Anne Tolley yesterday told teachers she would be 'appalled' if they told parents their children were failing National Standards.

The Government has announced details of legislation to be pushed through Parliament to help speed up the recovery process in quake-devastated Canterbury.

Several Christchurch hotels have slashed room rates in the wake of Christchurch's "horrendous" magnitude 7.1 quake, with one hotel chief saying everybody needed to "chip in".

Most Canterbury schools today reopened after the September 4 magnitude 7.1 earthquake, but aftershocks continue.

Children try to come to terms with the fear as they return to school.

Some 1200 Canterbury school children will not be able to return to their schools for weeks.

Trustees at Otatara Primary School say a decision to give students fake letters claiming school hours would be extended was not politically motivated.

Parents are surprised at the range of school reports on offer - from poor to wonderfully informative.

An Education Review Office survey of 229 schools found about 20pc had inadequate inclusive practices for special needs pupils.

Education Minister Anne Tolley has told principals they should stop talking to the media and focus on implementing the controversial national standards.

Three-quarters of teachers are feeling unprepared and rushed as they work to implement national standards, a survey has found.

The education sector has had to come up with more than half of the $1.9 billion to fund new education initiatives over the next four years.