School takeover rules to change

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The way failing schools are taken over and managed is set to change as the Ministry of Education seeks to improve how it oversees the process.

Poor student achievement, dodgy spending, health and safety issues and management problems can be reasons for the ministry to step in.

But how that is justified and what happens next has caused disquiet, with one school remaining under intervention for 10 years.

"There is inconsistency, unfairness, a financial burden on schools that they inevitably carry," said Phil Harding of the Principals' Federation.

"The person who determines when the intervention might finish is the person who is benefiting from the contractual work that they are undertaking."

Education Minister Hekia Parata yesterday welcomed the recommendations of a review, initiated quite soon after lobbying from the Principals' Federation.

The working group that did the review included representatives of education unions, the NZ School Trustees Association and principals' associations.

Feedback revealed a "strong desire" to be better informed about the decision to intervene at a school, and concerns about a perceived lack of transparency and trust between the ministry and others.

"Respondents both within the ministry and from the sector identified that there has been a loss of institutional knowledge among ministry staff due to high staff turnover, portfolio changes, and change in work focus," the report stated.

"A number of appointees felt not all ministry staff had a good understanding of statutory interventions."

The review recommended the ministry developed an induction and professional development plan for its staff, as well as the people it places in schools.

More information will also be given about how such appointees are chosen or matched to a school, and what factors are involved in an intervention.

The ministry will also review how statutory managers and commissioners are funded. At present, schools foot the bill for those assigned to manage them from their own operations grants, although the ministry does contribute in some cases.

The Principals' Federation has campaigned for more of the cost to be met at government level. Others in the working group felt that well-performing schools would be likely to object to such an arrangement.

Ms Parata said she had asked the ministry to continue working with the sector to look at how struggling schools could be supported earlier, which would further reduce the number of interventions.

The report's recommendations will be worked on by the ministry and others in the working group.

The ministry's head of sector enablement and support, Katrina Casey, said 62 schools were under intervention, six of which had been so for more than two years.

Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Otara, a primary school in Manukau, has been under the intervention of a limited statutory manager or commissioner since October 2004.