Training and support for boards of trustees
Boards of trustees play a vital role in making sure all learners enjoy educational success. This rewarding role can also be challenging and training and support is essential.
The Ministry of Education funds a range of training courses and support. Training is accessible, flexible and tailored to meet the specific needs of boards. Here’s a brief explanation of the training and support the Ministry funds and how your board can access it.
Please note there is other training and support for boards provided on a cost recovery basis by organisations such as the New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA).
National Standards training for boards
This year, trustees will support the introduction of National Standards. This includes consulting with school communities to develop information for parents in school reports.
The Ministry and NZSTA have developed National Standards professional development resources for boards.
The Ministry has also contracted providers to deliver workshops to groups of boards. These can be arranged through your local Ministry office.
These workshops will focus on understanding the standards and how they impact on planning and reporting, self-review, and the role boards play in guiding and supporting principals and teachers. They include information on:
- how the standards support the New Zealand Curriculum
- working with parents, families and whānau to understand the information they need in school reports
- sources of information, including assessment tools
- the roles of boards, principals and teachers
- chapter eight of the Leadership Best Evidence Synthesis research report on relational trust
- the standards self-review tool
- alignment with charters, planning and reporting
- reporting to parents, family and whānau
- the support available.
Training providers can also help individual school boards if needed. Contact your local Ministry of Education office to discuss training opportunities in your region. The resource The board’s role in National Standards is also available to download at the end of this page.
Training Services online training
This training focuses on school planning and reporting cycles, understanding and interpreting student data, and setting and reviewing annual targets. Trustees will be encouraged to ask questions and take part in activities.
What is a webinar or an e-workshop?
A webinar is an online seminar which broadcasts to a large audience. Although in a webinar you cannot talk directly to the trainer you can send questions via the typed chat function and they will be answered live during the session.
An e-workshop on the other hand is designed for small groups of participants.These workshops are more in-depth allowing you to openly discuss your school’s individual situation with, and ask questions of the trainer and other participants using your phone.
To take part you need a computer with internet access (dial-up is fine) and a separate phone line. During the school year, you will be sent emails inviting you to upcoming sessions.
This training is available to all trustees free-of-charge.
Watch the Training Services brief introduction video to webinar and e-workshop online training: www.trainingservices.org.nz/intro.
Contact us
If you have not already received invite emails to participate in webinars or e-workshops for boards, please email the Ministry of Education's Training Services team: training.services@minedu.govt.nz
Webinar resources
After each series of webinars an audio recording of the webinar, the slide summary, and question and answers for each session will be available from Webinar resources or the Training Services website www.trainingservices.org.nz.
Face-to-face training and support
This training is delivered face-to-face by a provider and can be tailored to your board’s needs. It can be provided directly to your board or in a seminar-style format to a cluster of boards.
The Ministry will match your needs to a provider’s skills and experience.
To get face-to-face training
Contact your local Ministry of Education office to discuss your board’s training needs. If there is a clear need for face-to-face training and support, the Ministry of Education will pay for it.
In some cases, the Ministry will contact boards to discuss free face-to-face training and support that is available in your region.
Becoming a provider of tailored training and support services for boards
Boards are accountable for the achievement outcomes of all students in their schools. They need to be skilled and able to drive change in their schools so that all students achieve success, especially those from priority groups. Tailored Training and Support Services help boards by providing access to timely and consistently high quality support from suitably qualified and skilled providers.
The Ministry of Education is seeking to attract and retain experienced and qualified governance training and support providers – particularly those with a Māori and Pasifika perspective. This is to provide professional development and support for school boards of trustees (boards) to help them to raise achievement of priority groups.
The Request for Proposal (RFP), to apply to become a provider of this training for boards, will be available on GETS until January 2016. All interested providers, including current providers, need to respond to the RFP to be considered by our evaluation panel. Successful proposers will be offered a new contract and become part of the Ministry’s pool of providers. The new contracts will run until June 2016. The opportunity to tender for this contract is only open to individuals.
These documents are available to download from the Government Electronic Tenders Service website (GETS Ref 38674).
Industrial, advisory and trustee election services
NZSTA is contracted by the Ministry of Education to provide industrial, advisory and trustee election services free to all boards.
These services include:
- trustee advisory services, including the 0800 Helpdesk to support boards on all governance matters
- a national network of advisors – personnel/industrial relations
- representing boards in employment-related matters
- legislation and information on compliance changes
- school trustee elections: information, promotion and resources.
Access to industrial and advisory services
NZSTA can be contacted at