed to be an intermediary between schools and the ministry.

‘‘As long as our boards stay, I’m interested in how much authority would be taken away from the board.’’

The New Zealand School Trustees’ Association (NZSTA) was cautiously optimistic. President Lorraine Kerr liked the idea of letting school boards govern on the community’s behalf without becoming tied up in ‘‘business’’ activities that trustees were not always capable of handling.

But ‘‘the devil will be in the details’’, and the new system’s success would depend on government officials supporting and not ‘‘second guessing’’ education providers, she said.

Digital education expert Frances Valintine was concerned the hubs would add another layer of cost and complexity. It made more sense for Ministry of Education staff already working in regional offices to do the hub work, she said.

The person behind the Tomorrow’s Schools taskforce, chairman Bali Haque, said there were ‘‘very big question marks’’ over the future of intermediate schools, which cater for year 7 and 8 students.

He favoured an increase in the number of middle (year 7 to 10) and composite schools (inclusive of both primary and secondary teaching).

Parents spoken to outside Christchurch’s Beckenham School liked the idea of school boards focusing on pupils rather than logistics, but had mixed views on scrapping school donations and intermediate schools.

‘‘School is meant to be free and it’s also unclear what the donations are for and where they are going,’’ Linda Hakeagaiki said.

John Wills said school donations helped pay for upgrades ‘‘and give the kids what they need for learning’’.

Karina O’Connor said she did not think intermediate schools had ‘‘a place in modern learning’’.

‘‘School is meant to be free and it’s also unclear what the donations are for and where they are going.’’ Parent Linda Hakeagaiki