How to change a school
Matua Hone Waudby has only been Bankwood Primary’s principal for around 18 months, and in that time he’s been slowly working on turning the school around.
“To me, coming into the school was almost like a blank canvas. Even though we’re fifty odd years old, we wanted to be a brand new school,” Waudby said
“So with that came envisioning our school more in line with the demographic of our school.”
Waudby has a business background, and says running a school is a bit like running a business. His knack for saving pennies where he can has made it easier to provide for the students, and not just in terms of education.
The school ranks 552 on the equity index (previously decile two). Schools high on the equity index typically face higher socio-economic barriers. Waudby is working at these barriers one at a time.
One simple but effective change being made is when the school year starts and finishes.
“A lot of schools finish early to mid December, but we go right up to the 20th. And the reason for that was that Christmas is quite a stressful time for families, so the longer we hold them the easier it can be,” Waudby said.
“But we don’t start up again until February, which is good for staff because they can feel like they have a longer break. So the thinking was about the kids, but also the benefits for the staff and parents.”
There’s no denying Waudby’s business savviness; he’s managed quite a lot.
The new school uniforms, which are a part of the new look, are free for the first set, and then subsidised. Sports trips are also subsidised, and class trips are completely free. There are free school breakfasts and lunches, and there’s no Bring Your Own Device policy; devices are provided.
The school also has brand new basketball turfs and hoops.
“It’s kind of our mantra: if we’re going to do something, we take away the equity issues,” said Waudby.
“Really just having a look at what we’re spending helps. But never to the point where we’re taking things away. Running a school is basically like running a business, and principals are basically CEOs.”
“We’re also funded at a higher level because of the level of te reo Māori right across the school. And then with the bilingual units we get a bit more there.”
Schools high on the equity index also get a higher amount of funding from the Ministry of Education.
The bilingual units were added last year after community feedback filled three classrooms with waiting lists. Bankwood’s student population is 60% Māori, and around 18% Pasifika, so the school has been on a mission to reflect this more in the curriculum.
“We had a consultation period with our community, students, and teachers around what our values are,” Waudby said.
“I think in terms of whānau engagement, to get a good sense of your community is an important thing. But it’s all in the New Zealand curriculum.
“How do we give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and to te reo Māori; all that is sitting there, but it’s just actually enacting it.”
Waudby looked into the history of the area to create a more bilingual branding for the school. He discovered that the historical name of the area was Kūkūtāruhe (the flight path of the kūkū), and so Bankwood now also goes by Te Kura Tuatahi o Kūkūtāruhe.
An artist, Geoff Popham, created a school mural which highlights aspects of Māori legend and landmarks unique to the area. Popham also created four characters for the new school houses.
All of Popham’s work was about a year in the making, and Ngaati Wairere was consulted about the work. All of it is entrenched in symbolism and meaning.
“There’s so many things in the mural that the tamariki can unpack,” Waudby said.
“The way in which a lot of kids learn is visual. We had learning sessions about the new mural, and we asked for initial thoughts of the mural. And consistently people were saying that every time they walked past they saw something new.”