KEY POINTS:
In a world untainted by school zoning, children showing particular scholastic ability could be educated with others of similar talent, so their potential stood the best chance of being fully realised. Likewise, parents who wanted to enrol their children at a school that emphasised the creative arts and cultural activities would be able to do so. There would be room and rationale for the likes of Selwyn College. But zoning, the product of a misguided egalitarianism, is a fact of life and, therein, lies the problem for the Kohimarama secondary school.
Zoning demands that a college serve its community. It is not there to supply a niche education holding a minority appeal and to be sustainable only because its roll is drawn from an Auckland-wide net. Zoning is meant to ensure the full range of pupils in a school's vicinity is retained and to make any one school as good as any other. Given Selwyn's somewhat contrary approach, it is not difficult to see why it has a deeply divided board of trustees and why a Government-appointed trouble-shooter has been sent in to try to heal the rift.
Simmering friction has been a hallmark of the school and its community for several years. Critics say its liberal ethos gets in the way of academic excellence. That belief is backed, on a surface level at least, by statistics. Qualifications Authority figures show the percentage of Selwyn pupils passing NCEA was lower in 2005 than the national average for all schools and schools of the same decile 5 grading. This, in itself, must make parents wary of sending their children to Selwyn, a sentiment remarked upon two years ago by the principal of feeder primary Meadowbank School.
The college is something of an oddity, although far from unique, in that its zone straddles a diverse community. It draws from the wealthy suburbs of Kohimarama and Mission Bay and also lower socio-economic Glen Innes. Many parents from the affluent areas would, for reasons not pertaining to quality, send their children to private schools as matter of course. But the facts of Selwyn's roll - in 2005, only 38 per cent of its 1068 pupils were Pakeha - suggest it is not regarded as a viable option by other parents who might like their children taught at a state school in their immediate area.
Selwyn has made some effort to connect with its community and to shed its "liberal" tag. Several years ago, it introduced uniforms to the junior school. It also runs comprehensive and well-attended community evening classes. But that has not been enough to stifle discontent. Last year, a parents' and community group, Vision Selwyn, was established to "build a secondary school that is the first choice for students in the community". That, quite obviously, is a reasonable ambition. As it happens, it also tallies with the Government's vision for schools of uniform quality peopled by the full range of pupils in their neighbourhoods.
Clearly, Selwyn is not doing everything wrong. The balloted children of parents throughout Auckland who support its approach appear to sustain a viable roll. It has also won some plaudits from the Education Review Office, which noted that it had a clearly articulated philosophy and catered well for the diverse needs of children.
Equally, however, its approach does not meet the wishes of many in its community, who want a stronger emphasis on academic excellence. Nor does it sit well with official policy. Not for the first time, the fraught consequences of zoning have been exposed. In a world free of its restrictions, there would be a place for schools that offered alternative approaches. As it is, however, Selwyn College must do more to meet the qualities demanded by its community.
