Report of the School Staffing Review Group
The Minister of Education established a School Staffing Review Group comprising representatives of practitioners, school leaders and employers of teachers, to provide advice on the teacher staffing needs of the compulsory state school sector. This report outlines the findings and recommendations of the group. Published Feb 2001.
Foreword
As Chair of the School Staffing Review Group I am pleased to offer this report, the result of detailed deliberations over the past 10 months.
New Zealand schools have faced staffing pressures for some time. Children’s learning suffers when teachers cannot do their job properly, so we must ensure that all teachers are able to focus effectively on their teaching and on the needs of their individual students.
The existing staffing formulae do not adequately address the extra workload inherent in particular school environments such as low decile schools, small schools and schools with teaching principals. There is also a general concern about workload levels for both teachers and principals.
The new Government made a commitment to review these staffing arrangements with a view to implementing phased improvements. To this end, a representative staffing review group was formed, terms of reference for the review were prepared, and key sector groups – the NZ School Trustees’ Association, NZ Principals’ Federation, Secondary Principal’s Association of New Zealand and Principals’ Council (joint member), Te Runanga Nui o Nga Kura Kaupapa Mäori, NZ Educational Institute Te Riu Roa and NZ Post Primary Teachers’ Association - were invited to participate.
The present School Staffing Review is not an attempt to re-litigate the 1995 Ministerial Reference Group (MRG) report on staffing that is the basis of the current staffing entitlement system. Rather, it is a re-assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the current system.
The School Staffing Review should not be viewed in isolation. It is an integral part in a coordinated series of measures designed to improve student outcomes in the medium and long term. Some of these measures concern the “what” and “how” of teaching and learning; others are concerned with resource allocation, such as staffing.
There are no silver bullets in education. Government seeks a sensible mix of policies that collectively will serve to raise the level of educational achievement in our young people.
Trevor Mallard
Minister of Education