Principal returns after two year secondment

The board chair of a small North Canterbury school says it will be an ‘‘exciting’’ year ahead with the return of a principal.

Hurunui College board of trustees presiding member Robin McKinlay said the school has welcomed back principal Stephen Beck from a two year secondment, as it works on implementing the new school curriculum.

‘‘The education world is quite chaotic. It’s very political, but we are excited to see what the year brings because there’s some positive change.

‘‘We will see what comes out of the curriculum changes, but it’s not the big unknown anymore. It just needs to be implemented.’’

Beck has returned to the school after a two-year appointment as the Ministry of Education’s area schools (Year 1 to 13) advisor.

Hurunui College is a Year 1 to 13 school based at Hawarden, with a roll of just under 200 students.

While the Kāhui Ako (communities of learning) funding was axed at the end of last year, McKinlay said North Canterbury’s area schools were continuing to work together.

‘‘The only way to survive when you are small is to work together.’’

Beck said the Ministry role was an ‘‘awesome opportunity to refresh’’.

‘‘I gained a better understanding of what the Ministry does and working with the other area schools reaffirmed things we are doing.

‘‘Rural schools are quite unique and you need to personalise things for your community. You can’t just pick up another school’s strategy and apply to your context. We’re all different.’’

He said small rural schools were still adapting to the new curriculum, which was more prescriptive to year levels, compared to the old curriculum.

Small schools tended to teach in multi-year level classrooms, with teachers previously able to use the same material and adapt to each year level.

‘‘We’re looking for clarity. It’s been raised, but it hasn’t been resolved,’’ Beck said.

‘‘It’s not a new challenge, but the curriculum we have been working with has been more flexible so you could adapt what you were teaching to each year level, but the new curriculum doesn’t have the same flexibility.’’

Beck said the school was also keeping a close eye on proposals to scrap NCEA and replace it with two qualifications in Years 12 and 13 - a New Zealand Certificate of Education and an advanced certificate.

‘‘Our Year 9s this year could be sitting the new qualifications at Year 12, so if I was a parent of a Year 9 student I would be a little bit nervous at what the impact is going to be.’’

Hurunui College is also gearing up to celebrate 100 years of education on the site next year, Beck said.

■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.