Dunedin school refuses standards reports

North East Valley Normal School's board of trustees has refused to provide mid-year reports to parents this year in protest at National Standards.

The Dunedin school's stance is in direct contravention of national administration guidelines (NAG 2) which make it clear schools must report to parents in plain language and in writing at least twice a year on their pupils' progress and achievement relative to the National Standards.

Board chairman Steve O'Connor said the school would report to parents only once this year.

"At North East Valley Normal School, we, as the board of trustees, decided not to provide mid-year reports to the parents, because we were not confident that we could produce reports that were safe and useful."

Mr O'Connor, a former minister at the Northeast Valley Baptist Church, acknowledged he had strong affiliations to the Labour Party.

However, he said his stance was not about ego or politics.

Rather, it was about what the school's board believed was best for the pupils.

He said the school was still considering whether it would comply with NAG 2.

"We may send out a report at the end of this term, and then another at the end of this year. We are still to make a decision on that.

"If we do, we'll put a disclaimer on the reports saying we have no confidence in them and that they are untested.

"We've already got a good system here. The kids are achieving well and we don't want to interfere with that."

Principal John McKenzie supported the board's stance, and said there had been no complaints from parents about not receiving a mid-year school report.

He said reports had been written, but were not sent to parents because the board believed they did not reflect the true achievement of the school's pupils.

At this stage, the school was planning only to send out reports to parents at the end of this year, he said.

Mr O'Connor said he was concerned Education Minister Anne Tolley kept saying principals and teachers were at odds with parents, and he believed she was undermining a pivotal relationship of trust which was very important in society.

"I think the Minister needs to be challenged and the public needs to know that she is playing the politicking game that she accuses the principals of.

"And the misinformation that she continues to spread irks me. The '20% of kids failing' that she speaks of is just not so."

Mrs Tolley said Mr O'Connor was part of a vocal minority, which did not represent the majority of views in the sector.

"He is a Labour activist who continues to use his school as a political soapbox."

Mrs Tolley said principals and teachers were working well with parents across the country to lift pupil achievement, and pointed to an Education Review Office report, released yesterday, as evidence.

"Parents want to know exactly how their child is doing at school, and the progress they are making against the standards. The standards will also identify the students who need extra support.

"If this school has issues with the implementation and reporting, then support is available from the ministry.

"If parents are unhappy with the political stance being taken by the board chair, then they should make their feelings known," she said.

The Otago Primary Principals Association will meet tomorrow to discuss whether to follow the Canterbury Primary Principals' Association, which has asked boards in the region to hold off on reporting National Standards until fundamental flaws are acknowledged and a sector-driven fix is in place.

Mrs Tolley has said if boards of trustees failed to report National Standards information, they would be breaking the law.