Education Ministry accused of bullying another school

A Northland school claims its anti-National standards stance has seen it bullied by the Ministry of Education. Photo / Christine Cornege

A second Northland school is claiming to have been bullied by the Ministry of Education over its anti-National Standards stance.

The principal of Dargaville's Selwyn Park School, Vern Stevens, said he received a phone call from a ministry official last week threatening to put the school in limited statutory management if a National Standards disclaimer was not removed from the school's charter.

The disclaimer said the school had included National Standards information in the charter only under duress from the ministry.

Mr Stevens' claims follow similar claims by Aranga School principal Myles Ferris this week.

However, ministry programme manager regional education Pauline Cleaver said the ministry had not yet recommended the appointment of a limited statutory manager to any board in such circumstances.

"Nor have we told schools to remove disclaimers as described," Ms Cleaver said.

She said the inclusion of a disclaimer did not make a charter non-compliant. "In cases where a disclaimer statement has been included, the ministry will work with schools to ensure the charter is implemented," she said.

Mr Stevens and Mr Ferris said they were upset the ministry had tried to bully them and then denied it. "It almost discredits us again," Mr Stevens said. "It's like saying, 'You're imagining it, it didn't happen'. It did happen," he said.

"I don't really know what to say because I cannot believe that we're being treated this way by a group that we're supposed to be working with."

Mr Stevens said the school board of trustees would meet to discuss whether to remove the disclaimer from the charter. "My board's in a quandary. I've got a couple who want to take it out and I've got a couple who want to leave it in."

Mr Stevens said the Government had no problem riding rough-shod over schools because it had a strong majority in Parliament.

"When a government's got a majority that they've got, they can do what they please. It's a bit scary really.

"You'd expect when something as far reaching as National Standards are being brought into education, that the sector involved will be spoken to and consulted with but that's not even happening."