It is the first step by the commissioner, Nicola Hornsey, who will involve pupils' parents and caregivers, staff and the wider school community Ms Hornsey said yesterday the process would form a platform to make changes at the school in the next year or more.
''I am looking forward to working with the ... school community, which is clearly very proud of the school's history and traditions,'' she said.
The Tekapo employment and resource management lawyer was on Friday appointed commissioner under a statutory intervention by the Ministry of Education when the school's board of trustees stood down on October 6.
She assumes the governance role of the board, working with rector Paul Jackson, who retains responsibility for day-to-day management.
''Together we will work to ensure that Waitaki Boys' High School provides the opportunity for all students to thrive and realise their full academic potential,'' she told parents and caregivers of pupils in a letter yesterday, which was when she officially started in the role.
Ms Hornsey visited the school last Friday, the day her appointment was announced.
The first stage of the intervention, known as the scoping phase, will take four weeks and result in the report and plan, both of which will be shared with parents, caregivers and staff.
The commissioner's role will be to take the school to the stage where she and the ministry are satisfied a new board of trustees can be elected to take back governance.
The decision by the ministry to replace the board with a commissioner followed two independent reports and a draft Education Review Office report which identified issues at the school and questioned whether they could be resolved under the present governance and management structures.
Scoping phase
Proposed programme. -
• This week: Read school documentation.
• Week of October 20: Meet rector and staff.
• Week of October 27: Invite parents and caregivers to contact her.
• Week of November 3: Invite members of the wider school community to contact her.
• November 12: Complete scoping report and action plan.
