On-line feedback: Shaping Education Engagement Process
October 2011 What should we retain?
Financial pressures must not crowd out the needs of vulnerable communities that are catered for in the education system; Family time and recreation time for children must be retained
What should we change?
The silos that separate education from health, social services, sport must be removed - the reality is that ECEs and schools provide an interface between the community and all of these areas and it is the interface that must be enhanced.
What innovation could we introduce?
We need to rethink our ECEs and schools as a community resource - a two way street so that the principles of life- long learning can be entrenched within communities
What should we retain?
We need to encourage centres of excellence and choice so that students can study in an environment that unlocks their potential in the trades, academia, performing arts so that we make the most of what we have.
What should we change?
We need the interface with the wider community through the restoration of adult and community learning and utilising outside resources - e.g. National Library, Canterbury Musem, the Art Gallery as places of learning for young and old.
What innovation could we introduce?
Think of places of learning rather than classrooms - LOTC could become the norm in a new environment.
What should we retain?
Because the eastern suburbs have suffered so much damage, it is vital that the affected communities are given the chance to settle before decisions are made about their future. Some of the communities around Parklands have been trying to get a local high school for many years. This is an opportunity to develop a process that establishes whether the community expectations are realistic or not. And if so how this is best achieved. Many parents remain commited to the choice of single sex education and this needs to be factored into the discussion.
What should we change?
There needs to be safe access to schools - walkways, cycleways and dedicated bus services.
What innovation could we introduce?
The community has proved that resources can be shared - should we build this into the education system? ECE must be the building block for the future - there must be a better way of increasing participation
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
There are a number of issues that need to be resolved before we get a pictire of how the eastern suburbs of Christchurch can recover. The main issues relate to the land and the number of students that will remain in the area. It is a concern that so many schools have had to lay off staff and have their operational grants cut while they are facing significant personal pressures on staff and students alike. There needs to be a lot of extra support at this time. Internatonal student numbers are down - what are we losing as a result?
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Other
Are you representing?
Group What should we retain?
Shirley Boys High School and Avonside Girls High should be retained as single sex boys and girls schools for the whole of the Eastern side of the city.
What should we change?
These schools could be relocated so that they were sharing a site and facilities such as gymnasiums, Hall, IT and sports grounds.
What innovation could we introduce?
Build two separate Year 7 to 13 schools on Burwood Park to cater for both schools separately but sharing Hall, gyms etc. This would allow the present liquifaction prone sites of Shirley Boys, Avonside Girls, Shirley Intermediate to be developed as the sports areas presently catered for in Burwood Park.
What should we retain?
We should retain single sex education options for the Eastern side of the city.
What should we change?
All the buildings for the schools should be changed to bring them in to line with the needs of the 21st century.
What innovation could we introduce?
Innovative use of IT and online learning facilities should be developed, with teachers acting as facilitators.
What should we retain?
Single sex boys and girls education system has been proven to give both sexes an advantage academically. The teachers in these schools have the expertise to tailor the work and play to their particular pupils.
What should we change?
Shirley Boys site is too small and damaged for the 1500 students it has been providing education for. Avonside Girls is the same.
What innovation could we introduce?
Single sex education has been proven to develop better performing students academically. There will be a huge demand for this with more central city residential areas being built. City should be divided into East and West for single sex state school zones.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Interested member of the community Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Community based schools and ECE so children can attend in their local area. Being a parent at Mt Pleasant Kindy we have really felt the hole that Mt Pleasant Kindy has made since it has not been open. We had a really good community at the kindy before the eq's and now I fear we may lose this. Part of the reason we moved to Mt Pleasant is so I could give my children the sort of childhood I had ie. go to the local kindy then onto the local school. We all walked to kindy./school and knew everyone in the area which I think is important as a lot of the 'community' aspect of life has been missing in the last 20 years and Mt Pleasant was one of the few places that retained it.
What should we change?
Length of travel for children. What happened to the days of walking or biking to your local school like I remember? Being in Mt Pleasant our 'local' high school is Linwood which is certainly not walking or even biking distance. Even if they were prepared to bike that far the traffic down Linwood Ave/Ferry Road so far too busy/dangerous for me to allow my children to do that.
What innovation could we introduce?
New high school
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
-
What should we change?
We currently live in postcode 8083, and brought our New Brighton property last year off a couple in their mid 40’s with two daughters approaching high school age. They were selling to move to Burnside purely for schooling reasons. I was currently pregnant with our son, now 10mths when we moved, and therefore we chose not to let the lack of high school options prevent us from buying this place. And now a year on and countless earthquakes later we still love living in the East and hope that we too won’t be forced to move suburbs in ten years time. We give our full support to the North East Secondary Education Committee’s proposal for a high school within post code area 8083.
What innovation could we introduce?
-
What should we retain?
-
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
The 20 free hours of early childhood care initiative is great and we hope it will still be on offer when our son approaches three. To maintain this benefit we have no issues with those care givers receiving the free hours encouraged or forced to actively seek work for a max of 20hrs per week, assuming that is they have no other younger children in their care.
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
As we only have the one child at present, aged 10mths, we are not yet aware of what Christchurch does or does not have to offer our child in regard to the current education system (other than those points made), therefore we can’t adequately comment any further, but would still like to be involved and keep updated with progress on the draft plan.
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain? move in Christchurch to accepting new ways of looking at Education. In the Central City we have Unlimited and Discovery 1, student focussed and utilising resources already in place
What should we change?
'Pods' around the city which have different focusses. Rather than have competition between schools providing the same sort of experiences have real difference and focus on strengths.
What innovation could we introduce?
Utilisation of the student voice. The world is changing so fast, business meetings are no longer confined to the Board room but happen anywhere - and often in a cafe. "Pods' with different focuses eg music, science, IT - look at bringing in centres of focus for the jobs that are needed tomorrow. Keep it fun, vibrant, forward thinking. Make it 24/7 - truly use resources. WiFi everywhere.
What should we retain?
University, CPIT, opportunities such as this to put forward ideas,
What should we change?
Being open to new ideas. Rather than putting obstacles in the way to keep things the way they are allow input from those the system is to serve - the students. Move away from stopping change with ticking boxes but find ways to encompass ideas.
What innovation could we introduce?
Student forums - online and meetings. Utilise places learning is happening 'all hours' Don't try to do everything - focus on different looking places that do things differently.
What should we retain?
The start to offering choice for students. Much of what is on offer is the same. Hagley, Unlimited and Discovery 1 have demonstrated a move from the 'one size'. There are some stunning parts of other schools but these are 'swallowed' in the rest of the school which is 'the same'
What should we change?
Change to allow pods of expertise. Allow students to move the ones that best suit their needs. Enable flexibility - students to work in different environments if this suits them, bring in different times (move outside 8.30-4). Fully unitlse the world of technology to extend the learning environment.
What innovation could we introduce?
Change the 'competitiveness' to excelling at different things not trying to do the same things. Allow students to choose which 'pod' best suits their needs. classes across all age groups - encourage students to follow the path that be suits their learning needs - work on every student on an IEP. Trust students to be able to have this input.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater A model where schools move to become centres of learning, centres of expertise. Where the places they are located are used 24/7. Learning for engaged students is exciting - often this is a result of taking learning beyond the assessment requirements of NCEA. Christchurch has the opportunity to be a world leader with something really different. Last year I attended the OECD meeting on innovation in education. The common thread through the places innovating and obtaining the resulting hugely improved engagement and achievement were based on models that were student centred and used the community. They operated in a huge variety of environments and times. Christchurch has the opportunity to look at a new model - very exciting.
It would help us to know where you live
West Christchurch
Are you? Business owner
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
This very brief submission is being made at the eleventh hour. We are grandparents, lifelong learners and citizens of Christchurch.
We are deeply concerned to see that the quality of learning and teaching by people of all ages and backgrounds should be maintained and enhanced as we recover from the devastation of the past year.
We are concerned that children and adults in Christchurch at present may be severely disadvantaged as we see decreases in the funding of early childhood education, cuts in the number of teaching staff employed in schools and cuts to adult and community education. We also have no confidence that the newly introduced National Standards will do anything to enhance real standards of learning and teaching in the 21st century.
Although we believe in the importance of schools we do not have the time to address everything. Therefore the particular focus of this submission is not directed at schools but rather at adult and community education.
We believe that there is a real danger that the contributions which Adult and Community Education (ACE) has made to the life of this city over 100 years or more may be overlooked or forgotten at this time.
We want to stress that attention must be given to ensuring that ACE (in all its forms through universities, colleges, polytechnics, schools at all levels, community centres, NGO's and voluntary organizations) is able to continue to make these contributions. This includes providing recognition, funding and staff with the necessary ongoing training and support. We believe that ACE in all these forms has a major role to play in the recovery of Christchurch as well as contributing to the cultural, economic, social and political future of the city.
It would help us to know where you live
South Christchurch
Are you?
Interested member of the community
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Hinga atu tētē kura – hara mai tētē kura When one ferns frond succumbs another new frond will rise up
The recent Canterbury earthquakes have reduced a strong and vibrant city almost to its knees. However, despite the considerable physical, emotional and economic stress that has impacted many whānau and the widespread negative environmental impacts in the Canterbury region endured this severity of this disaster has created a rare window of opportunity to rebuild the city and retrofit the region for the future. Education is at the cornerstone of any successful society and Christchurch needs to respond in a timely fashion to not only restore confidence of the remaining community but also to create top-class and leading education institutions and facilities that will be a beacon in the resettlement process. This is an opportunity to showcase cutting edge education that is region proud, culturally and socially rooted, environmentally appropriate and economically feasible.
Mainstream education in Christchurch has a considerable history and arguably there are good examples where this has produced good outcomes. However, there exist many, if not more, examples of where this model has failed our children and youth. The establishment of alternative and innovative education institutions such as Steiner, A1 Discovery, Unlimited, Kura Kaupapa Māori and Kohanga Reo is, in many respects, the direct result of dissatisfaction with the mainstream model. Each of these alternatives fills a unique niche in the Christchurch education space whether it be Steiner’s balanced approach to the modern school curriculum - the academic, artistic and social aspects, or head, heart & hands; or the A1 Discovery and Unlimited’s approach of community participation in child’s self-managed and directed learning experience. Each of these alternatives has a function and purpose to a small percentage of the Christchurch population and this difference should be encouraged and supported. Similarly the Māori language immersions facilities (Kura Kaupapa and Kohanga Reo) whose philosophy and practice of reflecting Māori cultural values with the aim of revitalising Māori language, knowledge and culture have played an important role in meeting the educational aspirations of parents who have a strong language focus – although there has been limited growth in Canterbury Māori immersion schools in recent years. Bilingual units are also increasing in popularity which is a reflection of a heightened demand from parents who favor this model. However, these units still exist and function within a ‘mainstream’ non-kaupapa Māori environment which does compromise their effectiveness – particularly from a Māori perspective.
What should we change?
Ka pū te ruha ka hao te rangatahi As the old net withers and is compromised a new ‘fit for purpose’ net is made and employed
The growing disparity between Māori and non-Māori primary and secondary school children is a particularly disturbing blight on the Christchurch education landscape –even before the Canterbury quakes. This gap is likely to widen particularly in light of recent preliminary research that indicates that Māori families are more likely to be worse off as a result of the earthquakes. If the education landscape pre-earthquakes was ineffective at improving these poor statistics then rebuilding the ‘status quo’ will certainly NOT ameliorate this. We need a fundamental change and new philosophical approach in Canterbury – an alternative that captures Māori and non-Māori who feel disenfranchised by the current models and allows them to contribute to the community and the New Zealand society as a whole.
What innovation could we introduce?
I whakawhara hurahi tuatahi, whakaarohia, kimihia ara turua Should your intended pathway be perilous innovate and pursue an alternative route
A considerable weight of education research points to importance role of family and environment in education. I believe that a new approach needs to have at its center a strong focus on the student and have a broader objective of capturing whānau in the education and social fabric of that learning. Expending effort at a people level in the first instance will more likely produce positive education outcomes compared to focusing solely on obtaining positive education outcomes “people in education – not people AND education.”
This translates to different learning approach that is inclusive of and supportive of difference rather than enforcing conformity; acknowledging of family and community in the educational, social and economic wellbeing of our students and society as a whole.
The widespread damage and negative environmental impacts from an overreliance on centralized and antiquated philosophies of water use, waste disposal and energy capture and use. These earthquakes have highlighted the fragility of our built environment and subsequently the over-reliance of our communities on these systems. Surely the education re-build should take cognizance of these frailties and promote more self-reliance and sustainability in both the infrastructure and the incorporation and promotion of these philosophies in the education curriculum. This will raise an awareness of environmental responsibilities and connection with the environment in successive generations and promote the philosophy of ‘people in the environment and not people and the environment.’
What should we retain?
The question of what to retain does present me with a significant challenge particularly in view of the poor statistics of Māori from an education system that has historically and consistently failed them. This is further compounded by a resignation that much of the current education infrastructure and approach will remain thereby discounting a broad scale re-build/re-think of education in a post-earthquake Christchurch. Therefore, I believe that the question is not what we retain but more what and where are the opportunities to develop and build a new approach that tackles this issue head-on.
What should we change?
Support co-location of schools to minimise travel for families with children that attend different schools. More sustainable schools. Support dual-language institutions
What innovation could we introduce?
I am a member of an establishment committee of Te Pā o Rākaihautū – a group that has applied to the Ministry of Education to found a special character status facility here in Christchurch.
Our group formed early in 2010 primarily as a group of concerned parents who wanted an alternative to the currently available education models in Christchurch.
The defining features of our proposal are:
1. Co-location of different learning stages/sectors (pre-school through to tertiary) and intergenerational learning experiences are two new innovations that our group is advocating. I believe that these approaches strengthen the sense of family and community and are excellent vehicles to teach and reinforce a range of principles and values that are sadly missing from many education institutions. By creating a Māori Pā environment the notion that “it takes a village to raise a child” becomes a reality.
2. Placed based and enquiry-based learning that is firmly centered on the individual and the environment as determinant of well-being, identity, language and culture.
What should we retain?
The philosophy of enquiry based learning is becoming recognized as a best practice learning approach and one that resonates with traditional Māori practices and remains contemporarily relevant. Examples of this should be retained. Environmental education initiatives are becoming more widespread and should also be supported and promoted wherever possible. Approaches that incorporate the learning into the curriculum should be especially encouraged as this engages the students directly in the practical and theoretical teachings.
What should we change?
The delivery of education across the different age sectors remains inconsistent and disjointed. I believe that this is a consequence of each being managed at a central government level by different departments. That said serious consideration needs to be invested in how to break down these departmental barriers to create a more open and transparent environment that will translate into seamless learning between each sector.
Fundamental to the challenges of addressing the poor Māori educational statistics in Canterbury are those people charged with delivering an education to these students. What Te Pā o Rākaihautū proposes to achieve is dependent on having professionals with the necessary capabilities to effectively operate in this new environment. It is my belief that mainstream teacher training is insufficient to produce teachers that are effective in this new medium and therefore training methodologies should be re-evaluated along these lines.
What innovation could we introduce?
The establishment committee of Te Pā o Rākaihautū have deliberated and debated what it is that we believe are important for the education of our children and the key issues facing disenfranchised Māori and non-Māori moving forward. The thinking and philosophical underpinnings are detailed in our application to the Ministry of Education for special character status and as such we would be more than happy to take part in other aspects of the consultation process if required.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live West Christchurch
Are you? Parent
Are you representing? Group What should we retain?
Christchurch needs to retain their support in creating different innovative educational models. Character Schools such as Discovery, Steiner, Early Childhood Maori Education, Kohanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa, Bilingual units etc have proven to be an asset knowing that all children do not learn the same way and of course have different interests. These “schools’” eases the minds and worries of parents to where best to send their child/ren for their education. Often enough where parents send their child extends on the beliefs of what is taught and valued in the home. There is still room for improvement for the Maori education which currently does not fit the needs of most Maori families here in Canterbury. Whilst Te Kohanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa are needed here in Canterbury, they only have a small percentage of families that attend and support these schools. This is mainly due to a small percentage of families with little knowledge of the Maori language and their customs. Bi-lingual Units have more support for families as it caters for the language deprivation for most Maori families living in Christchurch, however it runs within a mainstream system which often does not coincide with the Maori philosophy (culture and customs).
What should we change?
We are needing an innovation that meets all these needs for a better Maori education way forward for Canterbury, Aotearoa and possibly all Indigenous countries. Whilst there is a popularity here in Christchurch for families to send their children to bi-lingual units, what cultural learning’s and Maori language the child gains there is then lost once they complete their education and continue their schooling at a mainstream intermediate school which is then only cemented when they attend High School as the Maori language becomes an optional language alongside French and other languages. What we also need to change here in Christchurch to benefit a better Maori Education is the importance of whanau involvement with the child’s learning. Many or most of the schools do not provide the innovation to fully allow parents and whanau to be part of their child's schooling education. Most families who benefit from this are those parents who decide to become teachers themselves and learn and teach beside their own children. More often these teachers are also learning and teaching beside their siblings children as parents find comfort in sending their child to a school where their child’s uncle or aunty are teaching. Also, many parents are reluctant to send their children back to school fearing from separation anxiety as a result from the quakes. With the Government now dictating how long parents should stay home with their child and now pressurising mothers to go back to the work-force after their child turns the age of one, shows that the child's first years in education is not fully supported with whanau support in mind. Families are seen more to be running around to meet the needs of an educational system with parents dropping off their children in the mornings to usually two – three different schools, opting only for schools that is close to home or work and not really having an option for which model best fits their own culture and home values. What needs to change is a innovative education that best fit the needs of families living here in Christchurch that adapts to meet the needs of the families and produces and achieves better learning outcomes for the child based on the child’s interests with family support in mind.
What innovation could we introduce?
I am involved with a group of Maori parents who are passionate about the education for their children but are currently working through problems as noted above. All the parents within this group are what we call “Pa Kids” in that we all grew up on our own marae learning, playing, caring, carrying out our cultural customs and hearing and speaking the Maori language. This type of learning was not taught by just one person (as seen in schools today) but by all the whanau (inter-generational learning) The innovative model that we are proposing falls back on the pre- european approach to learning where the child’s interest and talents are acknowledged and then a curriculum of learning is based around those interests and talents of the child. This way the child is always keen and interested to learn and learning outcomes are been met. We have opted for a “Pa” model where Early Childhood, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary are placed on one site. Whilst at times each sector will have its own learning and teaching time frames, there will also be allowances where knowledge is transmitted between generation to generation, where doors are open and each sector comes together and learning is involved by all (tuakana/teina at its best) This innovation draws on the theory that it takes a village to raise a child allowing parents to have only one area point to take their children to for their education, it does not require parents to buy three to four different sets of uniforms (also not feasible for low-socio economic families) and it also gives the opportunities for parents to further educate themselves with the Tertiary Education provided again on the same site. We are keen to launch this Pa by February 2013 and know that this innovation is well needed by families living here in Christchurch.
What should we retain?
There is still a need for Te Kohanga Reo, Kura Kaupapa, Te Whare Kura and Bi-lingual units as they meet the needs for families who do have strong Maori language and Maori customs in the home. The current system needs to ensure they retain these Maori educational learning models here in Christuchurch regardless of this model meeting the needs of a very small percentage of families living here in Christchurch. Again Christchurch is seen to support the need to provide families with more options to where to send their child based on what best fits their childs learning and family culture. This needs to be retained.
What should we change?
The fact that all Maori education are well spread throughout Christchurch means that families are having to move longer distances to gain access to Maori education. There needs to be a mindset change that consistency in the child’s learning environment is also an important key factor. Transitioning for a child and family is huge. Environment changes when moving the child from ECE to Primary Schools to Intermediate to High School then possibly Tertiary. Children have to adapt not only to a new learning environment but also new people and teachers when transitioning. Routines change and families have to change, adjust and adapt, change, adjust and adapt.
What innovation could we introduce?
In our Pa, the learning environment stays the same. This is ideal for children and families who begin this journey from Early Childhood and continue their education through to Tertiary at the Pa. Transitioning between each sector does not become an issue at the Pa as the children would already be familiar with all the kaiako, older children, parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles, cousins, friends who attend the Pa and of course no doubt within its community. Remembering there will times throughout the day the doors are opened, walls come down and the Pa functions as such. The childs education is not affected by the fear of parents separated from their children. This allows families and friends to learn side by side.
What should we retain?
The fact that Christchurch has supported the development of Special Character Schools to exist is positive. Unfortunately there are not enough of these school’s and I believe mainstream learning does not meet the learning needs and outcomes for children and families. Christchurch needs to retain the acceptance of creating more enquiry based learning.
What should we change?
The Pa would be delivered through the medium of the Maori language. Christchurch needs to change the mindset of assuming that learning delivered in the Maori language be only limited and provided for Maori families, this should not be the case as it only hinders Christchurch socially and culturally. Whilst Canterbury celebrates multi- Culturalism it is also important for all families to see bi-culturalism. Christchurch needs to change so that all families feel that they have a place (turangawaewae) in this type of learning model. Over the long-term with all peoples Maori, Pakeha and Tauiwi attending and feeling a belonging at the Pa can only be a positive move forward not only for Christchurch but Aotearoa.
What innovation could we introduce?
Right from Early childhood learning through to Primary and Secondary the child’s curriculum is based around what the child’s interest and talents are. This is seen as enquiry based so straight away this learning model caters for all peoples and not based around what ethnicity your child and family belongs to. The fact that the learning is delivered in the Maori language should be placed in a positive light allowing not only intergenerational learning but learning alongside other cultures. This Paa creates a positive and safe space for Pakeha, Tauiwi and those with Special needs to learn the Maori language and customs in an environment that will be inclusive for all. The Maori language at the Paa is seen as the “normal” language spoken at the Paa but not the focus for the child’s learning. The Maori language will not be the learning taking place, the importance is allowing the child to learn still through their own interests, and through discovery.
Learning will not only take place in the classroom. Children will learn on field trips as a school, as a sector. Teachers become Facilitators providing avenues, guidance in how children can conduct research on their own learning and where possible attain people who are experts in their field to extend on where the child’s interest lies. Where ever the child learning is taking place is where the child's classroom is.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
The innovative learning model of Te Paa o Rakaihautu is a positive way forward for all peoples. It meets the need Social, Economically, Culturally for all. An initiative like this is needed now in Christchurch. Thank you na Ahi Ataria.
It would help us to know where you live
West Christchurch
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing?
Group What should we retain?
Strong, government funded local schools using the New Zealand Curriculum, with excellent teachers that are recognised as professionals. Places where children are recognised for the skills they have and encouraged to expand their learning. Boards of Trustees that come from the community.
What should we change?
Classes and assessments based on age or year level alone. Set maximum class sizes and fund accordingly.
What innovation could we introduce?
Build classrooms and schools with flexible teaching spaces and state of the art technology.
What should we retain?
Excellent New Zealand curriculum which recognises that students are individual and progress in individual ways.
What should we change?
Create central funding for support staff so that schools can rely on administrative and teacher aide numbers from term to term and year to year.
What innovation could we introduce?
Look for ways to maintain and existing links between schools at transition points - ECE to primary, primary to secondary, secondary to tertiary.
What should we retain?
Strong locally based schools that have strong ties to the community.
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
New Zealand has one of the best education systems in the world. Christchurch should be able to access the support they need to ensure that students have access to local schools which support them.
It would help us to know where you live
Canterbury
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
The strength of education in Christchurch is the broad range of learning facilities that supports students and whanau in what they value about education. I am thinking along the spectrum of private preparatory schools to alternative education such as Tamariki School.
What should we change?
Every school community should challenge itself about how best to deliver education for the 21st century. This will lead to a whole range of changes from school buildings and facilities to how schools engage with the wider community.
What innovation could we introduce?
Innovation will fall out of embracing change. For example the proposed high speed broadband will provide students with opportunities probably not even imagined.
What should we retain?
The child and young person could answer this better. I think we have to take time to involve them in the process and ask their ideas and feedback.
What should we change?
I like the idea of learning in different places and times and the idea of learning hubs. Having said that I know some students also like to be 'secure and safe' in an environment with adults and students they know.
What innovation could we introduce?
Giving the child the opportunity to be involved in the decision making about how learning will work for them.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Both my children are now in tertiary education - one went to a co-ed state school and the other through Discovery and Unlimited Schools. They made their own choices about where to go. As a parent I really valued the opportunity to be involved in a school that was innovative and valued input from the student and family. It was forever challenging but has produced a young adult totally aware of herself as a life long learner. I value the vision and drive of those that made this type of schooling a reality in Christchurch.
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
• Local schools as focus - Physical sites • Self governance in some form • Quality education • Single sex/co-ed options • Qualified professional workforce • Be responsive to the community • Public education/public funding • NZC • Uniqueness and culture - sense of community
What should we change?
• Increased collaboration across schools – sectors • Funding models and policy to be flexible and accommodate a dynamic system • Inter government agency cooperation • Community perception/expectation • Seamless education • Remove competitiveness • Family involvement strengthened • Value investment in education – education not the cure all • Look at placement and size of schools • Flexibility for individual learners • Choices for parents and children • Sharing of resources and sites • Shared vision to support change
What innovation could we introduce?
• Local governance models • Greater resource sharing across schools and sectors – human resources, teachers ,expertise • Schools the hub of the community – one big educational community on one site. Support agencies to co-locate on site as well • Community owned facilities – stewardship/not ownership • Learning/education hubs – including virtual hubs • Bicultural innovation/more inclusiveness/all groups fully participating • Parents valued as first educators • Creativity in funding options to allow innovation • Special education – innovation for children with increasing complex needs • Personnel who can coordinate the connections • All providers work together for the student • ECE from 4 years • Be responsive to new innovations eg. buildings, future proofing/use of current technology • Research based initiatives only introduced not ideology
What should we retain?
• human interaction of teacher and students • Community participation • Curriculum focus – ie values, KC’s, learning areas • Bi/multi cultural focus • Personalized/individualized learning • Choice/flexibility • Best practice/BES/research • Expertise • Local curriculum/student focused • Cultural experiences currently offered • Place where people come together socially • Special character (but how would this be achieved if sharing resources?)
What should we change?
• Policy and funding – needs to enable - drivers not brakes • Variability of preservice training across the sector • Logistics – plan process/implementation – who runs it? • Bureaucratic processes – make them relevant – central MOE versus local MOE • Better understanding of educators of each other’s sector/sharing of information to overcome transition issues etc • Meet student needs • Research led • share resources eg. gyms, libraries, specialist sports facilities, pools
What innovation could we introduce?
• Community hub for schools, health, library, ICT etc – increase usage • Networks – systems to collaborate for: agency links; procurement of resources; • NZ based research; Take notice of it; Support research that takes account of NZ experience • Joint process- cant change education in isolation • Networks – fluid – cross sectored; multiple networks; geographical • Community mentors and community groups involved • Ways children travel to school • Educating parents about the NZ system
What should we retain?
• Parental choice and parental involvement • Quality teachers and support staff • Parents as first teachers • Professional standards • Quality teachers (fully trained) • Relationship between teacher and students • Grow the ability of children to do different stuff at different schools
What should we change? • High quality/consistent providers • Transitions (between different parts of the system) • Resourcing for children with special needs • Link between providers and context – understand the complexity of the role of a teacher • High quality PD • Strong sense of local identity • Quality - no matter what school a child attends – consistency across system • Funding flexibility • Regulation rigidity • Group sizes (teacher ratios) • Smooth transitions • Be evidence based
What innovation could we introduce?
• Community resourcing -shared resources -a hub • Online learning • Learning occurs in all sorts of places not just 4 walls • Appropriate assessment processes • Flexibility for thinking differently – school year, school day • Think as a whole system not in pockets/areas • Building design (MLE) - embrace new technology in design • Parental involvement and information flow
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
• innovation will only happen if we are allowed to take risks • Suspend “Education Act” for ChCh for 2 years • Involve NZCER in long term research approach to innovation • Cant do this on our own – but mustn’t be stifled by bureaucracy and political agendas • Need to have time to think • Buy in from all stakeholders • Use of people outside the sector – because those in it are swamped and need/appreciate guidance and advocacy • Need a timeframe for development - agreed and announced before Christmas so people can feel they can have an indicative timeframe for 2012
Feedback from the MOE focus group: Education Associations
It would help us to know where you live
(select option)
Are you?
Other
Are you representing?
Group What should we retain?
School swimming pools are a must.
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
Sumner / Redcliffs / Mt Pleasant really needs a high school
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
Retain Mt Pleasant Kindy
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Apologies for not following the above, have already written a blog post based on my experience of working with school designers and educators which focusses on how social media should / could impact on "the physical buildings plus the pedagogical approaches in those spaces as well" - wanted to offer this as my 'feedback' and as you will read it covers several of the areas above plus some new ones to broaden your brain:
http://mediasnackers.com/2010/11/social-school-design/
It would help us to know where you live
(select option)
Are you?
Other
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
We should retain individual schools, but maybe share large campuses with 2 schools sharing central resources. I would still like to see single sex schools also retained as they cater for learning to a specific sex and are working well this way. There needs to be a mix of coed and single sex schools.
What should we change?
Maybe have 2 schools (secondary) sharing a campus and resources. I.e. having a main block housing central resources and maybe a hall etc, then having the 2 schools with their own classrooms either side of this block and also sharing playing fields. This way if subjects are unavailable at one school pupils could be offered it at the other school meaning they could take subjects they wanted without going off campus.
What innovation could we introduce? would like to see flexibility with timetables. Maybe shorter classes and shorter days. It has been proven teenagers learn better starting later and I think this should be taken into account when planning for the future. Also in primary schools maybe starting earlier at 8.30 and finish at 2.30?
What should we retain?
We should retain both single sex and co-ed schools as they each have a unique way of catering to children’s educational needs. We also need to retain special needs education schools and units as they cater best for children that need to be in them.
What should we change?
Our schools need bright and open classrooms and facilities with comfortable chairs and tables that will help with conducive learning. Technology needs to be fully incorporated in classrooms and throughout the school, but this shouldn’t come at the cost of the school it should come from government funding. Schools should be available in all suburbs with little travelling distance. They also need to be on a transport route so they can be easily accessed.
What innovation could we introduce?
Good sports facilities, halls and large libraries should be built into all schools that can not only be used by the school but also by the community. Giving all the community a chance to participate in sports or go to a library to borrow books or use the technology available in the library. The sports fields in schools could also be used at weekends for sports games as at the moment a lot of them are unused at the weekends. Schools should become hubs in their communities.
What should we retain?
Education in Christchurch is going pretty well. We do however need to retain our quality teaching staff and quality support staff. Without them our children’s educational needs would definitely suffer.
What should we change?
Things we need to change are we need to increase support staff hours to help the children who are struggling or they will not keep up with National Standards. Support staff hours should not be dependent on each individual schools operations budget as it is not enough and compromises children’s learning and children’s access to good quality education!!
What innovation could we introduce?
Innovation we can introduce is more freedom with teaching and not teaching to the test. If nothing, this earthquake has shown we are all different and have different needs and approaches to things just like the children of Christchurch. We need to be aware of children’s learning needs and the different ways they learn. This can be successfully implemented in our classrooms if there wasn’t as much pressure to analyse absolutely everything but to be given the freedom to teach. Children have naturally inquiring minds and we need to facilitate that with flexibility in our timetabling and learning styles. Yes technology needs to be a part of this but we also need to remember not all children learn best with technology and we need to be aware of this. Combining resources with other neighbouring schools can also benefit both children and staff. Governance and management of schools should still be left with the schools themselves as they know their children and their communities best and how to best implement educational needs and policies in their own schools.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live East Christchurch
Are you? Parent Are you representing? Individual What should we retain? What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Christchurch has a unique science and technology education resource that is available to the public and schools. Science Alive! has been operating for almost 20 years providing our city with access to hands-on science education. Science Alive! faces a number of challenges over the next few months. Severe damage to the Science Alive! building on Moorhouse Avenue means we can no longer operate our public galleries or run classroom programmes onsite. We have worked very hard over the last six months delivering programmes in schools, libraries and temporary sites and the feedback from these programmes has been extremely positive. The redevelopment of Science Alive!, either at the Moorhouse Avenue site or a new location, will provide Christchurch with a world class science centre. Local and central government, along with the private sector should all have a role in the redevelopment of Science Alive!, as Christchurch has the opportunity to develop a centre for science and technology education.In April, the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor Sir Peter Gluckman, released a paper entitled 'Looking Ahead: Science Education for the Twenty-First Century' and this report outlined a number of strategies to ensure New Zealand students receive valuable high quality science education. We believe Science Alive! is in a unique position to support the Christchurch education community in developing these strategies. Science Alive! already provides Christchurch students and their teachers with;
• learning activities that support the development of understanding of the Nature of Science and key concepts within the science curriculum. • programmes that enhance in-school learning experiences. • pre- and post-learning activities that support the integration of the experience into school learning programmes (links between science and other curriculum learning areas) • A new centrally located Science Centre would become a link between the science community, the compulsory education sector and the public. Science Alive! could facilitate the development of other strategies outlined in Professor Gluckman’s report; • become the hub for community involvement in the exploration and develop a shared understanding of the purpose of science education, and to explore what this will look like in a New Zealand context and how it can be supported. • support pre service teacher training, allowing student teachers opportunities in presenting science concepts. • provide teacher professional development to enable teachers to build up their knowledge and understanding of the programme context in order to more effectively integrate the experience into school learning programmes. • provide support to help communities, particularly Maori and Pasifika, place value on science education for young people and provide opportunities to support and encourage achievement in science. It would help us to know where you live South Christchurch Are you? Organisation
Are you representing? Group What should we retain?
• Focus on individual students • Choice - options • Number of schools – o 3 or 10? o Economy of scale o Small versus large
What should we change?
• Change and Innovate • Small and closer - sharing or larger and spread out (reference to studio schools – about 350 students (have outstanding results) but networked with other schools • Hubs – networked from ECE – secondary • One stop place – ECE – tertiary; family linked; health centre/library etc. • Age separation – some thought to doing this differently • Schooling that promotes social connection – o within school and across school o relationships across city not east/west divide (the divide perception – what is reality?) o minimize travel related problems • leadership responsibility to share resources/expertise o new leadership model – broad view • different governance model – super board – work alongside base school • central online/IT sharing resources • meeting challenging community needs/expectations eg. cultural diversity • ability to support transition of students (ECE/primary; primary/secondary • Identify vocational needs in community/NZ – matched/responsive…from/through the education system • Smarter use of facilities including private • Centres of excellence – teachers; educational leaders; researchers
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
• choice - co-ed, single sex, special character, options • School locally – neighborhood schools (friends locally; walk/bike safely)
What should we change?
• Home based school but access specialization from/through other sites eg. sport, music • More connected to strengths in community from early childhood to secondary
What innovation could we introduce?
• Networking improved – green corridors between schools • Studio school concept for example small schools within a larger network of schools • Do we have one approach? o Year 1 – 6 and year 7 – 13 o Year 1- 6, 7 -10, 11- 13 o Year 1- 8; 9 – 13 • Schools networked – working together • Decisions supported by research
What should we retain?
What should we change?
Change and Innovate
• Individual pathway plan analysis, negotiated with the students/family – relationship/partnership with school requires creative thinking • Think about timetabling, projects, seamless, real, targeted, individualized component…… • Service learning - benefit of others • Changes to teacher education – funding • Research backed sitting alongside any innovation • Shared expertise, expert models, smart thinking/planning • Sharing resources across schools • Brokerage – for all students, matching expertise with need • Tap into community resource • Flexible scheduling • Maybe a ChCh unique leavers diploma (altruism/humanities) • Community design – safety; service projects; connectedness • Environmental education – how will schools show that? • Work with CERA to develop ideas and principles that are fitted to community need
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
• Can’t ignore strategic views of CCC, CERA, etc • Choice versus balance – getting it right a challenge
It would help us to know where you live
(select option)
Are you?
Other
Are you representing?
Group What should we retain?
• Trips/camps • Variety of option subjects • Keep same classes for core subjects • Keep schools the same (don’t mix them to keep school character and pride) • Teachers specializing in subjects • Keep resources for future pathways • Opportunity to try subjects Keep single sex and co-ed schools • Open spaces inside schools • before choosing a career pathway • Learning not restricted to classrooms
What should we change?
• More choices - Bigger variety of subjects for all schools • Expectations equal between different schools • More “real world” subjects • More “nice” landscapes; more light • Teaching methods varied for different people • Cater for poorer families if schools wan students to use technology • NCEA to be internationally recognised • More control over your timetables • More interaction between schools • School should start an hour later • Make classes more interesting (more hands on stuff) • Pay more attention to passion • Larger focus on students needs than curriculum make students aware of opportunities • Flexibility for school hours
What innovation could we introduce?
• Introduce everyday skills into the curriculum • Open classes to learn anything • Provide wide cultural perspectives • Bigger libraries • Technology – wireless; more modern resources; computers in every classroom ; unblock things – like UTUBE so students can watch videos to help them learn • More students involved in management – help staff) • School design – more open feeling; open spaces • Self directed learning but still with checks and discipline to make sure groups are still on task
What should we retain?
• Large open areas to sit • Keep schools separate - but hubs for schools to get together • Keep the mix/single sex schools - option to choose
What should we change?
• More practical in theory subjects • Monthly interschool visits • Cater for different needs • Share facilities and classes • Equality amongst schools • Natural environments • Get rid of zones • Sports clubs instead of school sports clubs
What innovation could we introduce?
• Sports hubs for lots of schools to share. Central so its easy to get to • Eco friendly schools • “Learning Plaza” – sort of mixed hub with all schools have equal share and wide range of activities and things available o 24/7 o Tertiary/staff/advisers available at all levels o Uni and schools and libraries etc o Bring in “nature” – trees and grass • Hubs around the city – you can pick what you want to go to • Schools still the centre – gives the feeling of being involved in things
What should we retain?
What should we change?
• Collaborate learning (tailor to fit)
What innovation could we introduce?
• New technology - Different options for people • Cater for different learning styles • Introduce life and financial skills • Make year 10 a year where you expand your horizons • Get people to do stuff about issues facing the nation/planet • Get students to help design buildings • Work experience available for all students • Teachers taught how to teach differently • Get students involved in community • Outdoor lessons • Career consultations for all students
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Feedback from MOE focus group for students
It would help us to know where you live
(select option)
Are you?
Other
Are you representing?
Group What should we retain?
• Retaining qualified teachers in ECE • Ensuring funding appropriate to maintain and retain families in Canterbury and Christchurch (100% funding) • Retaining Te Whāriki and their whānau • The diversity of services through all education sector • Retain 20 hours ECE (as now) • Narrative assessment • Criteria for registered teachers • Existing aspirations for quality contained in the strategic plan for ECE • Don’t reinvent the wheel – retain what’s good, what works, what’s important • Connectiveness between colleagues and sectors • Education is about relationships
What should we change? • Provision and funding for good PD • Training for all people working with young people • Reinstate the ECE strategic plan – 100% ECE qualified and top two funding bands • Unified central government programme for funding (20 free hours) administration • Follow up children and whānau who have left Canterbury • Maximum group/class size. Teacher ratios for all sectors • More funding and support for children with learning needs • Attitudes between sectors and services to commit to one cause: Education of children/ learners/akonga
What innovation could we introduce? • Community hubs • Reinstate centres of innovation • Developing a research culture in NZ especially in ECE • Whānau focus – community approach • All children need funding and resources • Towns and communities planned around education needs and requirements • Recognising ongoing trauma for all children, teachers and children • Models of “community” hubs of learning (community of learners): ECE, school, secondary, library, services • Support for ECE teachers alongside the roles of RTLB’s and RTM’s within schools (developing a support role) • Holistic assessment of children throughout the whole of education sector (a seamless model) • Attention to infants and toddlers as a fast growing group moving into institutional care
What should we retain?
What should we change? • Have access for whānau • Site for education community rather than a school – becomes a hub for the community - Pools, gyms etc as part of the hub • Connecting with Pāpātuanuku • Sharing of spaces • Sustainability - environmentally friendly, finding a balance within the industrial areas • Flexibility of school day –Mechanism to engage “connectiveness” – such as community facilitator to bring sectors together • Diversity within the model
What innovation could we introduce? What should we retain?
What should we change?
Ako Life long learning – a vision to continue learning • Using community to facilitate learning • Sharing power with the learner – concept of “ako” • Redefine the role of the teacher • New ways to deliver timetable • Professional support for teachers needs to be available • Teacher training models need to change – uniquely Aotearoa curriculum • New teachers to NZ – Advice and guidance to support immigrant teachers into NZ context – retain our point of difference in the world
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Feedback from the MOE Kaiapoi focus group (all ECE people)
It would help us to know where you live
Are you? Are you representing? Group What should we retain?
Inner city hub for High School - Unlimited and for Discovery 1 if they so wish. More forward thinking in terms of engaging people in life long learning. Use of resources, creating a grouping of educationalists with cross sections to allow students to work across disciplines, levels of learning. Vibrant inner city again to allow learning to happen anywhere rather than being confined to within buildings. The ability to see learning and experience it in a way that is meaningful rather than prescribed. Use of Art Gallery, Museum, Library and other facilities back again as part of a broader learning environment.
What should we change? More resourcing for learning - that would include high speed internet at affordable price. Links between city and learning. All reports for innercity have ignored the fact that UPT and Discover 1 were very much a part of the inner city and this needs to change NOW...... it is not acceptable to negate not only what we were in the inner city - what we GAVE to the city in terms of vibrancy, resources, purchasing and bringing people into the inner city to use facilities but also what we gained from the inner city. This included students liasing with businesses and other inner city dwellers, using the wider aspects and resources and creating our own positive and vibrant culture. We need to include them into the planning for the city rather than ignoring them as they have been there for 12 years.
What innovation could we introduce? High speed internet... facilities that are multi purpose - can be used by other community groups outside of school hours and add another depth of vibrancy tot he city and allow for continuous learning for other residents or just provide facilities for meetings and events.
What should we retain? while I have concentrated on inner city education as I am passionate about what it has provided my two children until Feb 22. it is imperative that a broader approach to education be retained. The variety of facilities from Early childhood to post graduate is imperative for us to have first class facilities and opportunities. Variety and cross border is important. Students able to cross from high school level to tertiary and back again during their progress through education is important.
What should we change? That is too broad a question. Traditional schooling and education is a process to churn out people who think like all others - providing opportunity for educating people to think for themselves and do their own research and follow their passions would be amazing but sadly is some time off for the general population.
What innovation could we introduce? Education provided based on individuals needs rather than the lowest common denominator in each group. Allowing students to move through their education at their own pace and to see learning as life long rather than something to endure and get out of - this needs a major shift in focus rather than tweaking.
What should we retain? Providing hubs that enhance technology learning. resources prevent many children from reaching their potential. Many girls are prevented from accessing technology in my experience even in forward thinking educational scenarios. The boys hog all resources and this is not dealt with. I have had one of each and know that my daughter has been severely limited in her access to technology. Providing computer hub that can be used outside of hours as part of a high school environment would be useful as if people are not computer literate they miss out on so many opportunities now and this is more than just typing a letter but working wtih the full ability of technology.
What should we change? more resources - even some third world countries are providing their students wiht access to technology and teaching.
What innovation could we introduce? Broader approach to teaching. All the teaching my children have experienced this year has been hampered by the earthquakes and then the lack of resources .... however lack of teaching skills has also seen a huge reliance on online education and experiences I have provided them with or their own initiative in entrepreneurial ways......
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater The use of Canterbury University, Polytechnic and other resources to provide a full and rounded educational opportunity for all students and to make it accessible....Innovation and leading trends in education with a responsive, well resourced base would be a major improvement. Greater social impact will come from our students coming out of their early schooling - to the end of high school with a comfort and opportunity to move beyond that in terms of training and education. More opportunity for interaction with business and mentoring as a norm rather than seen as some weird situation would be good.
It would help us to know where you live South Christchurch Are you? Parent Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
On of our greatest strengths is the fact that Christchurch is a reasonably compact city, making it easy for students to get out and about explore their environment and interact with the wider community.
What should we change?
Schools being segregated pockets of "learning", hidden away in the community, competing against each other and using strategies that do not best meet the needs of students in 2011 and beyond.
What innovation could we introduce?
More interaction between schools, industry and other members of the community. Our whole city should be a place of learning. Let's use common resources, city libraries, city pools, cafes ... support our city whilst we learn. Have cultural exchange days at Hagley Park, student markets, shows for the community put on by students, a philosophy ampitheatre to inspire interesting conversations, an IT HUB where students AND industry come together. Lessen the gap between primary, secondary, tertiary and industry. These evolutions should flow together and not always in a linear manner.
What should we retain?
The sense of community we have built up as a result of the quakes.
What should we change?
Our attitudes. We need to become more diverse, more open-minded.
What innovation could we introduce?
To build stronger, safer communities, we need to focus on relationships. Vertically streamed, open learning is a far better approach and teaches that people of all ages have different things to offer. It also reduces bullying. Close the gap between child, teen and adult and lets work as a team to move our city forward.
What should we retain?
People with passion and VISION.
What should we change?
Everything. We need "Facilitators", not "teachers" to help bring out the best in young people. The information is out there and it's constantly changing. Students need to learn how to find the information they need and understand that information is ever-evolving. They need to be more in touch with the real world around them. Right now, it feels as if a lot of people want to squash education into a box that has no windows and only operates between 9am - 3pm. Learning is an experience, it's unpredictable, it's exciting, it's eternal.
What innovation could we introduce?
Learning and assessments could be done with real world purpose. For example, instead of a design student creating a portfolio to hand in to the teacher at the end of the year, why not get them to visit companies in the community, get a design brief, design, get feedback, redesign and use that for assessment and to build an online portfolio. Many students feel they have no purpose or direction with their assessments, and they have no idea what it's like to work with real clients. They're trying to make decisions about careers without having an understanding of what they're aiming for. Teachers need to become Facilitators that help to build relationships between students and mentors/industry/wider community.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Let's do something amazing! We've got a wonderful opportunity to be cutting edge, to show the rest of the world some exciting possibilities, to push the boundaries.
Take advantage of our incredibly strong IT industry! For little investment, we could get young people from different cultural backgrounds learning how to make phone apps and designing social media campaigns for our companies. Give people some options to help transform our economy.
It would help us to know where you live
North Christchurch
Are you? Other
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
The request is for innovative ways to improve education, and it seems accepted that this will require investment. Yet the first government move to change Canterbury education has been to remove money. Where schools have lost pupils, funds to those schools have been reduced in accordance with the supposed lesser need for teachers. The teachers, having lost their local jobs, will then disappear, many into non-teaching jobs, unemployment, or overseas. They cannot follow the missing children, because the children do not pop up elsewhere in class-sized groups, but have scattered widely, a few into each of numerous schools. This reduction of funds to earthquake-affected schools is alarmingly short-sighted. The assumption seems to be that retaining all the teachers in pupil-depleted schools is throwing money away. It can more realistically be seen as an investment in the psychological and academic well-being of earthquake-affected children. Children distressed by the earthquakes, the loss of their homes and in some cases the death of parents or family friends, will benefit from additional support at school: the loss of many pupils through migration out of the area could be turned to an opportunity, allowing more effective teacher-child interactions through a better adult-to-child ratio.
A huge part of the reason for the persistent failure of our schools and, as a result, our children, is simply insufficient human resources: there are not enough teachers in schools to meet the varied and often vast needs of children, in a society where parents too are often inadequately resourced and supported. Schools all over the country are already struggling to cope with children whose difficulties range from a catastrophic home life, to undiagnosed disabilities; huge numbers deal regularly with stress due to insufficient money; or to the parents who after long hours in paid work, have insufficient time or energy for their children. Many – the children of the “working poor” – suffer both insufficient parental attention and insufficient money. Many parents – whether full-time parents or in paid work – treat their children inappropriately with the best of intentions, simply through repeating family patterns of parenting, not knowing basic things about children's needs. (Obviously it would be more logical to deal with this at an earlier stage, but often school is the first prolonged contact parents have with people knowledgeable about child development.) In Canterbury, and particularly in the worst-affected red-zone areas, all these normal, nation-wide difficulties are compounded by anxiety about the earthquakes, grief in some families, the disturbance caused by repeated aftershocks, and the uneasiness of children living in temporary homes or in their irreparably damaged homes with worried, financially distressed parents, unsure where they will live long-term.
Instead of forcing the schools to cut loose a number of their teachers, a proactive approach would be to retain all these teachers and encourage the schools to deploy them in whatever ways seem best. The most urgent need in schools is for enough adults, with enough time, to attend to the range of needs of the children in their care. A few obvious possibilities are support for children who struggle with school because of learning difficulties, home problems, or earthquake-related anxiety; individual or small-group tutoring for children who are developmentally behind or ahead of their age-group, or have missed a lot of work through illness, inattention, or truancy; mediation where children are being bullied. Schools need to ask for input from teachers, parents, and children as to what kind of practical and emotional support, and what new initiatives, they believe would be most helpful. It could be structured as an experiment, with careful monitoring of the kinds of additional duties performed by the “extra” teachers and the effects on the children in their care. Things could be learned in Canterbury about the kinds of problems children typically have, and how to help – both for the routine and long-term crises of children's lives across the nation, and the problems specific to natural disasters.
The Education Renewal Recovery Plan calls for ideas about schools as community hubs, and the kind of technology these might need. Technology has a useful place in schools, but it is not an intrinsic part of how a school functions. Questions about types of technology can be left for the future; some of the technology suitable for school use will change very quickly anyway. The most important factor in any school's function is its people, and next, the non- physical structures – the rules, ideals, and ideas to support and guide their work; the knowledge of individual needs, and the time and skills to work towards meeting those needs. Technology is a smaller detail, to be added as and when budget allows. The most important thing for Canterbury schools now is to maintain the human resources they had before the quakes, and build on that, giving support to enable those people to be better and more effective than ever in supporting the children. That is the urgent need. It is extraordinary, and sad, that the government is currently introducing a system of exams to identify how well children are doing. This type of system has been tried many times before, most recently in America and Britain, and all evidence is that it has little or no useful effects, and causes a cascade of damage. Good teachers, if they have enough time to observe the children, can say within the first weeks of a new school year, which children will do well and which will fail at school. There is no need for exams to reveal this. What is needed is, first, people with the time and dedication to find out why these children fail – there will be as many reasons for failure as there are failing children – and then the financial and other resources to do something about it.
An experimental initiative a few years ago gave a tiny number of schools access to the people and equipment to do basic physical and psychological checks on new entrants. The result were astounding: huge numbers of children and teenagers had conditions that could reasonably be expected to adversely affect their ability to learn, many of which were very easily corrected, and previously undiagnosed. At Linwood College, the Christchurch school in the pilot programme, 16% of new entrants had significant defects of vision – that is, they needed glasses and didn't have any, or had glasses that had become inadequate. These were children aged about thirteen, many of them already with an established history of truanting: some had never learnt to read because they could not see well enough. For these children, their first glasses brought them into a world they could function in, and an article about the programme described children coming eagerly to school after a history of reluctance and truancy. That is just one relatively simple and very common type of disability found. Some had more complicated and rare neurological conditions, learning disabilities, mental illnesses, or severe anxiety due to problems at home or at school; some were in constant pain from dental problems because neither they nor their parents knew either that dental care is free for teenagers, nor the improvement it brings to quality of life.
Some of the problems these children had were absurdly simple; some horribly complicated; but the overwhelming conclusion of the pilot programme is surely that these tests are essential as a normal part of every school, and need to be introduced without exception to primary schools as a permanent part of their function, for all new entrants for the foreseeable future; and to high schools at least until the last of the unassessed primary school children have been through. Ideally, basic medical tests should be repeated every few years. These medical tests, not academic tests, stand to give kids a head start in school life. A significant percentage of the long-term problems besetting school pupils could be stopped at source by simple health checks at school commencement.
It seems that the hastily introduced National Standards system was a reaction to parents' concerns that they, the parents, did not know how well their kids were doing. But there is no evidence that the teachers did not know about the kids' progress. The problem seems to be far more a matter of poor communication from teachers to parents. A big part of this is the nature of the school system itself: historically, there has been a barrier between parents and schools – parents were expected to hand their children over, step back, and keep well out of the way except on occasional, highly structured, meet-the-teacher evenings. The tendency to continue this still remains in many schools, often without a conscious intention on the part of teachers to maintain such a feeling; and parents often feel intimidated and shut out. Even where individual teachers want to break down the barriers, parents are often uneasy because of residual feelings about schools as uncomfortable and unwelcoming places.
The traditional report system is stilted and limiting: very little can be said in the space available, and it is often ambiguous. This is compounded by the lack of meaningful contact between teachers and parents: teachers often have a poor understanding of what parents want. Too many teachers write reports using jargon instead of plain English; make vague comments that are hard to interpret; and put an unnecessarily positive slant on their comments, on the assumption that the parents want only to hear glowing things about their children, when the reality is that most parents fervently want to know the bad as well as the good about their children's progress in school. Parents want to know when their children are struggling, and to know what they can do to help. Long-established psychological barriers between parents and teachers often prevent either from recognising that they all have the same goals – to improve the wellbeing of the children. The need is for better communication between parents and teachers. More time, and a chance to talk more freely, is necessary if parents and teachers are to become partners in supporting their children.
The idea of a school as a “community hub” is a particularly valuable one: the change in attitude implied by this could make a stupendous difference to the way parents interact with teachers. The idea of a school as part of normal life should go a long way to breaking down the barriers that prevent teachers and parents sharing their knowledge about the children. A more comfortable relationship between parents and teachers, and more time to talk, would also allow teachers to give useful information not directly related to schooling, but affecting it – such as advice about health problems that are affecting the child.
An immensely important step in the evolution of truly functional schools would be an honest look at the nature of the conventional school system itself.
The school classroom system is profoundly flawed, failing to recognise the vast range in different stages of maturity and in styles of learning, even among healthy, well-loved, well- supported children. The classroom system was designed centuries ago, when nothing was known about child development, psychology, or the learning process: inexplicably, the classroom remains, even though it is patently not an effective way to encourage learning. Many inspirational teachers struggle valiantly to fit child-centred, learning-centred methods into the classroom model, but they are always working to a great extent within that intractable and inappropriate model.
Teachers try to teach while simultaneously observing and worrying about problem children, making decisions about whether they need to contact other support authorities to help these children. Some children are inattentive because they are tired, hungry, need more exercise, or simply are not ready for the type or level of academic learning they are supposed to be doing. Teachers spend much classroom time controlling the behaviour of distressed and difficult children; repeating instructions because classroom noise and undiagnosed deafness prevent some from hearing; children eager to learn have to wait while the more pressing needs of others are attended to; some children are keen to learn but are at widely different stages from one other, or are being taught in a way that does not work for them.
Some years ago, a friend who taught a junior class said that, if only she could send twenty- nine of her children outside to play, and just teach one child for five minutes … then send that child out and work for five minutes with another … and so on, through the whole class – each child would learn more in its five minutes than any of them learned in an hour-long class lesson. Simply giving undivided attention increases a teacher's effectiveness hugely. Yet the traditional classroom automatically divides and scatters the teacher's attention. The idea of teaching a large group of children the same thing at the same time in the same way is based on the assumption that children of much the same age form a homogenous group that all function in the same way, that learning is a predictable, linear process, and that learning can be controlled entirely by someone outside the child, and must generally be instilled against the will of the learners. Yet we have known for half a century that none of this is true.
Children in fact are wildly diverse: every individual sees and responds to the world in a slightly different way; the order and pattern by which a child learns is unique to that child. The most effective way to help a child learn anything is to respond to that child's cues – about what it is interested in, what skills it is ready to learn, and how it learns best. Children learn through play, they learn through their own investigations, they learn by observing other people's behaviour, and by asking questions about things that intrigue them. They copy actions, form their own theories and perform their own experiments. The adult's role is to advise, suggest, guide; to explain why this works and that will not, why this behaviour is acceptable and that is not; to reinforce the child's good ideas and advise against the bad. The process varies from one child to another, and within one child from day to day: how a child learns is not always predictable; and what a child wants to learn will also change. Children learn best when their motivation comes from within; and they respond best to teaching when it is done by someone they have a close affectionate relationship with. All of this is how a mother at home – if she has the time to be there and the knowledge to respond and guide, not command and forbid – supports her pre-school child's learning. It is how parents and supervisors at PlayCentre support the children. None of it is provided for in the old-fashioned school classroom, or within a rigid curriculum. This is why good teachers typically detest the idea of standardised tests for young children: any form of standardising takes the personal motivation and the joy out of learning.
Many teachers do an extraordinary job of keeping children excited and enthusiastic in spite of the limitations of their environment, but there are always children who don't understand, don't learn, don't thrive in school. The system's basis on the idea of simultaneous learning inevitably leaves some children behind, and teachers with too many pupils cannot always recognise or meet every need. Another part of the problem is the standardised expectation of reading. We all know that “the average” baby learns to walk at twelve months; but we also know that a real baby may take her first steps at eight months or eighteen months. “The average” baby at eighteen months can say between ten and twenty words; but a real baby at eighteen months may be saying fifty or seventy words, or one or two. People vary.
Yet our culture tells us to expect our children to begin learning to read at the age of five; and if they are not reading by six, panic sets in, with remedial classes that have been shown to have disappointingly little effect. International studies show that among countries with a universal education system, those where formal schooling begins late have the best levels of literacy: the earlier schools begin teaching reading, the worse the country's literacy rate. This may be counter-intuitive, but one theory is that reading requires a kind of focus that the eyes become capable of at very different ages in different individuals – usually between three and eight years. Perhaps children who are persistently exhorted to perform a skill they are not ready for, may become so anxious about it that, by the time they are developmentally ready, they are too stressed to learn.
Part of recognising the uniqueness of every child is to recognise that some children will be reading confidently long before they start school, while others, equally intelligent and well- resourced at home, will not be ready to start reading till a few years after starting school. One size does not fit all. In addition, there are the inevitable effects of different resources in the early years, where one child lives in a house full of books, while another never sees his parents touch a book, newspaper, or magazine. Teachers have to deal with these differences among children, as well as the innate differences between individuals.
Much of what I have said is based around the inappropriateness of aspects of the conventional school system. One of the best available tools to change these would be to learn from schools that are founded on different ideals. Christchurch is unusual in being well- supplied with alternative schools.
Tamariki School, in Woolston was founded on PlayCentre principles, with additional influence from Scottish educationalist A.S.Neill's school Summerhill in England; Tamariki remains unique in the world (as, of course, are all alternative schools, as they respond to the ideas and needs of their communities). The idea and ideal, of a school as a community hub describes what Tamariki was to me when my children were there: in fact, it was my community. Parents are welcome there at any time, to be accessible to their child if the child needs this, to talk to a teacher about their children's or their own concerns, or to just sit companionably; they can contribute as much or as little time and skill to the school as they feel able. Parents, and their pre-school children, are as natural and inevitable a part of the school as the children. Children learn at the time and in the way that best suits them; their social, psychological, physical, and academic well-being is recognised as important and intertwined, and parents and teachers naturally share their knowledge about a child's problems and progress. The school's educational philosophy is so different from the conventional idea of a school, some people are simply bewildered by it; it is a functional school, teaching children to be functional people. Tamariki has been here for over forty years; more recently, other alternative schoools have developed – for similar reasons of concern about the unhealthy aspects of conventional schools. Discovery One and the high school Unlimited Paenga – though earthquake-shaken and currently without their own physical homes, are still functioning; and the very new Sevenoaks, as far as I know, quietly doing well. Each will be unique in its own way. In addition, Christchurch has both a Rudolf Steiner and a Montessori school – both part of distictive world-wide philosophies. We are fortunate in having so many alternative schools, and perhaps the most effective and straightforward way for conventional schools to improve would be to look at the alternatives, ask why the founders made the choice to make a new, completely different school, and why parents, often against the concerns of “status quo bias”, made the choice to enrol their children there. What is wrong with traditional schools is often shown most clearly by the contrast with what is right with alternative schools.
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Interested member of the community
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
The existing variety of provision - State Schools, Private Schools and Special Character Schools. We need innovative schools that are prepared to push the boundaries
What should we change?
At the same time as keeping the existing diversity we need a system wide approach that ensures the needs and challenges faced by every pupil can be met. Opportunities for gifted students and for students who fall through the cracks.
What innovation could we introduce?
We need a personalised and customised approach for every student in Christchurch. We then need a diversity of provision that is available to meet individual needs.
What should we retain?
Neighbourhood provision
What should we change?
The divisions between providers at the level of ECE to primary and primary to secondary. We also need fewer transition points and a more seamless progression through the system.
What innovation could we introduce?
ECE provision on school sites. More neighbourhood composite schools that go from ECE to primary and secondary to year 10. Specialist senior colleges with strong links to the tertiary providers in the city
What should we retain?
Current curriculum.
Existing partnerships between school e.g the developing GCSN network, inter school sports etc
What should we change?
Existing expectations about the school day. More flexible use of buildings - shifts and open for longer hours.
What innovation could we introduce?
A local authority to sponsor between school activities, collaboration and to ensure that no student misses out.
The authority to represent the clients of the system, drive innovation and respond to new and emerging opportunities across schools.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
An education authority that is charged with innovation and system wide cohehernce.
Less concern about a built environment and more PPP partnerships and flexible rented facilities.
Smaller units that operate as hubs of a cohesive and coherent system
It would help us to know where you live East Christchurch Are you? Principal
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
We need to somehow make use of the facilities for a greater period of the year. Currently (before site sharing) the facilities of a typical school were used 5 hours a day for 75% of the year. This is equivalent to 3.75 hours per day over a 12 month stretch, ie: less than half of a typical business working day. Given the value of new technologies coming into schools currently and the increased quality of buildings, it seems very wasteful to have such a low occupancy rate. Doubling the occupancy rate would allow each student to benefit from assets worth double the value (better buildings, better sports facilities, better IT facilities etc)
What innovation could we introduce?
Site sharing has been hard I think mainly from the perspective of it is always the same school using the afternoon shift. The good part has been that the facilities have been more extensively used. Could site sharing continue but alternating times for the different schools so it isn't always the same one in the afternoon. Or, for the expensive specialist gear, could it be shared in a communal facility somehow?
Bigger is better for schools (in general, some exceptions where special ed is involved). Use the largest schools in the country as examples (and overseas schools). Note the quality and professionalism of staff in large schools, and note the quality of their academic and extra-curric results. Note the long waiting lists to get into these schools. These factors show that economies of scale are very worthwhile. There are ways around the 'downsides'. People often say that big schools are 'unfriendly', but my experience working at the 2 largest schools in the country is the opposite. It is down to the quality of their leaders.
The level of Finance Management needs improving in general. More compulsory training for Principals in finance and a higher level of finance training amongst finance staff in school would be beneficial.
Bring in HR managers for schools - given that schools are 'people' orientated organisations, there is a real role for a true Human Resources Manager - distinct from a payroll administrator.
Bring in two senior leaders for a single school - an educational leader and an operational manager. They are equal in status, they support each other and they both report to the board. This way the educational principal would be able to concentrate on curriculum issues in which they are trained, rather than needing to deal with issues in which they are not trained (finance, HR etc). Don't set it up so that the operational manager reports to the educational manager.
Consider a national program that somehow enables all kids to own/rent a mobile device (internet access, Office suite of programs etc), and bring in a system so that exams can be taken electronically. It is especially hard to write essays by hand these days as most people type more than they write neatly.
Consider separating Years 12 and 13 (as per UK). In years 12 and 13 students attend colleges that are more specialised to their likely career pathway.
Introduce some accomodation options for international students. In Cambridge (UK) there are houses for international students at senior high school. About 8-10 students per house, with a live in couple who get paid to live there. One of the adults has to be in the house all the time. It provides an environment that is between a family environment and university hostel living. This would mean less homestay families were needed.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce? What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you? Other
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
We need to retain a variety of education options at all levels, covering various pedagogical concepts, for example those found in special character schools such as Rudolf Steiner, Montessori, Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti.
What should we change?
Currently it is quite difficult to access a school with an education philosophy that is in line with the student's and the family's wishes, if this varies from the default local and zoned school. Especially students in East Christchurch are at a disadvantage, because there is little variety in schooling options in the East, and the difficulty of gaining access to other schools elsewhere is compounded by the difficulty of transport. Currently, local schools seem to make very little effort (at least it seems that way in East Christchurch) to appeal to the whole area they supposedly serve, rather than the immediate vicinity of where they are located. Note that I am not talking about schools in the NE; it is the whole of East Christchurch, especially the beach suburbs, that have very limited options for secondary schools, severely limiting the options for students with different learning needs and ambitions, not covered by the local schools. You may need to reconsider the whole concept of school zones and also examine the possibility of co-hosting different education providers together and at different locations than currently.
What innovation could we introduce?
Rethink the concept of zones, instead consider how to could work to offer different school concepts and ways of teaching and an independent information and selection system for students and their families, not driven by individual schools. That way, student learning will be enhanced as students are not just going to the default local school or the one their parents can afford and therefore think is best, but a school which works with the students needs and preferences. Co-locate for example secondary and tertiary providers to allow a seamless transition. Promote and actively help with project- and community-based learning, such as modelled by DiscoveryOne and Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti.
What should we retain?
Refer to purpose, question 1. Good that there currently are various options at all education levels; access and location are issues, as well as the complete separation between primary, secondary and tertiary education.
What should we change?
Create overlap and seamless transitions between preschool, primary, secondary and tertiary education. Make it easier to understand how each works, providing better information and greater links. Provide equal access to quality education regardless of location in Christchurch. Currently, East Christchurch students face much greater travel distances and much less choice than those in the West, and this has gotten even more pronounced since the earthquakes.
What innovation could we introduce?
Place education providers of different levels together at the same location and ensure they communicate and interact. Provide much better information to all students and their families. Map the current location of education providers, identify areas that are underserved and ensure equitable access to quality education across the whole of Christchurch, paying extra attention to those areas most severely affected by the earthquakes.
What should we retain?
As already covered. There are various education providers and options, which is good, and Christchurch has the population base to support a variety of education concepts.
What should we change?
Provide a fairer system for accessing the school and education philosophy of one's choice - not based on address or wallet. This means not only reconsidering the zoning system but also simply looking at where schools are currently located - perhaps shifting some or co-locating them. East Christchurch - everything East of Fitzgerald St - has extremely limited options for secondary and tertiary education.
What innovation could we introduce?
Mapping where schools currently are and where they are actually needed. Making this public and transparent. Co-locate education providers of all levels, so that transition is easy, links are developed instead of barriers, and providers share facilities. Take students' transport needs serious, set a target that no student travels more than 45 minutes one way to their chosen provider, and work with public transport providers to make this happen.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
While it is very nice to go back to the beginning and plan from scratch, I would like to make the point that there are students and schools currently, who are still displaced after the earthquake and severely affected and don't have the luxury to fit in with a couple of years planning and another few years reshaping and building - what is missing here are the immediate solutions, the quick wins, the needs analysis and making sure no student falls through the (earthquake) cracks right now. Example: DiscoveryOne and Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti where located in Cashel / High St, ie at ground zero, on 22 Feb 11. They have spent this year at Halswell Residential School and will be there for another full year. This school has no facilities for a secondary school - no library, no labs, very limited classrooms, no private and quiet study spaces for individual learning, certainly no highspeed broadband, not even a phone line that students can use to access correspondence school teachers. In my opinion, they simply cannot wait out another year or more while the fate of education in Christchurch and the rebuilding of the CBD is debated. I suggest that while you continue the planning and the consultation, that at the same time (NOW) you start a pilot programme to actually try some of these ideas, some of which have already been modelled by these schools, such as co-location of a primary and secondary school, involving the community in learning outside of the classroom, using community mentors and doing projects according to students' passions. Involve some tertiary providers, provide some actual physical resources like access to a library and labs, and find a more central location (or several) that are easily accessed. Currently, these students suffer from much longer travel to school (a lot of students are from the East of Christchurch) and unproductive time at school due to the lack of facilities or quiet spaces. To my knowledge, all other schools there were displaced after the earthquakes have returned or will return by term 1 2012 to their home location - these students seem to have been forgotten, and the issues are too big for the school itself to resolve, even though they are doing their best.
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Within schools and ECE centres, the focus on learning and achievement. There are many cases of innovation - dedicated teachers, eg centres of innovations, supported by principals and PD programmes. There is a relatively stable teaching population, in conjunction with support and ancillary staff. Strong community support from parents and whanau, some businesses, and other community groups.
What should we change?
Use the NZ Curriculum to develop a greater focus on curriculum content relevant to the Canterbury region. 'Place-based' education is now more important - for us to understand what has gone before, what we have lost during the earthquakes, and what we need in order to live in our changed environment - cultural, historical, physical/material and social, and related to the learning areas of Te Whariki and the NZ Curriculum. Re-shape the resourcing systems so that we do not have such a gap between rich and poor schools. Stop using the existing funding formalae - this is an unprecedented situation and there needs to be more staffing resources (not less) for over-stretched teachers - not only are they teaching in difficult situations, they are also supporting children and students and their families. The next 2-3 years are likely to be just as demanding.
What innovation could we introduce?
Enhanced curricular resourcing for teachers - by developing the existing resources eg science hubs, libraries, etc. by initiating greater access to resources, providing time for teachers to focus on planning for teaching. Wrap around more resources for sharing between schools and centres. Develop a new staffing formula for the next 3 years - to retain the teachers in schools and centres
What should we retain?
Existing links between ECE services and schools within clusters and suburbs etc. The networks among educators such as CPPA, CSPA, ECE networks. Links with tertiary institutions, and other organisations such as core-education.
What should we change?
There are existing and emerging clusters of centres and schools working more closely and collaboratively. This is likely to continue, and needs to be supported. There will also be some very tough situations - more ECE centres and services will close down and/or move, some schools may become so small that there will be closures, mergers, and other arrangements. So we need to have better systems for supporting communities and the students, teachers and other staff during these times. We need to change the judgmental views about schools that are held by some people, often associated with socio-economic indicators.
What innovation could we introduce?
Listening to communities about what they see as possible ways forward as their schools and centres are changed due to rapidly changing community demographics. Encourage schools to respect each others' enrolment zones and monitor the situation. A sustainable city needs children attending their local centre or school, walking, scootering or biking. So every school needs to be the best possible for their local community. Richer schools and private schools can share their resources more generously.
What should we retain? As above - teachers that are well supported - with time, technology and material resources, and sustained professional development. The commitment of Ngai Tahu to education. The networks between educators and access to educational resources - research, professional expertise, and development opportunities.
What should we change?
There are already examples of collaboration between schools, moving between the sector boundaries, sharing of expertise from tertiary and others; these things are likely to accelerate BUT this may not proceed equitably. There is likely to be greater uptake of e-learning, if there is an equitable delivery of resources.
What innovation could we introduce?
Learning in schools that is focused on high expectations around critical aspects of learning - productive discussions, explicit teaching of curriculum material such as curriculum processes and tools, intentional and multimodal types of inquiry learning etc. Greater access to research knowledge about learning - there needs to be a re-shaping of relationships between tertiary (eg UC College of Education) and centres and schools. Beware of an over-reliance on the power of IT to change learning outcomes - early research focused on a deficit view of teachers, emerging research suggests that the potential of IT and e-learning may have been overstated.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It is crucial that teachers, whanau and students are engaged in this important conversation. It is very difficult for busy and tired teachers to do any more in their overworked days to contribute to this process at the moment. Much of the momentum seems to be coming from consultants and other educators who have more time to contribute(eg suce). At this particular time in November, teachers are so busy I am worried that few teachers will have the time and energy to contribute to this consultation process. I hope to be proved wrong! It is also a very busy time for university staff. It would be great to have a more open forum - eg an education 'share an idea' event. I have heard others suggest this for education.
It would help us to know where you live
West Christchurch
Are you?
Other
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
The same structure--schools still kept at the same staffing rolls as 2011.
What should we change?
Nothing! Chn in Ch Ch have suffered like no others in NZ. Some have lost parents,some have parents with life long injuries, some have lots their homes, some have parents who have lost jobs and some have parents who are suffering depression because of the earthquakes.
What innovation could we introduce?
Why would we when Ch Ch is just beginnig to take a few steps forward. Give it 1 a year!! Please! Ch CH has never hada year like 2011 how can we comment and how you who have not experienced it make decisions for us!
What should we retain?
What we have now in 2011!
What should we change?
Nothing!
What innovation could we introduce?
Give us a chance--we are only just getting our lifes back to some normality.
What should we retain?
The current schools in their suburbs! They reflect the community and that community in times of the major after shocks relied on their school to give them direction/
What should we change?
Nothing in 2011
What innovation could we introduce?
Nothing!--Status quo for 2012!!!!
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
CH CH schools have a great reputation. Schools in the eastern suburbs have been badly hit, structure, roll drop and chn experiencing loss of homes and family members. Do they need more change to what is a safe place in their community! Keep the status qou for 2012!!! Please
It would help us to know where you live
West Christchurch
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing?
Group What should we retain? purpose built early childhood Kindergartens that support communities, in the communities, and on school grounds if possible
What should we change? large class sizes in all levels of education All trained fully qualified teachers (especially early childhood) access to teacher-support aide with high educational needs of children -equity funding change to be inclusive of all
What innovation could we introduce?
Bringing into programmes the interests and skills that parents can contribute across all ages.
Smaller high schools
What should we retain?
`Green' ideas, gardens in grounds, schools hubs of communities, qualified teachers who have opportunities to continue their own learning, individual programmes for children, passionate teachers, low class sizes in early childhood and new entrant classes.
What should we change?
Linking education together...ie pre-school -primary - high school in one community (probably not possible!)
Child to have option of choice - invited into `sport' or music, experimental or exploration time an extension time instead of all lumped together with options they do not enjoy for two afternoons a week (yes! with experts teaching) possible visiting teachers.
What innovation could we introduce? possible choice for teachers - e.g.
Skills in science ....visit school where this is not a strength
What should we retain?
Teachers that see the child as an individual with strengths!
What should we change?
Looking more into the dispositional learning of the individual and getting rid of `standards' that create the `same' learning for all.
What innovation could we introduce?
Learning story model -what we notice- what we could do to extend- how could we achieve this- how this could be included in groups of learners and crossed throughout the curriculum. How children can be excited by learning and have fun alongside others in learning.
We could have more child ideas fed into classrooms
Visiting `experts' (parents contributing) We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
I think it would be great to see children walk or bike to school in groups or families. Keep schools in `communities' not long bus rides. Schools `green' environmentally from rainwater collection, to gardens and solar heating.
ERO to be visitors at any time and in supportive role
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
Sorry secondary education needs to change totally. I know too many parents that dispair over their childs education at secondary level.
What should we change?
Ngāi Tahutanga and te reo māori needs to be visible in our schools. This is beneficial for all children.Although Ngāi Tahu signed a memorandum with the Ministry of Education this is not followed up or implemented to any degree in our schools (see the research). People need to be held accountable. There are many Ngāi Tahu that are second language learners that do not get the opportunity to use their te reo Māori.The language used in schools seem to just stay at a beginning level of te reo Māori. English Medium schools where the most of our Māori children are either don't use te reo Māori or use this at a very beginning level. Lots of research to support these facts. Time to listen to this and implement.
Secondary education-----The community factor and involvement of parents in education changes. Too many different teachers not checking up on where children are at. Children get lost in a culturally inappropriate environments.Teachers don't know their students, their whānau or the area. Bring back place based education and the complusory teaching of NZ history, and knowing who we are in a global society and the student's place in it.
What innovation could we introduce?
Secondary teaching needs to model itself on a pa site system that is have early childhood up to secondary (even tertiary on the same site) Share the expertise know the children from the beginning share the child's strengths.
What should we retain?
We need early childhood centres that are available for working parents, and those that use te reo māori from the beginning
What should we change?
Not enough choices in CHCH for bilingual education. There is a shortage of teachers . See the research...there are not enough training facilities for te reo Māori teachers in CHCH. All it needs is money input. There are people available that can do the training. If you want more numbers of teachers training make part of the requirements to become a teacher is to have a te reo māori degree or knowledge of te reo māori before they start.
What innovation could we introduce?
Have schools that are community based that is the schools go from early childhood to secondary in the same site. Then the child would be known and nurtered properly from the beginning.
What should we retain?
Schools that are inclusive of their communities like Tuahiwi. Relationships with the local hapū and marae establiahed.
What should we change?
Because bilingualism is good for all children then our schools should be bilingual. Te reo Māori should be taught from early childhood up not the tokenistic way it is taught now.
Have Ministry transport systems available for parents wishing to have their children brought up bilingually. At the moment parents get a small travel allowance.
What innovation could we introduce?
To implement what I have mentioned about now it could be compulsory to complete a te reo Māori degree or have knowledge of te reo māori before starting to train as a teacher in our colleges.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Actually take note of the draft CERA report from Ngāi Tahu about education and our environment all this affects what our children see and do in our education systems.Create educational communities of care. Know the child from 0-18. You may need transport to get to these communitites of educational care. Please don't retain our current secondary school systems. The research has shown for years that our māori children are failing in these systems but we still keep doing it.
It would help us to know where you live East Christchurch
Are you? Parent Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
Build upon the resiliency and collaboration that has resulted following the Canterbury earthquakes.
What should we change?
Ensure that the child is at centre of all decision making - where equity, diversity, inclusiveness, research underpins decision making Creating a shared vision for education that transcends all political parties and that goes beyond a three year political cycle. What innovation could we introduce?
The future education system in Canterbury must be: learner focused future focused system coherence sustainable What should we retain?
Continue to built on the importance of early childhood education
What should we change?
Plan for investment - sharing of resources, facilities, costs Planned network provision particularly for ECE What innovation could we introduce?
The concept of learning hubs - that cater not only for a mix of education providers (ECE through to adult education) but also take into account health, welfare, social services. Future focused - seek to establish new models of governance, leadership and roles of teachers Embrace and fund technology through all education sectors and interface with the home, community Engage with education leaders, visionaries, international thinkers What should we retain?
What should we change?
Improving transitions for children particularly from primary to secondary schooling - taking a holistic approach involving the child's family/whanau. Creation of individual pathways for children from ece through to tertiary/adult education Identification of optimum learning times for individual children e.g. having two timetables, two different teaching teams operating on the one site Improve transition from one year of learning to the next year Ensuring the highest level of professional development for teachers Public transportation to enable easier access to and from education institutions What innovation could we introduce?
Sharing expertise across the education sectors Allow for innovation practices in teaching and learning - providing funding, allowing for new ideas Teachers working in different ways, moving between the sectors, working in teams, working across age groups Hubs based on strengths, expertise e.g. science, arts etc Different sectors of education all on the same site. Define the roles of teachers by the needs of the learners
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live Canterbury Are you? Organisation Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
Obviously we retain assets that are undamaged or can be brought up to the required standard.
What should we change?
I feel that the current education philosophy and style of content delivery is outmoded. Our schools are under utilised as a resource and many of our pupils are bored with the lessons they receive.We are educating as if we still live in the 20th century and are educating purely to provide workforce for the economic machine.
What innovation could we introduce?
Move our thinking into the 21st century where most of our pupils are already operating. Ask ourselves why pupils need to physically be at school every day. Create 'hubs' where pupils from a community could gather. A number of these hubs could be managed from a central location.
What should we retain?
I personally feel that the type of school - single sex, co- ed and their location has been driven by political / social / culture and economics. This has created the distinctive advantage so to not retain it would cause a major upheaval unless there are compelling reasons for change, such as population movement out of a suburb etc.
What should we change?
Again I would stress that schools could be smaller in size. Could this also be the time to bring in junior high schools for years 7,8,9,10.
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change? get rid of geographic zoning extend the school day so a school operates from 7 / 8 am through to 8/9 pm
Site sharing did work for a number of schools
What innovation could we introduce?
More use of technology and how we utilise that technology in our everyday teaching environment.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Opportunitiy for schools to locate hubs near major transport routes, cultural, sporting, and art venues. One of these sites may be the CBD. Continue to build on the site and resource sharing. Belonging to a learning cmmunity doesn't mean sitting in a 40m2 classroom.
What should we change?
The events of the last year have made Christcurch education institutions more flexible and encompassing towards their education partners. Sharing of resource centres can be done on a much larger scale-A light rail system must link the major learning support venues for all students so that intermediate can access high school and secondary access
What innovation could we introduce?
Careful planning of learning hub access to cheap transport will keep costs down so that the innovations such as STAR programme, ICT at Cashmere library, technology centres can become frequent sources of learning opportunity for children. Subsedized air travel to access national resources without a year of sausage sizzling! Should be able to go to major cities for the day-exhibitions/overseas speakers.
What should we retain?
The city should have secure large scale flexible spaces in each quadrant. For instance the fact that Nasa astronauts visited a handful of private schools last autumn I'll put down to logistics of space and time. However there are SO many wonderfully motivating adults that teach across institutions that could give an hour to interested children. Much of it doesn't happen because which school do you pick? We need to get around the mentality of choosing a class school.
What should we change?
Risk management plans for guest speaker attendance at that quadrant's flexible education space should be seamless. The education centre will be part of every schools on site learning. Simply accompanying adult/public transport timetable needs to be recorded.
What innovation could we introduce?
Education hubs could provide space for martial art, gymnastics/ dance/ performance music/ private tutors to use in the day. There are many fine arts students who could tutor at reduced rates. Usually expensive this will provide greater access to the poorer students. Let's expand the ideas of the Shirley music scheme. Let's tap into the respected Chisnallwood music department.
Education hubs need a 2 managers/ one to teach site protocol for adult/ student relationships and teaching protocols. The other to design programmes and keep up with who is in town teaching at other sites internationally.
What should we retain?
UPT and Discovery one. They have worked closely with Judith Aiken and are drivers in education. Allow them a voice.
What should we change?
Look at engagement and flexible programming, giving choice to learners as indicators of good providers of education.Opportunities to work across christchurch with all learners in one spot will be breath taking.
What innovation could we introduce?
Schools are under resourced in science and technology.
I would like to see the kinesthetic and auditory leaners catered for equally. Think what can learners do rather than be shown and copy into books- or read and process into a new print form. I would like to see manual skill centres open all the time so students can engage in building/mzaking/fixing. Again I don't think these need to be trained teachers but good at their job and supervised by teaching staff. Qualifications in teaching while on the job to get more builders , mechanics , engineers into schools to children agerd 8-9 because this is when the non print learners give up. These kids will go off site to making doing classes for a week at a time and then have onkine help with their design process thru video link.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
New Zealand has so much experitse. Risk management planning slow it down. Last minute offers from gurus are no use , so is the cost of hiring buses for several classes to attend events. I would expect 10 percent of schools to be off site learning at any one time in learning hubs.
It would help us to know where you live East Christchurch Are you? Teacher
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
We should retain the school being the heart of the community. So we still need a network of schools throughout the city so families have the choice of sending their children to their local school.
What should we change?
We should use this opportunity to phase out intermediate schools and replace them with Middle Schools. It makes sense for adolescents to be a school for four years and not have to change schools at the onset or early stages of puberty. As their has to be a rationalisation of schools this would be the optimum time to establish Years 7-10 Middle Schools and Years 11-13 Senior Colleges.
What innovation could we introduce?
One innovation that could be introduced if Senior Colleges are established is a far more broadly based curriculum could be established for the students of Years 11-13. If a present hight school of 1200 students was re-established as a Senior College of 1200 students imagine how broader the subject choice could be. Polytechnic type courses could be introduced for students with no desire to move in to University.and those who are intending to undertake a tertiary degree could be introduced to university courses such as psychology and architectural design so as to help them make their choice of a university pathway.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
West Christchurch
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain? central city educational facilities
What should we change? extended to be cradle to grave facilities ie useable by any and all age groups; multifunctional (eg shared arts facilities - shared between MOE schools and others, tertiry, community schools of drama, dance etc; multicultural; central ie short walking distance from public transport, but also accessible by car for those for whom public transport is not practical green spaces abound - parks, tress, community gardens, sports facilities; use / availability of facilities (almost) round the clock; closer links vertically (ie nursey/preschool to tertiary) between educational facilities
What innovation could we introduce? extension of the likes of unlimited, Discovery 1 - extend to pre school, tertiary, community education; don't segregate these groups - could be overseen by the one organisation;
MOE financially supported IT learning opportunities;
What should we retain?
What should we change? lose boundaries between different 'levels' of education ie community, preschool, primary, secondary, tertiary should all be one system - seamless and not bound by facility, age, organisation
What innovation could we introduce? lose boundaries currently in place; learning should be available to all regardless of age, status, finances, ethnicity - entry should be by desire and ability; available to students at any age
What should we retain? schools such as D1 and Unlimitred Paenga Tawhiti who work around the students needs, not the school / systems agenda; accessible transport wise eg, easy cycle, public transport, car (therefore cheap or free parking) access
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live Canterbury Are you? Parent Are you representing? Group What should we retain?
1. Teachers and school support staff.
2. School swimming pools. Funds should be allocated to repair and get back into use before start of 2012 school year. It is ridiculous to claim they cannot be covered by insurance and use that as a reason to not only (nearly) eliminate school swimming, but also help support the lack of public pools wiped out by the earthquakes. It should be a win-win vs just rotating 3 tiny portable pools.
What should we change?
Class sizes. They are too big; despite a NZ "Academic" claiming otherwise, every teacher will tell you that sizes over 25 are too difficult to give full attention to each student; the worst and best end up missing opportunity
What innovation could we introduce?
The M of E wants to reduce school teaching staff/ support due to lower rolls. It is an incredible opportunity to use this experienced staff to do two things: reduce class sizes and use support staff or teachers for more attention to those students at the margins, bottom AND top.
There is no better investment in NZ's future than helping out those kids that may be saved from a lifetime of dependence to usefullness, as well as aiding our Best and Brightest
What should we retain?
What should we change?
Class sizes. As noted above. What an opportunity to use Christchurch as a practical template for the entire country to investigate what positive improvements smaller sizes can make -- as well as provide paid employment to experienced tax payers in a period of gloom and uncertainty (locally and nationally)
What innovation could we introduce?
Schools. I grew up in America. It was nearly unheard of for lower middle class to upper middle to leave school without a HS degree. Programs that focus on the nonacademic strivers from year 9 to get them into vocations or apprenticeships will pay back this investment many times over in the generations ahead. It is incredible that the past two governments have barely attempted to address this fact. Rather than programs for thousands, it should be for tens of thousands...
What should we retain? Existing Schools
What should we change?
More focus on ensuring schools get ALL kids involved in either swim, gym, or athletics basic programs to encourage physical fitness and learn lifelong needed skills and confidence. It is too easy, due to costs, and stretched teaching staff resources to not use existing programs. Each year should do at least one of these life skills, if not all three at the public level
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
I believe that the M of E is looking more at the money side of education than what it should be: investing in our Youth for NZ's future. Any well spent money now will payback much more than invested in the future
It would help us to know where you live East Christchurch Are you? Parent Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
Discovery 1 and Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti in the central city.
What should we change?
Make these schools hubs of community learning after normal school hours.
What innovation could we introduce?
After hours community use such as Community hubs for learning, meeting, cafe, medical social outreach.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
After hours community use such as Community hubs for learning, meeting, cafe, medical social outreach.
What should we retain?
Schools in the central city.
What should we change?
Open them up to everyone.
What innovation could we introduce?
After hours community use such as Community hubs for learning, meeting, cafe, medical social outreach.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
Canterbury
Are you?
Board of Trustee
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
The heritage buildings that can be saved. Many students get a sense of belonging from the culture and history of a school and the icon buildings are an important physical element of this. They are building the Government owns and so can be saved without needing the complication of private ownerhip/insurance squabbles.
What should we change?
Clarify the training/education around the non-traditional subjects that schools now over. Schools are offering technology and trade/career realted subjects that are olso taught in Polytechs etc. There is wastage of resources.
What innovation could we introduce?
Programmes to attract International students that are linked to the New Zealand Brand - areas where we have competitive advantage and that appeal to other countries. eg Agriculture, adventure tourism, rugb, film making.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
Better performance management resource for teachers. There is a large focus on professional development but much less skill and appetitie for dealing with underperformance.
Staff and students still have very little faith in NCEA. It needs more work and a good PR campaign or ditch it.
What innovation could we introduce?
ChCh has high quality secondary schools. We could bridge the gap between private and public schools. Allow state schools to charge higher fees for students outside the zone. This would create more competition for students and increase quality of education.
What should we retain?
IB and Cambridge are becoming more popular. Can these be rolled out wider?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
Schools struggle to come up with the resources for learning assets. We could make more use of the assets by sharing high quality ones. eg CBHS has just invested in great cricket training facikities. Could other schools use them too? Burnside has a wonderful music suite - why not students from other schools go there for music. Eventually it might lead to more schools specialisaing in certain areas rather than try to be Jack of all things.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
West Christchurch
Are you? Board of Trustee
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain? Christchurch has traditionally been quite innovative in the tertiary area and has had some world-changing successes but it tends to be somewhat backwards when addressing the other sectors; Primary and Secondary are still running on an outdated model based on the industrial era. Also, whilst there are Kohanga Reo and Kura Kaupapa in the city, they are run to a particular kaupapa and they should continue to be supported. However, Maori, like all others, are not all the same and need more options.
What should we change? The whole education system really. Our tamariki are not robots in a factory, to be tested for compliance. They are individuals, with passions and potentials to be realised. The tick box, one size fits all creates clones, not leaders.
What innovation could we introduce? A tailored education system that looks at the individual tamaiti, and then caters to his/her needs and aspirations. A system with REAL learning outcomes that make sense to the learner, who isn't just rote learning because he/she is told they have to, but who has a specific goal in mind and is learning what they want to because they want to, not because it will tick a box to make the school look better.
What should we retain? The strengths are the dedicated teachers who are trying to help their students succeed in a convoluted and restrictive system. Good kaiako who can see outside the box.
What should we change? The tick box system, the standards system that is not geared towards all cultures and mistakenly shows the minority cultures as being less than the dominant in intelligence. A level playing field regardless of race or economic stature would be a refreshing change.
What innovation could we introduce? Te Pa O Rakaihautu is a new innovative initiative that will deliver a new way of learning in a culturally appropriate manner to those who currently are shown by the country's statistics to be under-achieving to an alarming level. It is being developed by a group of highly motivated native South Islanders who have experienced what hasn't worked so far and who have researched a solution which we think will empower Maori and others to succeed in their own education, within their own cultural values-true indigenous place-based learning.
What should we retain? Buildings, if they are still standing.
What should we change? Change the system, retrain the teachers, listen to what whanau and tamariki need and want and then help them to tailor accordingly. Some may want the 'known' system-simply because they are afraid of change. But the current system is not working for Maori, and perhaps one of the biggest changes needs to be to stop trying to 'fix the Maori problem' and allow Maori to change the status quo for themselves. If the Maori problem is that Maori are not achieving in a system that was not written for them then whose problem is it?
What innovation could we introduce?
Apart from making Te Reo Maori compulsory in all schools- Support the initiative of Te Pa o Rakaihautu, help us to achieve and succeed on our own terms.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Our tamariki are not cattle, to all be herded in one direction only; Christchurch is capable of being a community supported learning environment, leaders rather than followers. We need to support initiatives like Te Pa o Rakaihautu and embrace and celebrate our individuality and differences.
It would help us to know where you live East Christchurch
Are you? Teacher
Are you representing? Group What should we retain?
A good school in every neighbourhood. Schools are being shut down, or experiencing diminishing rolls. A good school should be the heart of the community. It is where the chn are.
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
Remove the failed experiment of intermediate school. Chch chn do not require the emotional burden of being placed at the bottom of 2 heaps, 2 years apart. This occurs at yr7, and again at yr 9. Chch schools should be positive learning environments.
What innovation could we introduce?
Schools structured to deliver learning for NE to yr 13. Schools should provide a positive learning environment for all chn. If a school is to be seen as a 'learning community', let it be seen to support the child throughout their school- life.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
Teach curriculum content 'just in time' rather than 'just in case'. Remove the pressure for teachers to deliver the curriculum to chn who are not developmentally ready.
What innovation could we introduce?
More place-based learning. Too much time is spent within the confines of the classroom or the school property. Have the chn experience real-world learning in the community. This will help reinforce a strong sense of community.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
North Christchurch
Are you?
Tertiary student
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain? single sex secondary education in the eastern suburbs bi-lingual educational oppotunities in all sectors total immersion opportunities in education
What should we change? create a bi-lingual education option for secondary
What innovation could we introduce? a high quality matauranga maori education facility for secondary
What should we retain?
The buildings and schools that are currently funcational
What should we change? creat some distinctively maori facilities, particularly for those schools who have a functioning maori unit, eg freevile
What innovation could we introduce? more maori culture throughout
What should we retain? any effective educational delivery. If its good...keep it! particularly if it has maori content
What should we change?
There are some schools and units out there that are not functioning and are still not recovered, these schools either need dramatic change and support or should cease to exist, eg: avonside girls, i would not support them rebulding on that land another example is e tipu e rea early learning centre, they still! have no working toilet, and they have at least 30 children there! eek
What innovation could we introduce? maori bi lingual education, especially at the early childhood and secondary levels
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
This is CHCH's opportunity to make a significant impact on the future of maori education i think this should be a major part of the redevlopment of christchurch's education system we have some amazing minds and people here in waitaha who could contribute to this, these resources need to be tapped into.
It would help us to know where you live East Christchurch
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
I've been a student of Montessori, then Discovery and now unlimited. I like the choice all these options provide and value that highly.They provide a high trust environment where I have been allowed to drive my own learning . Thats been fantastic and I have learned that students should be key in determining their learning and it should not be something that is done to them.
What should we change?
The speed at which our school is allowed to get back into town. None of the accidental learning that we love and value is available at a shut off school like Halswell. Let us get back in there and rebuild . And in the meantime we desperately want to go to the University hub so that the opportunities for tertiary education are there.For us 5 years is our whole school career and we see that time frame differently than adults.
What innovation could we introduce?
The system for reforming education is too slow. I'd like students to have a real say in it. Recently I have explored the TelstraClear Youth Survey and done that survey in Christchurch. 15-19 year olds are seriously worried about employment and yet the education system cuts out at that critical time. I look forward to the opportunities of being for a while at Canterbury -in law especially , but also in the many other things that we will make happen by being there- just as the UPT Digital group have.
What should we retain?
Not much to retain , and that doesn't worry me.Have no concern for traditions, definitely see uniforms as absurd. I suspect our buildings are all unavailable so we need to start again .. but please can we make that fast ?
What should we change?
Totally open to change on everything. Everything is changing so fast anyway. The current financial system won't survive...the ability to pay superannuation when I need it won't be there and the climate will change dramatically from carbon emissions . I'm going to live in that world that I think has been polluted and where the resources have been squandered. And it probably will be hard to find a job so I may have to create my own. I am totally open to change and the education system needs to change comprehensively. Adults do not know what we will need to know and we need to be able to learn on our own in our own way not in some mass model .
What innovation could we introduce?
Open cooperation so that schools are not separate from business. Its one of the reasons I really want the University hub for unlimited this coming year. Halswell has been horrible and for me one year of that is far , far too long. I want that experience before committing to a degree, and since I cant drive and the bus service is really bad I have no chance of doing that at Halswell . I hear tell now that the Ministry prefers for us to go to Hillmorton for extra space for some reason that we do not know. To me it feels like they just don't care about what the students want. That just wont work and for me solves none of my problems of transport and wanting some life and activity around my school. Last year I had the opportunity to attend and OECD conference on innovative learning . I was amazed that the OECD did not draw on students at all for their views and experiences. They clearly thought that they could make all the decisions. How wrong is that! But yet I fear that we may be subject to that here at unlimited by the Ministry even before the process is started. I would like students seriously able to make choices. Part of what I have learned in my education is that I am equal to adults and that i can and do drive my own learning .I never want that taken away. It has made me intolerant of slow cumbersome decision making processes that pretend to involve the public but really leave all the power in agencies of government. So lets not let that happen here in Christchurch .
What should we retain?
As much choice as possible in style, opportunities and options. I recognise that other people learn differently than I do and that many schools perform many functions which help cement the community. That's all good. Is the student at the centre of it ... sometimes !
What should we change?
Would be better if students were at the centre of the learning more often.
What innovation could we introduce?
I would introduce many...but I am worried that the system that is put in place will ask only headmasters and principals and the Ministry of Education, and that it will pretend at having a real input. I don't think they really know how to do things differently (without being rude) and if they get it horribly wrong they don't have to wear the consequences.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
For me a year is a long time . Do not condemn us to Halswell and Hillmorton without giving us the chance to show what cool things we can do at the University and at the linkages that can be made. In the big picture be prepared to surrender some of your power or create something that allows for real input from students.
It would help us to know where you live
(select option)
Are you?
School student
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
The character that each school/ early learning centre possesses as that is what makes the setting what it is.
What should we change?
As little as possible - I know some settilngs may go due to the surrounding areas being either in the red zone or the bulk of the families in the red zone, or the buildings have been damaged then ok - but if they do not need to change then why?
What innovation could we introduce?
MORE technology throguhout the different areas and ages
What should we retain?
The supportive nature surrounding all - teachers, children and whanau
What should we change?
The price of education! Allowing for more support for those families who cannot pay - not excluding them because they do not have the money.
What innovation could we introduce?
More flow between the settings, allowing for the differing ages to be set in their own designated spaces yet allowing them to be situated near each other.
What should we retain?
The teachers!!!!!!!!!!!!
What should we change?
Improving the availiability of education to all areas of Christchurch - early learning centres, primary schools, secondary schools and tertiary institutions
What innovation could we introduce?
Every centre and school should have their own website and or cellphone to ensure that parents and teachers can keep in contact during the hard times - we closed not only due to the earthquakes but also the snow - so if we all had access to this sort of technology then it would be easy for all to be informed and communicate each others needs
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would be nice to allow the teachers to stay where they are - not having to move on because the numbers have reduced, it is unsettling for all children teachers and whanau but its not the teachers fault that the families have moved on - so why should the teachers? Christchurch will rebuild it self, granted it may take time and may not be the same as before but if we cut jobs then whos needs are we meeting? It this support ing the needs of our next generation - as that is what it is all for isnt it? We are doing this for the children!
It would help us to know where you live East Christchurch Are you? Teacher
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
• Successful models of good practice and delivery; • Successful models of good practice and delivery; eg. E4E (enterprise education) • Choices and types of schools now available; eg Discovery 1/Unlimited
What should we change? • Move from a competitive model to a collaborative model • Develop a better working relationship between the Ministry and schools/teachers • Attitudes towards the provision of facilities; eg. the design and use of campuses and buildings • Move from a compliance model to an innovative model. • It should cater for all individuals • It should encourage innovation • It should have greater community involvement • It should be seamless ensuring opportunity for cradle to grave learning • An innovative, productive education system would help develop progressive attitudes towards education, attract people to Christchurch, and stimulate the current population towards furthering their own education and quality of life.
What innovation could we introduce? • Establish a learning commission of students which involves student led research and acknowledges this in deciding the future pathway for education • Focus the approach on learning across the city using the principles of learner focussed, future focussed, system coherence, sustainability to develop city wide goals for learning and achievement benchmarks. The goals and the benchmarks should be developed by an independent learning task force of leaders in education, business and community.
What should we retain? • Choice of schools available; eg, single sex/co-ed • Schools (especially primary schools/E.C.E. centres) locally sited to provide easy access to local communities • Programmes like STAR
What should we change? • Size of facilities and services • Design and quality of school buildings; eg. Three-wall principle (Stephen Heppell) • Make it possible through better delivery to enhance our reputation and academic record • Develop practices which acknowledge our different backgrounds and cultures
What innovation could we introduce? • Establish a series of “Learning Forums” to determine directions, initiatives and actions within the next few months and continuing through 2012 • Establish models of governance appropriate to schools in different situations • Revise how education is delivered in the ‘middle years’; i.e. years 7-10 • City wide transport systems must enable students to access city wide learning opportunities • Widen the breadth and mix of curriculum and make it accessible for all • Develop facilities which are available for use by whole communities including schools at all times and which are available for students from other schools • Schools which have developed well-performing learning hubs should be encouraged to develop these and to make them available to students beyond the boundaries of their own school – demonstration hubs • Encourage partnerships; eg. between high-performing and low-performing schools • Explore ways to better provide opportunities for education for all children and young people, including those with disabilities • Remove the silo approach to funding for children and families and adapt a more holistic approach centred on schools
What should we retain? Focus more on the document "N.Z. Curriculum"
What should we change? • Delivery should be more learner focused, future focused, system coherent and sustainable • Reassess current teacher training programmes to reflect future focus • Reassess the provision of professional opportunities for schools and teachers • The use of teacher skills so that they are utilised in many schools rather than one school
What innovation could we introduce? • Greater use of ultra-fast broadband to provide diverse approaches, e-learning, blended delivery, collaboration, and utilisation of expertise across networks locally, nationally and globally. Fund GCSN to do this properly. • Create opportunities for learning to happen across the city in a variety of learning environments • Further the opportunities for student interaction across the city including the opportunity for all students to research, produce and have their voices heard • Encourage opportunities for students to submit work for public and peer assessment • Encourage greater flexibility in school timetabling to develop better community connections and actively encourage students to engage with tertiary institutions and businesses • Investigate cluster, or city wide funding for pupils so that seamless education provisions become available.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
We would refer you to the document "Opportunities and Challenges: Creating a compelling vision and direction for education in Christchurch" September 2011, produced by the group S.U.C.E. (Shaking Up Christchurch Education). This document has been circulated to the Ministry of Education but can be further obtained electronically on request.
It would help us to know where you live East Christchurch
Are you? Organisation
Are you representing? Group What should we retain?
1. Our teachers. In my experience, the teachers in a school add the most to each student's learning expperience. We have many experienced and committed teachers in Christchurch schools and I believe it would be short-sighted to force them to seek jobs elsewhere when our children are so in need of security and strong teachers to support them through the earthquake trauma. If we lose too many teachers now we will be unable to attract them back once school numbers are replenished.
2. School zones. It is important to me that my children can access a school in our neighbourhood and that every other neighbourhood has that option too.
What should we change?
1. Reduce the stress of schools and teachers by providing more support aqnd a longer timeframe for them to ride out the earthquake challenges. Provide schools with more resources to support traumatised children in an attempt to reduce the impact of the earthquake aftermath on their studies.
What innovation could we introduce?
Continue some of the collaborative work that schools have done via site-sharing etc. Are there ways this spirit of cooperation can be continued once all students are back in their single school sites?
What should we retain?
1. A range of early childhood options for parents so that they can make choices that suit the temperament of their child/ren. 2. Subsidised fees for early childhood participation so that it is affordable for all. 3. Local community-focused schools that meet the needs of their neighbourhood families. 4. Successful and diverse tertiary education options so that students do not have to leave their community to study (makes it more affordable and provides them with personal support). Well-funded university and polytechnics.
What should we change?
1. Uncertainty about the future. Earthquakes and their personal outcomes are bad enough but the continual loss of one community function or asset after the other is demoralising and confidence- sapping. 2. Lack of communication with the wider community about educational decisions that affect our children. Parents need to know what is happening educationally (and what is planned for the future) so they can invest in a local area and be confident that there will be educational options available to their children.
What innovation could we introduce?
Trusting in the professionals who work at the coal-face of education. They are trained, they are experienced and, as a parent who works with teachers to assist my children's learning, I get frustrated that experienced teachers' or principals' advice and suggestions or feedback often seem to be ignored by decision-makers.
What should we retain?
1.The national curricula for early childhood and primary schools. They support the development of learners in a creative and wholistic way. 2. Experienced, qualified teachers who are committed, successful and enthusiastic about children and their job. I am disappointed that early childhood centres are being forced to reduce their numbers of qualified teachers for funding reasons. This is , in my view, counter-productive if we want to give under -5s the best possible start to their education. I am grateful my children received the quality of care of qualified teachers and credit them with much of the success my children are now experiencing at school. I want every other child to have accessto that opportunity also. 3. Open communication with parents and an open door policy in classrooms for family involvement in children's learning.
What should we change?
Remove compulsion to adhere to National Standards as currently written. I do not think the current national standards are needed as teachers already report on every child's progress. I do not think the potential for labelling youg children as failures is helpful to their learning or their personal development.
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
As a parent, I appreciate the work our schools and early childhood centres are doing. I hope that future decisions will incorporate parents' perspectives of what is working and not change things for the sake of change or simply for funding reasons. The expense of early childhood and primary education is the best investment we can make in the future.
It would help us to know where you live North Christchurch Are you? Parent Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
• Accessible access…walking to ECE, school etc • Parent relationships • Sense of community • Outdoor spaces • Community organizations such as Youth Alive – social coordinators • Community engagement • The business infrastructure (in the area) • ECE/School networking/socializing What should we change?
• New facilities are placed within a community – cluster • Effective communication when possible around closing of early childhood centres (in a disaster).
• Guidelines from MOE to be included with primary • Staffing - when rebuilds happen and possible roll drops there is continuity and protection for staffing – planned
What innovation could we introduce?
• Secretary of education have power to “close” schools and ECE centres • Have a “response tool kit”
What should we retain?
• The same choices across the education network no matter what size • Teachers and support staff
What should we change?
• Transparency – what’s happening/what’s not/for whom? • Links between all sectors – circular not linear (ECE – primary- secondary)
What innovation could we introduce? • Not live in an environment of broken/mended long term • Funding model to allow for small organizations to remain viable • Maximize the potential whilst retaining the unique identity of the area • Specialist teachers being shared across the network of education facilities in a coordinated way • Pre-service training – more cultural content (wide range of cultures via immigration that need to be incorporated into NZ. Will need resources/support for non English speaking)
What should we retain?
What should we change? • Meaningful experiences – more hands on/visual • Using the environment – relevant learning experiences • Delivering in purpose built buildings • Knowing your families – keeping them as active participants
What innovation could we introduce? • Middle schooling year 7- 10 to meet needs of a specific age group / learning needs • Keeping families as active participants across the whole education sector – especially secondary • Reestablishing the school/education facility as the heart/centre of the community • Recognising the values parents bring multiple skills /ways of knowing/doing • Education takes place across many settings not just classroom and value that
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Greater Brighton MOE feedback
It would help us to know where you live
(select option)
Are you?
(select option)
Are you representing? Group What should we retain?
• Ratios – qualified staff • Strong community focus • Tomorrow Schools – BOT: self management • Green spaces • QE 11 • Children and needs at the forefront and as the focus What should we change?
• Linking between ECE, primary, intermediate, secondary • City wide zoning opportunities • What’s the place of intermediates in the 21st century? What innovation could we introduce?
• Better connectedness across sectors o Resources o ICT o Create safe cycle ways – other forms of transport links • Review enrolling in zoning • Post secondary – pathways o Make connections with others: secondary schools, ece centres etc) • Year 12/13 College system • Bigger facilities that can cope with school needs as well as the community What should we retain?
• Choice and diversity • Special character • Retain identity in communities – local facilities not mega centres • Investment – ensure equitable funding (no new super schools) • Green spaces What should we change?
• Stop east – west shift between schools • Sharing facilities across communities • Ensure communities have access to ECE, primary, secondary etc What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain? • Create facilities for all community) eg. shared halls, libraries – public and schools) • Provide more cultural facilities (especially maraes) • Greater connectedness across sectors - Support for dialogue (development of shared vision) • Look at school hours etc – consider extra curricula activities What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
• ICT system used to create and consume -high speed internet broadband for all • Inquiry – how do we provide for this? Enable for teaching and learning • Shared resources to enable learners to access more often • Shared delivery • BYOD (bring your own device) – has implications for infrastructure, resources • Continue to focus children leading their learning • Enabling learning through ICT where appropriate • Consider the design of learning spaces to enable anywhere, anytime (future focused) learning
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Parklands/Burwood MOE focus group summary
It would help us to know where you live
(select option)
Are you?
(select option)
Are you representing?
Group What should we retain?
• Wednesday sport • A sense of belonging and identity at a school and regional level • The diverse nature of our schools • Diversity/Choice – single sex; co-ed; special character; differences in style • Excellent teaching and learning • Links with university, CPIT etc • Sport/cultural/music events • Rich co curricula life • NZC vision
What should we change? • Inequalities in the system • Resourcing – a better model • Get rid of intermediate schools – use land for community facilities eg. night school for non- achievers • Zoning? School hours - creating opportunities for students to learn in different places at different times • Constraints of property management • Super school - on 3 -4 sites/ a combo school • Cluster schools – intensive partnerships; combining resources and expertise • Factory model of schooling • MOE focus on instant results and compliance • Funding mechanisms – schools, locally, nationally • Parent understanding of what education is/means • Competition to sharing
What innovation could we introduce? • Develop IT eg. video conferencing model • School/community shared facilities • Explore opportunities for senior students to take courses at other ChCh schools or trades academies • Classrooms designed for the 21st century • Opportunities for clusters – leadership, teachers, students • Community links with learning – learning in context • Glide time for teachers/students • Parent education and involvement • Links to other schools, business and tertiary – sharing • Sharing resources and facilities • Opportunities for ChCh a s a very well funded research • Year 1 – 13 – improve pathways for non university students
What should we retain? • Diversity of provision • Homework hubs remain and add • Co – curricular life – set time built into structure for sport/cultural pursuits • Free education till 18 years • Flexible approach to the school day and greater use of schools’ facilities
What should we change?
• Need for us as schools to develop/manage changes etc. and not have change imposed on us • Shared resources eg. HR, IT etc – increased collaboration • Change competitive environment • Two layers not three (ECE – year 6; 7 – 13 or year 1- 6 and year 7 – 13 or year 1 – 8 and 9 -13 • More vertical/horizontal clusters within and across communities • Flexibility of provision, timings, transport • Loosen constraints: Education Act and collective (agreements) re day • Drop decile system • More flexibility – “stage not age” • Abandon NCEA level 1 @ year 11 – perhaps some literacy and numeracy • Funding via Schools Plus not Youth Guarantee. Money to schools not tertiary
What innovation could we introduce?
• Using IT o Teacher PD o Global connections o Equity between schools o Sustainability o Greater engagement • Aligning timetables for greater collaboration between schools • 0 – 18 seamless - year 7 – 13 schools • Education shared – resources, governance, o Collaborative learning process o Community access o Maintain provision of choice and diversity • Strengthen the interface with tertiary and business • Hubs in new communities
What should we retain?
• Quality teachers • Current staffing pool and share surplus positions across the city • Development of ICT as a tool of delivery • Teaching and learning clusters • Sport/co-curricula • Whole school PD
What should we change?
• Improved PD for staff - build up capacity for new environment • Greater student centred learning - more in context/real/community based • More seamlessness - 7 -13 versus 9 – 13 • Timetable constraints – blocks of learning eg. 2 hours - 5 hours
What innovation could we introduce?
• Further develop specialty “hubs” • Extend itinerant positions eg. Te Reo • Transform all ChCh schools to a 21st century teaching and learning environment ie. open, flexible spaces, IT capability, delivery models which meet needs of our learners, shared learning • Shared philosophies year 1 – 13 • Free transport system as enabler of choice • Schools/tertiary cooperating for blocks of complementary working time • VC delivery eg. scholarship, languages, music, hard to staff learning areas such as technology • “Packages” of learning – personalized and flexible • Flexibility – remove age progressions from learning – being mindful of social needs • Use CAPNA teachers – to allow teachers PD time o Research in pedagogy, IT, 21st century learning • Rent – not own plant • Create environments that are culturally responsive
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Secondary School principals Focus Group feedback
It would help us to know where you live
(select option)
Are you? (select option)
Are you representing? Group What should we retain?
• Sense of community
• Ease of talking – open, friendly, concern
• Curriculum flexibility
• Independence and autonomy of school BOT’s and not giving up that power (MOE seem to be micromanaging)
What should we change?
• Access to all schools programmes if that’s what they (students) want to do
• Open access – if you have a great programme - open it up eg. TV/film; gaming development; horticulture; agriculture; sustainability
• Emphasize excellence
• Let’s not have to employ registered teachers in areas where people have great skills that we need (ie. they may not be registered teachers)
What innovation could we introduce?
• Innovation that comes up, not down
• Education/learning of all sorts in the centre of the city
What should we retain?
What should we change?
• Model that is community focused and seamless from early childhood to tertiary – remove barriers – share community facilities and have business connected
• Open all hours 24/7
What innovation could we introduce?
• Sharing facilities and services eg. libraries, science alive
• Private/public partnerships
What should we retain?
What should we change?
• Glide time
• Use community resources – whānau; generations of family; community mentoring
• More collaboration between schools
What innovation could we introduce?
• Utilize buildings 24/7
• MOE to invite innovation and support (provide real opportunity for the community/ schools/ anyone to innovate - an innovation fund or something - maybe outside Ministry) • Emphasize learning (not teaching) and uniqueness of individual
• Deliver specialised education – eg TV/media
• Use the “Red Zone” as an education resource for sustainability
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
City Group MOE focus group
It would help us to know where you live
(select option)
Are you?
(select option)
Are you representing?
Group What should we retain?
• Places of learning age appropriate
• MOE - recognise and commit to supporting schools as key organizations that build positive social outcomes for the community. (It will not do this if it encourages market forces to determine outcomes for schools).
• Maintain individual boards of each place of learning with the chance to form a committee to build relationships between all
• Maintain a sense of identity
• Literacy, numeracy, hands on learning
• Pastoral care need great now for some and will be so for some time
• Holistic educational focus – arts, sports, academic, technological, social, emotional, cultural
• Partnership approach to education with families and whānau
• Chances for special character and other schools of particular philosophies/forms etc.
What should we change?
We do NOT want to be an experiment for rest of ChCh or rest of NZ just because of earthquake
• Thought: Educational village – eg. Shut North Parade/Banks avenue 9 – 4pm. Develop pre school/ primary/intermediate/secondary hub. Children access site – all seen as an educational entity. Schools specialise (eg library) – community access as well – “A whole village to educate a child”. Thus schools cooperate but retain special character. These may include strengths in music, sport, cultural, language based, special needs. Could also have a performance venue, gym etc.
• Increase multiple pathways/possibilities
• Increase focus on early childhood support
• Increase cross sector alignment and relationships
• Stronger transitions
• Choices for parents re schools/centres not determined by where you live/income
• Enable different governance possibilities where school/centres cannot draw on suitable expertise
• Increase chance for school self management (increasing centrality presently)
What innovation could we introduce?
• Allow options re timing of school day
• Cross age possibilities
• Travel to school safely without cars
• Safe cycle ways
• Schools as city hub – one stop shop re agencies eg. medical, social welfare
• Shared resources - library, pool, gym – 24/7 use of facilities What should we retain?
• Focus on NZC
• opportunity to work cooperatively/collaboratively
• small size –
• low fees for wide access for families
• high quals for ECE providers
• diversity of opportunity - single sex, special character, large/small etc
• focus on holistic development – opportunities in schools – arts; sporting; cultural
What should we change?
• Ways we make sure success of school, staff, students eg. happiness quotient, engagement, emotional intelligence
• Increase collaboration between schools and other entities
• opportunities for all not based on cost
• greater access to meaningful trades
• more resources/tools to enable “hands on” interactive learning
• greater use of role models and mentors working in schools
What innovation could we introduce?
• Increased PD on Maori and Pasifika students and needs of students
• More interventions available for literacy and numeracy - best practice modeled
• Reduce barriers through access - increased social services, counselors, greater emphasis on pastoral needs. Mental health needs given greater consideration
What should we retain?
• Culture of schools
• Existing teachers, support staff etc
• Face to face contact
• Catering for individual learners
• ICT as a tool for learning
• GCSN
What should we change?
• Return to community education (night school)
What innovation could we introduce?
• Lose the competitive model
• Actual collaboration between schools
• Shared specialist teachers – language teachers etc
• Flexibility in teaching/learning times - Timetabling options – eg. Saturday mornings; length of teaching periods
• Ultra fast broadband (make special arrangements for schools not on the fibre optic cable
• Capital resources and PD fairly available
• Greater ChCh ECE network set up
• Distance learning options available
• Opportunities for work experience for seniors
• Learning through play and doing – meaningful for the learner – activity based
• Financial literacy programmes
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Avonside-Shirley MOE Focus Group summary
It would help us to know where you live
(select option)
Are you?
(select option)
Are you representing?
Group What should we retain?
• Collaboration between schools and community groups
• Opportunity of design and architecture
• Cluster sports coordinator
• Autonomy of Boards
What should we change?
Reconsider model of zoning
• Look city wide for opportunities for students with particular abilities –
• Before and after school care – higher quality and use educational resources
• Encourage more collaboration at all levels – governance, curriculum, procurement
• More assistance for lower decile school BOT’s
• More support/assistance/structure around employing principal
• Reconsider model of zoning
• Flexible school models to engage learners up to 13
• School and community sharing = less boundaries – combine funding for open sharing of assets
What innovation could we introduce?
More formalized mentoring and networking of principals
• Flexible school models to engage learners up to 13
• Shared campuses from ECE – year 13
• More clusters across schools
• Board training for aspirational board members
• Learn from other communities that have coped with disasters eg. New Orleans
What should we retain?
• Element of choice o Range of educational options eg. special character, levels
• Local school, local community
• School zoning?
What should we change?
• Research needs of the community in relation to the school network
• Modern learning environments
• Awareness of fuel/energy resources, traffic modeling, sustainability in planning – future local schooling less travel
What innovation could we introduce?
• Explore middle schools for Port Hills area (in partnership with local high schools)
• Cluster models across ChCh
What should we retain?
What should we change?
• Improve transitions between schools ECE, primary, intermediate, secondary)
• Less subject focus
• More collaboration between sectors
What innovation could we introduce?
• Explore different models –eg one day schools
• Use technology to deliver specialiasations across schools
• Review and improve governance models
• Changing school day/timetable
• Age based division – does it work?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Port Hills Focus Group feedback
It would help us to know where you live
(select option)
Are you?
Other
Are you representing?
Group What should we retain?
We should retain public schools because every Child in the greater Christchurch area has a right to a free education that is funded by the state. They should have the right to attend a public school or preschool to have all their educational needs met.Christchurch children have had the adversity of the earthquake and all the resourcing systems that have been in place previous to the quakes should be kept in place including funding for teachers, maintenance of public schools and equity funding.
What should we change?
We should change funding that is inadequate and discrimatory, meaning that all education centres should be able to provide quality education without the need for donations because this only results in inequities. We should not measure schools by single stand alone testing as learning is individual.We need to make sure that all schools and preschools in the greater christchurch area have access to the same prosperity.
What innovation could we introduce?
Show a model for a strong vibrant education system across all of the greater christchurch schools that will show an example to the rest of New Zealand that there is an investment in education.
What should we retain?
Every child able to attend a local public school and be assured that they are not disadvantaged through access to funds and resourcing.
What should we change?
An emphasis on competition between schools.
An emphasis that a child's learning can be determined by national data.
What innovation could we introduce?
Promote hristchurch as a place with challenges but that these challenges can be met with resourcing and innovative ideas that provides desirable and professional personal opportunities for all staff.
What should we retain?
The greater christchurch's existing cultural strengths, the links between the major city and the outlying rural areas. Quality public education so that every child can reach their potential.
What should we change?
Any thing that reduces the community strength that emerged during the earthquake and undermines the needs of children.
What innovation could we introduce?
When rebuilding or renovating schools plan for the requirements of 21st century schools across
the region and not leave any schools out.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live South Christchurch Are you? Teacher Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
• Communities/neighbourhoods
• Cultural complexity/identity
• Retaining schools/ed. centres as a community hub
• Skills base
• Connections that have been built
• Retain focus on quality teaching and learning
• Choice – parental and student
• Quality facilities to enable quality T and L
• An understanding that specific age groups require specific learning environments
What should we change?
• Social workers in all schools
• all preschoolers in EEC
• Being more collaborative across all sectors starting with BOT’s
• Sharing expertise and specialists
• Property – equity across all sectors
• better transitioning
• Elearning commitment from MOE/govt. as equitable and accessible for all
• Acknowledging global nature of education community
• Support for modern learning environments (flexible, learning anywhere, anytime focus)
What innovation could we introduce?
• Niche provision of opportunity on different sites
• Learning community as a shared resource - social wrap around for families
• Refresh teacher training and professional learning
• Different levels of education eg. start school at 4 or readiness stage/junior secondary schools/readiness for being a school leaver
• Elearning and technology throughout sector
• Investment in Maori and Pasifika and disengaged boys
• Seamless assessment throughout education
What should we retain?
“Know your student”
• Maintain choices: single sex/co-ed. Schools/age specific (ece, primary, pre adolescent, secondary)
• Choices – specialties of subjects; varieties of models
• Collaboration with other schools to maximize learning opportunities across all levels for all learners
• Physical school site in community
What should we change?
• Whole whānau learning
• Personalized learning
• Forum to discuss our strengths and needs/successes
• MoE policies and requirements (to be more flexible)
What innovation could we introduce?
• Provision of professional learning facilitators/mentors free at all levels of “expertise”
• Use of schools for longer hours
• Non competitive $ model
• Early intervention education from birth
• Infrastructure to allow for tailored personalized learning eg. funding, transport “school orbiter”
What should we retain?
• Structure of leadership and governance across schools
• Quality teachers
• Develop partnerships with community to help engagement and provide aspirations
• Learning that is authentic, flexible and relevant
• Support from Ngai Tahu
• Diversity/individual flavors
• Opportunity to be responsive to community needs
• Opportunity for guided personal pathways
What should we change?
• Community hubs – wrap around from birth
• Collaboration ofn all social systems working for all children and families
• Opportunity to be responsive to community needs
• Opportunity for guided personal pathways
• IT/elearning
What innovation could we introduce?
• Sharing of resources – physical, human
• Learning groups rather than form classes
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Feedback from the MOE Linwood/Aranui focus group
It would help us to know where you live
(select option)
Are you?
Other
Are you representing?
Group What should we retain? Keep asking this question - but in different ways to different people.
Play to our strengths - strong regional identity, bi-cultural history, fantastic natural environment and resources at our doorstep, an openness to innovative ideas.
What should we change? Stonger bi-cultural support for all levels of education from preschool to tertiary.
A greater commitment to making sure all students, regardless of school, suburb or decile rating, leaves high school with,not just a minimum, standard of literacy.
Much stronger support for those (and their families) with specific learning disabilites to ensure they reach their potential.
What innovation could we introduce? Ensure access for ALL to ICT technology not only at school but at home - funding, sponsorship
A musical instrument (ie Otara project) for every primary student
A more generous welcome and support for international students or recent arrivals - a centre for them to meet, get information, receive pastoral stupport, language support, mentoring by Kiwi students - an opportunity for real cultural exchange
What should we retain? The successful, committed and forward-looking principals, teachers, educators and support staff currently facing job losses or overwhelming challenges post-quake.
What should we change? The stigma attached to being educated on the east side of Christchurch. The ingrained snobbery attached to certain schools, despite the wonderful teaching & learning happening on my side of the city.
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
Let parents of kids with specific learning difficulties decide how their children need to be educated - not to be limited by funding constraints.
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
This format of submission is confusing and hard work. I have no idea if my comment actually relates to purpose, delivery or shape - often all 3 at the same time I suspect. I understand that more concrete questions may constrain respondents but I find the category labels unhelpful - except perhaps for those used to the language of 'education'. In the end I have responded despite your cues. This may be a reason that the response rate has been low - I suspect the responses will mostly be from people working in education, not the parents or students you may actually need to hear from most.
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you? Parent Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
I think we should retain education to be accessable for every child and part of their childhood rights. That all children are able to learn in New Zealand from New Zealand designed curriculum. Retain the people and training establishments that work hard to train our upcoming teachers with forward thinking practise and research. Retain teacher registration requirements for all teachers and inclusion of Te Reo and Te Kanga Maori in teaching diplomas. I think we should retain inclusion of defferent abliliy able children in the mainstream. I think we should retain the focus that children need holistic education.
What should we change?
Schools are able to pull a huge economic advantage to an area, they provide employment and can boost business in surrounding areas. Focus on local schooling would limit traveling needs and put people in their own community for more of the day encouraging active transport and interaction with social connections, groups and afterschool activities. Change education to have a focus on several options for further education and skill ability but also to have a sound base of interaction with community. Change the good schools bad schools concept that is strong in CHCH, mix the barriers and boundaries more.
What innovation could we introduce?
Skill sharing through school sites being used as bases for various clubs and groups, sharing resources, promote working along side different aged students. Predict need for certain careers so that schools can able students with an employment opportunity but also encourage a personal learning goal, possibly based on a hobbie or dream, so that self learning is perpetuated life long.
What should we retain?
Early Childhood centres being in proximity of primary schools so siblings are near each other. Schools seen as heart of the community, school fairs, concerts, use of grounds in weekends. The physical buildings of an education centre are the home away from home for many children.We should retain childrens sense of pride and identity by being part of a centre/school family
What should we change?
That some schools have more or specialised resources and they are limited in use to the school who houses them. Change that so much of school is inside,indoors, in books. Project and community service learning has given my children a feeling of doing real tasks and doing things for others and has made the 'in book' skills valid for real use.
What innovation could we introduce?
An across sector co-ordinator of resources but still have governance of the school with community representitives. Teachers could be time shared to other schools to share specialist teaching skills. This could also prevent teachers being made redundant when school roll drops. This could be run like a time bank where an hour of each teachers time is seen as equal if teachers are paid different salaries, or a requirement for teacher registration so that the teachers get experience at schools in all areas.
Break down competition between schools with a counter to decile ratings, that has a holistic focus.
What should we retain?
We have some very dedicated teachers on the East side. They are working for more than their salary, I hope we can retain all our teachers.
What should we change?
Local is very important to us now after the earthquakes and because we love living here and want to raise our families here. We need to change the feeling that we are not able to access the resources that some other schools get to. We should change the focus of learning to be less vunerable to change. children should feel they are not going to be separated from friends and family because of 'better schooling options'
What innovation could we introduce?
Promote the education options as a package from early childhood to tertiary with interlinks so that children may choose different learning but will cross paths again with each other along the way. such as a preschool near some primary schools who group together for events and resource sharing, like music and sports, then a high school links these children together again. This can incorporate active transport and links with the community in a very strong way.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
I am very worried about children being split up into the good school bad school senario. I believe this gets seen as having a choice of schools. The majority of children from our school have no such 'choice' as it relies on financial ability in general. I find this appauling, that we separate children in this way, education should be available no matter who your parents are or what they have. The attitude is very strong even if we choose to stay at primary for year 7 &8. The children remaining get a sense of being the left behind ones even if we as parents feel it is a sound holistic view that makes us choose to continue at primary. I wish to see the education in the east strong and relevant to the communities here and as good an education as we can get anywhere in the city.
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain? Early Childhood Education to be valued and seen as a right of every child.Continued provision of free and low cost Early Education.
What should we change? Provide new Community Early Childhood Services to the communities that need them most. It would be wonderful if there is a community early childhood centre available for every child in their own neighbourhood. Have the focus of these early childhood centres developing the whole family in health, social well being and life long learning
What innovation could we introduce? Some centres having space and ability to promote learning for parents by having attached learning rooms for courses such as the community needs, promoting on going learning while raising children and bridging gaps to further secondary or tertiary education for parents
What should we retain? Community Based Early Childhood Centres, Governance by parents, located locally in residential areas in walking distance to primary schools. Registered teachers, holding teaching qualifications, attending regular professional development.
What should we change? Increase participation by increasing the number of services rather than increasing the number of children attending at one time. Establish more relationship between the E.C. services and the primary schools for ease of transition, also have secondary education in local areas so children can see and make links of their learning journeys. Students at secondary and tertiary may make links back to the E.C. centres also. E.C. education made very accessable to all children and their families so that learning and community well being are strongly linked. Resource sharing increased.
What innovation could we introduce? All new and residential areas have, in their design a consideration for local community Early Childhood Education.
What should we retain? Te Whariki Early Childhood curriculum. Half day sessions service as an option in all centres to accomodate all childrens needs. Great ratios.
What should we change? Links in the community especially with well being services. Local Early Childhood Centres that can bring community together, children have the opportunity to see older children and adults around them learning. Making a strong personal value of learning in each child early in life, that they develop a love of learning and see the relivance of learning in the lives of people around them.
What innovation could we introduce? Links between all levels of education across the sector. Links to the physical environment around learning places, utalising the environment to make a definition of life long learning. The more experiences a child has in their local environment the more chance they have to revisit their learning at any time of their life and share it with anybody.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater We are very aware that there are less accessable learning opportunities for our children in our area especially in secondary education. Opportunities are reliant on being able to afford it or travel. We would like our children to have opportunities based on their skills and learning interests not on which school they get into. We would like the education they recieve in their own community to be considered as good as any place in Christchurch.
It would help us to know where you live East Christchurch
Are you? Board of Trustee
Are you representing? Group What should we retain?
My son attends Freeville School and I think its a fantastic school with wonderful teachers. I also have a 3year old which will also be attending in a couple of years
What should we change? we are lacking a High school in the area 8083 zone, we are out of zone for most schools and even if we get our children in they have to bus there, wouldnt it be nice to cycle or even walk
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain? my daughter attends NNBCC north new brighton community creche it was damaged in the earthquake but Im under the immpresion that they are getting a temp building sometime next year which is fantastic news for the staff the children and parents
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
N/a
What should we change?
A new High School in the 8083 zone
What innovation could we introduce?
My parents moved to Parklands in 1975 because of a promise of a High School that was going to be built. Now it's 2011 (still no HS) and with the quake, damaged HS's nearest to us (all the way over several suburbs away to us). We now need more than ever a High School (we live in Queenspark). Our kids have to travel far to get a higher education, so wouldn't it make sense for all these kids in the 8083 zone to a High School of their own.
What should we retain? n/a
What should we change? n/a
What innovation could we introduce?
A new High School in the 8083 zone
What should we retain? n/a
What should we change? n/a
What innovation could we introduce?
A new High School in the 8083 zone
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
A new High School in the 8083 zone
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
(select option) What should we retain? the concept of tomorrow's schools that communities can determine their own destiny and education options
What should we change? the view that now prevails in Christchurch that this is somehow the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and that all initiatives should be stifled by them.
What innovation could we introduce?
So, so many!. Some of them we know now- and many will become clear later Some will come through this site and some that won't yet have been thought of. The opportunities to do things differently and to be able to create something better are huge. The opportunities in the Red Zone are enormous . It provides a real opportunity for a real and unique exercise in sustainability for a city that will need to adapt to climate change. In amongst there is the opportunity for urban farms, farmers markets, permaculture, beekeeping, some urban forestry to provide biodiversity and carbon sequestration , great new transport links, recreation possibilities, urban orchards and so much more .Around and at the forefront of all of this is a fantastic educational opportunity .
There is another fantastic opportunity in the West of the city as more businesses shift into what may remain stronger communities such as Riccarton and Addington. There is now space at the University that can provide so many linkages to tertiary education .
We have learned that we can open much much longer than 9am-4pm …and we know that it is grossly wasteful of public resources to only open some few hours each day. We can open 24/7 and invite the community into the school. The old separation can go. But there is a very serious barrier to it.
If the Ministry of Education in its current format is expected to drive innovation, change and take risks with dynamic innovative solutions it simply will NOT happen. That recipe is doomed to disaster.
Government agencies are by their very nature risk averse. That is not a criticism of their staff. That is a factual reflection of the inertia and the intolerance to risks that most governmental agencies have. That is how they are set up , so there is no personal criticism here.
So there is going to need to be something very different if we actually want to use this opportunity. At the very least there is going to need to be some structure or organisation outside of the Ministry that is allowed and free to try new things, new configurations , new collaborations and that isn’t afraid that some of them many not work.
There is going to need to be some deliberate and considered approach that allows for the very different styles of education that can happen .
What should we retain?
Innovation , humour, diversity and choice. And the ability to innovate and think .
Public private partnerships
What should we change? the separation from the community. The closing of public buildings at 4pm and the barring of the public.The refusal of schools, early childhood and tertiary to work together The difficulty there is in employing a non teacher even when that person has the IT skills or the particular skills that you are seeking
What innovation could we introduce?
Unlimited High School wants to create a hub at Canterbury University .The Ministry sat in this proposal for three months and then decided( unilaterally ) that its preferred option is at the back end of Hillmorton in some prefabs that are likely to be written off. It did so wiht no consultation with unlimited , and the propsoal meets none of Unlimited's needs and yet they act as though they are the sole arbiter of what happens to schools . .Its great that Unlimited want to do this and provide a good easy transition to university and use the enormous resources of the University . Its great that they are already working with 6 other parties on an Enterprise centre there for young people, from high school, the University, the community who want to create their own jobs .This is exactly the sort of thinking and innovation we need and the fact that the Ministry is actively blocking it is reprehensible.
There is another great environmental opportunity that there are about 10 immediate partners for in the East of Christchurch that would be so easy to put together.
The idea that schools work closely together -across age groups
Real initiatives on climate change since we have the ability to rebuild so much of the city
What should we retain?
The lovely open NZ curriculum
Internal assessment for NZQA the philosophy of Tomorrows schools
What should we change?
The idea that schools do not put the child at the centre of their own learning .
What innovation could we introduce? So ....so many ...but again the Ministry needs a counterfoil.At the moment they are not encouraging innovation and worse , they are giving completely wrong advice, claiming it is from Crown Law. Two recent examples .They told Unlimited High school that they would be liable for the first term of the lease and the renewal period . Wrong.Completely wrong.
They also insisted on seeing the submission that the BOT at unlimited wrote to the ChCh City Council on the City Plan, claiming that the BOT was a Crown Entity. While that is true for some things it is not true for this purpose and this is a gross infringement on civil liberties.
Having shown they are not capable of innovation leaving the Ministry with no balance on them would mean that schools are completely stifled . The thought of the Ministry of Education running the programme of renewal and innovation in Christchurch schooling is terrifying . And it dooms the programme to failure .
Schools doing new and exciting things with the private sector, the City Council , the tertiaries, the preschool sector, and the research sector and businesses all makes good sense to us
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater There is a serious need for innovation .So many good things are possible and we know we can do things better. But the barrier is the Ministry of Education. We have no faith that the Ministry will be able to provide quickly for the move back into the city for Discovery 1 and Unlimited and our fear is that they will make the process
It would help us to know where you live West Christchurch
Are you? Other Are you representing? Group What should we retain?
Issues that are relevant to CPIT
What should we change?
Young people leaving school without having achieved NCEA level 2
Educational underachievement by Maori and Pasifika populations
Other populations with educational underachievement(Disabilities, NESB)
Dysfunctional school/post school pathways for many students
Youth unemployment
Demands for physical capital investment
Demands for human capital investment
We should retain
A high quality provsion of eudcation for international students
What should we change?
The new model needs to focus on the industry, products, business etc. that are geared to recovery – 20 years.
All components of the education system should equip young people to fully engage in their communities, producing citizens that are innovative, flexible, adaptable and skilled.
Since a high percentage of those required for recovery are already in the work force provide opportunities for second chance learners to up-skill. Semi qualified should be given access to complete to become mentors of the next generation.
Promote a “Learning Society” to support the “Knowledge Economy”.
Extend international student engagement from an English language focus to obtaining a high level vocational or professional qualification.
What innovation could we introduce?
Opportunities include:
A focus on education as an essential part of recovery
A range of models for educational delivery at secondary/tertiary level
Governance arrangements across levels and institutions
Resource sharing across levels and institutions
A storng Canterbury education strategy
Greater industry engagment - www.workinspiration.com
What should we retain?
Strengths include:
A range of secondary school types across the City (Burnside model, Hagley model, Canterbury Tertiary College model)
Access to three Teritary institutions within easy distance of most homes in greater Christchurch
Christchurch has always been an employment destination of choice for highly skilled eudcational staff, leading to a high quality of education at all levels. Ensure that this becomes the norm again.
The strong tertiary contribution to the regions economic future
The reputation of Christchurch for high quality international student education and support.
What should we change?
Establish, maintain and increase links to established and emerging businesses and employers:
- this should include professional organisations, both those who currently offer workplace-based qualifications or training (eg. NZOQ, IANZ) and those who do not.
- internships & placements, and workplace-related research projects to further encourage vocational engagement
Extend the hours of operations of educational facilities through utilisation for other functions. Community /business/ organisational.
Enhance the strength of the school-tertiary-work pathways
What innovation could we introduce?
Modular, flexible, agile education with strong community engagement.
Collaborative approaches:
-the educational rebuild needs to ensure we can work on sustainable economies of scale
-integrated primary, secondary and tertiary systems ... with a secondary/ tertiary 'blur' (as already started).
Lateral as well as vertical integration and transformation - work with fellow tertiary's and seondary's to provide opportunities for learning rather than gand divides.
Enhancement of virtual laerning facilities to enable wider access including integrated development of resources
Curriculum staff: Secondary and Tertiary - a key need to ensure the opportunity is used to develop key fluencies for the 21st century.
Working with industries - education as learning on the job... encouraging SMEs with this (workplace education)
Supporting Secondary school integrated rebuilds and new developments as part of the recovery.
- Vocational education as an integral part of the pathways choices for senior secondary
-possiblities for vocational education type hub space and general ways of sharing resources.
Sustainability Education - integrated into disciplain specific delivery to enhance a future with the knowledge and skills to contribute to the planning, creation and/or operation of environmentally and socially sustainable society. What should we retain?
Christchurch as a destination of choice for international students
Secondary/tertiary pathways including CTC, youth guarantee, Maori & Pasifika trades training support, etc.
The governance and managment model implemented at systems level(NZQA, TEC, Ministry of Education ) after the earthquake. Strong control at the high level (higher accountabilityand reporting) over qualifications, with flexibility to meet those outcomes would enable CPIT to meet industry and students needs more effectively.
The switch to real Outcomes Delivery has enhanced the student experience and success.
What should we change?
The gap between secondary and vocational provision (in particular)
Provide strong levels of student support at all levels. Literacy and numeracy a focus at secondary, as it has been at tertiary levels 1-3 for the past 4 years.
Ensure that all funding streams are flexible enough to allow sound educational approaches to delivery to be undertaken (cost effectiveness can be a result)
Blended, flexible and targeted delivery can enhance the cost effectiveness of the system which requires a whole-of- region view and collaboration to achieve.
Equity in participation, outcomes and strategies will further support this.
What innovation could we introduce?
Expansion of the Canterbury Tertiary College options
Ensuring a range of curriculum and delivery options that meet all student needs are provided across the region including better access to virtual learning.
Other school/education /work pathways and pipelines developed
Embedding of collaborative career service and guidance activities
Collaboration through high level governance/advisory arrangements
Shared facilities
Collaborative professional devleopment - particularly at secondary/tertiary interface level
Collaborative learning resource development - particularly at secondary/tertiary inferface level
Expanded articulation arrangements
Up-skilling - institutions introduce more certificate to diploma level qualifications to meet industry specific needs. Amalgamation of courses from a range of existing programmes can offer industry streamlined 'in house' qualification options. The CPIT Certificate in Quality Systems is an example
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live East Christchurch Are you? Organisation
Are you representing? Group What should we retain?
What should we change?
• Tertiary system must retain more local domestic students, and attract more international and non- Canterbury domestic students
• All components of the education system must equip better people to fully engage in their communities
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
• Provide more obvious pathways from previous education, whether secondary school or tertiary level
• All institutions (thinking especially at tertiary level) need to have a clearly defined reason-for-being that is clearly communicated to the wider community. LU does very well in this regard with its “Land” focus, UC & CPIT less so
• Provide world-class scholarship (UC, in particular, needs to pick up its game in this regard)
• Establish, maintain, increase links to established and emerging businesses & employers (this is where CPIT needs to work hard) o This should include professional organisations, both those who currently offer workplace-based qualifications or training (eg NZOQ, IANZ) and those who do not o Internships & placements, and workplace-related research projects are really important at tertiary level
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
• Provide strong levels of student support o International student liaison/support staff (CPIT does well at this) o Accessible teaching staff o Encouraging implementation of new learning technologies
• Provide clear pathways for students re-entering the education system o Need to distinguish between “2nd chance” education, and professional development. I think that across the sector we do ok with the 2nd chance side, less well with the professional development side o For professional development, institutions could introduce more certificate-level qualifications “cherry- picking” courses from existing programmes. The CPIT Certificate in Quality Systems is a good example of this
• Apply and develop state of the art teaching approaches, and celebrate good teaching o Work hard at increasing the capacity for flexible delivery approaches for those unable to attend face-to-face o Teaching in the vocational part of the tertiary system needs to replicate the workplace as far as possible, by providing workplace-standard equipment
internships & placements
workplace-related research projects
What innovation could we introduce?
• The two universities have a strong campus feel about them; CPIT and PTEs could work more at strengthening this aspect. o In my view CPIT has done a lot post-earthquake in this regard, in the way it is now hosting more cultural events & seminars o More accommodation close to the campus – must be affordable. Affordability is extremely important for international students.
CBD-based institutions such as CPIT have a huge opportunity here
Local accommodation helps students by cutting down transport costs o Central city providers (secondary & tertiary, private and state) work with local immigrant groups to encourage retail & hospitality in the area around CPIT (& the CBD in general) so that it has more of a “global village” feel
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Clarifying the demographic information, I teach in the tertiary sector
If the above is too scrambled, I have the material as a PDF that can be emailed
It would help us to know where you live
South Christchurch
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
The purpose should be learning rather than educating. Everything else must support that.
What should we change?
We must astonish, inspire, engage and motivate first, and measure second.
What innovation could we introduce?
Cross sector groupings of schools close together who work together.
What should we retain?
Schools in local communities.
Our community believes that schools should not be too big so that the sense of community is retained.
What should we change?
Old classroom stock that promote one teacher, one class teaching.
The traditional school library should be revisited. This should now be a learning centre, part of, not separate to the learning. It should have a flexible arrangement of spaces so that it is not just a quiet reading space but a vibrant space where ICT, books, various learning spaces and performance spaces are combined.
School buildings should include Maori art. Going in to a school in NZ should look different than a school in Australia.
What innovation could we introduce?
School buildings that have flexible learning spaces. The ability for flow between spaces. Schools need to look more like early childhood centres where children of mixed ages work with a number of different adults on learning that they are driving. In order for this to happen the buildings must promote, not inhibit this type of learning.
Buildings need to encourage working with groups of different sizes in appropriate and flexible learning spaces.
We would like to see Early Childhood education being provided on or next to the primary school site. The preference for our school is to have a bi-lingual early childhood centre to feed in to our school's bi-lingual programme.
The design needs to be open, light and inclusive.
Allow for cross age interaction.
Gardens and plantings need to be integrated into the learning spaces of the school.
Schools need to be able to cater for their parents and encourage them to come in. A cafe on the street that serves school lunches from the back would kill two birds.
A skype bar.
What should we retain?
This depends on what is already happening in the school. For some what is already happening might seem like an innovation to others.
We want to retain the high level of community involvement we enjoy. We have team teaching where teachers share responsibility for a double sized class and we want to retain that. We have a high level of ICT use in our senior school as each child has their own netbook provided by the school. We would like to retain this and expand on it.
The ability to forge caring and mutually respectful learning focussed relationships.
What should we change?
Children moving in and out of the school to other learning destinations needs to be the norm. We need to abandon the idea of coming to school between 9am and 3pm, being in one place, with one teacher and one class.
Move from set to flexible groupings based on stage not age.
Teachers need to be more able to cater for children from Maori families. Every classroom should be bi-lingual to some degree.
What innovation could we introduce?
Ultrafast broadband is essential. That will open up many possibilities.
Support schools to open community based learning facilities.
Greater collaboration between schools and sectors.
Government contracts - negotiate some deals for netbooks, ipads etc and then allow schools to purchase at that price rather than each negotiating separately.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
We would like to see community facilities close to schools so that they can be accessed. We believe that the children in eastern Christchurch deserve the best. We hope that they will be at the centre of any decision making process and that their needs will come first. East Christchurch lacks a recreation centre, pool, performance arts facility and gym. The opportunity for these facilities to be provided in a manner that makes them accessible to school students mustn't be missed.
The need for intermediate schools must be questioned given that contributing schools now have capacity. This would also free up a facility that could then be utilised possibly for a High School that needs to be re-sited.
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Principal
Are you representing? Group What should we retain?
Retain current staff numbers in schools with fewer students because of quakes. Use these teachers to reduce class numbers and provide support for the additional needs of eathquake -affected pupils. Many are still severely traumatised.
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
Look at the current plight of newly qualified teachers who are finding it extremely difficult to obtain teaching positions in Canterbury at the moment. I heard of one position that attracted 300 applicants. The threatened down-sizing of staff in earthquake affected schools means that current Beginning Teachers are competing with a large number of much more experienced teachers for a small number of permanent and relieving positions.This has always been the case to some extent in Christchurch, but has been exacerbated by the earthquake disruptions. Beginning Teachers are becoming disillusioned with their prospects, sad to see after the enthusiasm they show while training, and will probably be lost to the profession. These are our future teachers. We cannot afford to neglect them for the future good of our schools. The support system in schools for beginning teachers who have won a position is admirable, but too many newly trained teachers see no way forward. This is such a waste of potential.
What innovation could we introduce?
1.Reserve a set number of positions in most schools for Beginning Teachers, as used to be the case. Too many currently advertised positions are tagged as unsuitable for Beginning Teachers.
2. Explore the possibility of returning to the older probationary assistant system, still used in Scotland and elsewhere, to give all young teachers the opportunity to obtain longterm classroom experience and provide a springboard into the teaching profession.
These suggested innovations apply throughout New Zealand, not just in Canterbury.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Although currently retired, I am making these suggestions after 20 + years as a senior teacher, some of these as a head teacher.
It would help us to know where you live
West Christchurch
Are you? Interested member of the community
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
At all costs we must retain a strong University and Polytechnic
What should we change?
We should develop a specialist Academic Earthquake Recovery Organisation (AERO) under the control of the University of Canterbury. The physical buildings should be in the City centre or nearby not on the Ilam Campus.
What innovation could we introduce?
A formal series of proposals and lectures given by world-wide Academic experts for the general public coupled with designated PhD Students in general areas of expertise. The expertise would straddle existing faculty boundaries and cover the Geotechnical elements of Earthquake research and the social impact on a City of earthquake damage as well as the impact on a City planning for the recovery.
What should we retain?
A genuine caring, rather than elitist, educational ethos amongst all Christchurch schools. The motto should be "Excellence at the expense of no-one, success for all individually"
What should we change?
We should make all schools accept both sexes and rid Christchurch of its single sex divisive educational ethos
What innovation could we introduce?
To promote the idea that high attainment for each individual should never be at the expense of another individual. No-one should be able to "buy" educational excellence by manipulating where they live.
What should we retain?
The Green Caring City in a Garden is the place that we will care and nurture all our children.
What should we change?
Any sense of elitism in education.
What innovation could we introduce?
An Christchurch Educational "Ombudsman" to ensure all our children are getting a fair educational deal.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
These recent earthquakes are the beginning of a new age of Enlightenment for Christchurch and should be promoted as such (see previous 17th Century Age of Enlightenment)
It would help us to know where you live
South Christchurch
Are you?
Other
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Although it is an exciting opportunity for change I do think that the biggest need for the children of Christchurch in the short term is stability. It has been such a hard year for them and it would be great if next year was stable to help them find their feet again.....same school, same teachers....please be careful of making changes in the short term that will unnecessarily disrupt this new found stability. For the long term however I think there are excellent ideas for new and exciting education initiatives in Canterbury.
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
We should retain schools dotted all over the city, our transport network currently cannot support having any larger combined schools. But these should become just junior colleges.
What should we change?
The purpose should be to greater enable students to make decisions about their learning and provide facilities that enables students to specialise into the areas they are interested in learning about. By making these sites junior colleges you can move the seniors to one major hub site in the central city.
What innovation could we introduce?
Specialised hubs in the middle of town, working outside of the 9-3 timetable, letting students access evening classes, early morning classes, whatever they wanted. With one big senior college catering to thousands of students it would become a first of its kind college in this country with the ability for student to access all sorts of learning that has not been possible before.
What should we retain?
The current network of schools around the city.
What should we change?
Central city learning site which enables students to coexist in the CBD with businesses and other facilities such as libraries.
What innovation could we introduce?
A more student-focused approach, investing in cutting edge facilities that can enable lots of students to specialise in areas they want to. At the moment we have many schools, each trying to spread their money over the same subjects. If the senior students from each school were combined and the money reallocated to one main site - this could enable the money to be pooled more into those specialised areas and they could perform at a higher level then they currently can within smaller schools. Imagine students working in technology workshops the size of car garages, or science labs the size of university laboratories. Why have one lab technician at 10 different schools when you could have 10 lab technicians at one school. Imagine the possibilities.
What should we retain?
Junior schools all over the city on current school sites.
What should we change?
Build one big senior college in the center of the city. A primary hub for all older students and adult students. Include the polytechnic and university to combine courses of all levels and ages on one major site working together. Senior students and adults working together with financial backing from the government. With this model and a two-year program/focus for students, we can have greater achievement and outcomes for students moving forward after school into the future. With better links with the local business community there can also be better systems designed through gateway to get students into careers they wish to continue with in the future.
What innovation could we introduce?
One big CBD senior secondary school, big, lots of facilities, but split into specialised areas. Years 12+13 only - catering to students specialising in their areas of passion. There is a college similar to this in Australia who have an annual 97% pass/completion rate for students - http://www.bssc.edu.au/public/about_bssc/college_goals_values_profile.shtml - something that if we could achieve in this country/city we could be very proud of. If university/polytechnic students and year 12/13 students were working together on one site then it could be a hub that operates all hours of the day and enables students of all ages to work collaboratively together.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
All students should be able to achieve in life. A lot of students currently drop out of school at the end of year 12 with level 2 NCEA if they are lucky. If students aspired to a central city college with a two year focus where they left with NCEA 3 in whatever areas they wanted to specialise in, that would be much more exciting.
It would help us to know where you live
South Christchurch
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing?
Group What should we retain?
A choice of different schools allowing parents to choose a school that best suits the different needs of each individual child. Our son has to come in from Waimakariri each day as there is not a good choice of schools where we live.
What should we change?
The terrible snobbery attached to certain schools in Christchurch, by making sure all schools are valuable. We moved here from a different country and I could not believe how much it seemed to matter what school a person attended.
What innovation could we introduce?
Perhaps think about introducing academies where certain schools are particularly strong in certain areas and are able to share their facilities.
What should we retain?
I love that there is a mix of styles. Keep the open spaces attached to some schools. Green areas are really important to students wellbeing.
What should we change?
There are some fantastic sport facilities. We need to also provide good facilities for arts and music and the sciences as well. There is a need for schools that are different and willing to push the boundaries of innovation.
What innovation could we introduce?
Build fantastic, well equipped spaces that all schools can share. Recognise that year 13 and possibly year 12 are perhaps more suited to a college atmosphere, in this day and age, than school.
What should we retain?
The wonderful cultural diversity and places for students from different schools to come together in workshops and competitions.
What should we change?
Understand that more and more students are becoming disengaged with the current system. Education is not just about academic qualifications. Society needs a good mix of knowledge and trades/practical skills to prosper. They are all important and it is wrong not to value the less academic students.
What innovation could we introduce?
Give students the space and facilities to become the best they can be and not try to fit everyone into the same shaped box. People are a diverse species and schools seem to be very limited in their outlook.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
My biggest fear is that it will all come down to money and we will miss out on this real opportunity to make things better.
It would help us to know where you live Canterbury Are you? Parent
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
We need another high school to service the Mt Pleasant, Redcliffes, Sumner and Banks Peninsula area. Linwood College is getting too big, and no one in the hill suburbs wants to send their kids to school in a low decile area.
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
Mt Pleasant has no kindergarten following the earthquake. This is placing stress on our community.
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
I would like to see teachers retained at the same levels pre-quake for the next 2 years to enable children to catch up on missed work etc and keep them settled/feeling safe etc. Teachers did a wonderful job keeping our children safe etc and we need to retain them to ensure this continues and we don't lose the skills of these teachers to overseas positions or other regions
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
Refer to 1:1
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
Refer to 1:1
We need to keep class sizes smaller to allow children to catch up
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain? Otautahi Christchurch’s quality public education system is diverse and high quality and Ihope that this endures. Every child in this city has the right to attend a quality local school or early childhood education centre. Our communities, whanau, children, and teachers need to be able to continue to work in partnerships to build nurturing, vibrant environments that foster learning. Responsibility and accountability for each child’s education needs to be shared by the child, whanau, the school or centre, and the state. We must continue to value our success as individuals, as a Treaty of Waitangi-based nation, and a multicultural society.
What should we change? Quality not-for-profit early childhood centres and schools must be supported and promoted as vital assets within local communities (not as disposable facilities).
What innovation could we introduce? The Government has a responsibility to provide a free, fair, and accessible quality public education system that adequately meets the diverse needs of children within each of our neighbourhoods/communities.
What should we retain? Every child has the right to a free, accessible and excellent education. It is critical that quality public education is locally available and fully-funded by the state. What do I want for every child in Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand? Only the very best…so each child will develop an enquiring mind, become passionate about learning, and grow and achieve as an active, thoughtful citizen of Aotearoa New Zealand and of the world.
So retain local schools and quality teachers in walking distance of every child ie in every neighbourhood
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
Population based assessment of the need within communities BEFORE new Early Childhood centres are set up in suburbs ie reducing competition when the area is saturated with quality services
What should we retain?
The Government has a responsibility to provide a free, fair, and accessible quality public education system that adequately meets the diverse needs of children.
What should we change?
A strong, vibrant and well-resourced public education system is the best investment government and communities can make for the future of Aotearoa New Zealand. It is critical that quality public education is locally available and fully-funded by the state.
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
As an Early Childhood teacher in Christchurch, I really want this city to continue to have the high number of community based, not-for-profit, high quality centres. These centres have recently been used as hubs within their neighbourhoods, providing more than quality edducation and being seen as a vital support for the wider community. As such, it would be devastating to see these centres being forced to reduce their numbers or close simply because of lack of financial and other support from either the Christchurch City Council or the Government.
It would help us to know where you live East Christchurch Are you? Teacher
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
Quality early education for children. Spend more at the 'front end' of a child's life (research has shown that improving outcomes for children in the first 3 years pays dividends down the line - it is too late by the time children are needing adolescent intervention (or worse, prisions). Support our quality kindies and playcentres. Support parents who DON'T want to work but educate and bring-up their children themselves.
Also keep our communities. Primary schools are the hub of many communities and provide a focus. If you try and grow these too big (like your plan to merge schools) will lose that. It will be too big to manage. I want a small school for my child not a huge one.
What should we change?
Too many single-sex high schools in Christchurch. There are no quality high schools in the East of the city. Children travel far to far to their high schools (in particular).
There are limited facilities for gifted children or children with special needs. Accommodating them within mainstream education is not necessarily the best outcome.
What innovation could we introduce?
I do NOT like your idea of 'common schools'. Bigger is not better for children and their education - it may be more cost effective, but it doesn't produce the best outcomes for children.
What should we retain?
Primary schools (year 0 onwards) are the hubs and social focus of many of our suburbs. Keep their identities, help them stay strong. They know their communities best - let them lead.
Improve cycle lanes, pedestrian crossings+access and public transport around these (and all schools). Pavements around schools should be wider to accommodate the huge flows of foot-traffic at peak times (and to stop people having to step into the road).
Zoning (to keep attendance local) is a good idea.
What should we change? less single-sex schools (high school).
Raise the quality of 'state' schools so there is not such a push for the private ones. make more, smaller schools (with potentially specialist hubs they could visit for facilities that the smaller schools can't afford - performance space/pools/science and technology) - talking mainly about high schools here. Try and create the community feel and focus that primary schools currently have by being sited in their community with a primarily local roll. High schools have children from all over the city attending all of them - this makes it difficult to create 'unity', difficult for socialising out of school hours, and high transportation costs of shipping these students around.
There is no local high school in the East of Christchurch aside Aranui. The quality of this school (and its low decile rating) does not encourage attendance from other suburbs.
What innovation could we introduce? more specialist centres - for music / arts / science / engineering / sport. These could be the 'merged' age schools you are talking about (intermediate through to high school) to help with cost-effectiveness.
They could be centres that children apply for and attend one day a week to study the area of their interest if this helps with cost (but would be disruptive and high transportation costs).
What should we retain?
What should we change?
The new National 'standards' and 'testing' being introduced to primary schools are at complete odds to the early childhood curriculum (te whaariki) and it's holistic approach. They DIScourage continuity of early childhood education into the early school years, and do not make allowances for children's overall strengths - they narrow the focus. They should NOT be introduced in Canterbury.
Less 'testing' and 'standards' in general would be a good thing - it narrows the measurement, teaching and focus of 'education'. It doesn't equip our children for an uncertain future where the things we measure and value now may not count or be as important in the future world of technology they face.
Encourage GENUINE parent and family involvement in schools. Most (even the good ones) pay lipservice to parental involvement with their child's education. The schools (principals/teachers/BoT) adopt a " we know best" attitude and the parent is shut out or told what is best for their child. This happens at primary level - so by the time the child is at high school, parents are used to being disconnected from the school and what goes on there and take virtually no interest or support.
Early Education services don't do this - they interact (on the whole) really well with parents and most (particularly playcentres and community preschools) have very strong relationships with the whanau - and are richer for it.
What innovation could we introduce? see above - get rid of standards, testing, league tables, competition, the focus is more and more on 'performance' of a school or pupil - a capitalist-type idea which does not mesh well with education of children.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
The choice of alternative education or the type of education we would like to access. Also green spaces and school swimming pools.
What should we change?
More alternatives to mainstream education.
What innovation could we introduce?
As above.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
We need more schools who are willing to push the boundaries of education and learning.
What innovation could we introduce?
Schools who also offer education which includes outdoor education/ a therapeutic approach for children and young adults with such things as anxiety issues, social issues, ODD and conductive disorders
What should we retain?
Not a great deal to keep really. I see education in Christchurch appalling in terms of choices of schools who push the boundaries and approaches to teaching and learning. ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL!!!
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
Canterbury
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Free Kindergartens within local communities which create a heart and a common meeting point and way to meet people socially. We are "lost" without our local Kindergarten at Mt Pleasant since the June EQ.
What should we change?
Increase funding at early childhood level so that strong foundations and support for learning can be laid early.
More locally based High schools. We need one out East!
What innovation could we introduce?
Swimming pools based at schools for community use which would promote safe awimming(save lives) and create a social hub. School and community would be responsible for running/cleaning etc.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
Lots of fully qualified teachers who are happy and enthusiastic and able to continually improve their teaching. They are happy because they are being recognised and paid a good amount.
What should we change?
Class sizes need to be smaller! To give a child the best learning you need to have TIME for more 1:1 involvement and help. It is VERY hard to teach 20+ 5 and 6yr olds how to write.
What innovation could we introduce?
More freedom in the afternoons to explore arts and crafts, nature, music and science.
More opportunity for people to come in and work with children 1:1 in all areas as needed.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Sorry comments a bit muddled but I hope my voice has been heard.
We feel we have been let down by our ECE provider after the EQ in a suburb that really needed a community hub.
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain? more of a goal to work towards than actually retain...:
Local access to high class education for all ages - within walking distance for primary schools , and one bus trip for 2ndry schools
What should we change?
The postcode lottery for a quality education.
The old school tie syndrome....
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain? community involvement in local schools - in fact this should be more widely adopted - i.e. public use of school gym / library / pool facilities out of school hours especiallly where these facilities are in short supply
What should we change?
The spread of "good" schools (or ones with good academic reputations) in ChCh is terrible - we need more "good" schools in the East / Hills area. Surely there must be a way to encourage parents with high expectations for their children to use local schools rather than have to go down the route of private education.
What innovation could we introduce?
The possibility of combining home schooling with normal school - for example I would like the option to home school for one or 2 days per week but with my children attending standard school for the remeinder of the week
What should we retain?
Highly motivated, caring teachers
What should we change?
A review process which helps (or gets rid of) teachers who have lost their passion. More support staff in schools to take the pressure off the teachers
What innovation could we introduce?
More visiting guest speakers or rotating teachers focusing on specific topics. I was very impressed by Fingerprints preschool - one of the dads picks a topic such as the environmental impact of the Rena grounding, and does experiments to demonstrate to the children what it is all about - he spends ages preparing these and it would be amazing if all the other preschools in ChCh had the benefit of what he has done - similarly Mt Pleasant school has a Dad who has done amazing things with Robots and shares with the school - but if this could be shared with more schools it would be amazing
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live East Christchurch Are you? Parent
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
Kindergartens, primary and secondary schools
What should we change?
They all need to be more local so all the kids flow through to High school, ie in Mt pleasant the children leave primary school to go to at least 10 different high schools, this does not seem right to me.
What innovation could we introduce?
A more interactive system, ie parents being able to see more of what is happening at school, maybe live video streams now and again?
What should we retain?
The high percentage of qualified teachers
What should we change?
The large catchment areas of the high schools
What innovation could we introduce?
Maybe they could have a more community minded focus ie school pools and libraries shared with the public
What should we retain?
How it is made fun to learn.
What should we change?
Have a more hands on approach to Maori traditions. A more individual approach to learning and assessment, more funding for a lower student teacher ratio
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
I strongly believe that our high schools should not have such large catchment areas. Children would learn better going to high school with alot of their friends from primary school, the wouldnt have the worry of being socially accepted, especially at that age so would therefore make it easier to learn
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
What should we change? most mainstream schools in chch don't adequately cover the maori part of the curriculum, there is no monitoring of this so they get away with just ticking boxes, not doing it properly
What innovation could we introduce? fun more kaiako to go round mainstream schools to help mainstream teachers incorporate maori language and culture better
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
South Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
The ability for communities to retain their kindergartens, schools, and high schools, these are the foundations of communities and families build networks from he early days onwards.
What should we change?
Should have a High school for the Eastern bays areas. There are currently 8 primary schools in Sumner, Redcliffs, Mt Pleasant, Heathcote and Lyttleton which would benefit from a local high school
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
We should ensure the 20 hours ECE funding is retained for 3 and 4 year olds, and is accessible for all children to be utilised in a manner that best suits that family. We should encourage community based ECE organisations especially Kidsfirst Kindergartens, especially our dearly missed providers who have suffered damage in both february and june EQs in Mt Pleasant.
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
Ensure building and sites are designed to provide a balance of indoor and outdoor education opportunities. Access to Libraries and swimming pools for school children at minimal cost to families
What should we retain?
Current staff ratios and funding in our schools.
What should we change?
More use of Te Reo Maori in schools and involvement in Kapahaka.
More funding for communication needs of children who do not meet GSE prioritization guidelines
What innovation could we introduce?
Become more child led in the development of policy and procedures, involve families more in planning and organising of school programmes.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
We are currently working very hard to ensure our local Kindergarten in Mt pleasant has a future. We need to have less red tape in getting consents to repair, more flexibility in looking at land for future sites if the current land is not suitable. Better communication from the city council and ministry of education is essential as people are wanting to ensure their children receive the quality education we are fortunate to have had in our community.We want to stay and make Christchurch a fabulous city again, people are at risk of being worn down by the bureaucracy.
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch Are you? Parent
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
Access for all to appropriate education facilities to meet individuals needs.
What should we change?
Not sure about zoning of schools - this may be less of a concern in the future but certainly seems to occupy alot of families time currently.
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
This is an opportunity to change how we view education in Canterbury
What should we change?
Whole communities backing and innovate process of education with schools that are innovative and willing to push the boundaries of what we are used to and familiar with.
What innovation could we introduce?
As above
What should we retain?
Equal access for neighbourhoods to high quality centres for learning
What should we change?
In some respects the EQ's have provided Canterbury with a unique opportunity to be innovative and leaders in modern education. It would be fantastic to have more options (such as Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti) available utilising the resources of greater Christchurch rather than the current education model of individual communities replicating facilities in different neighbourhoods. A recent example of this is the Graham Condon Centre at Papanui High School, other examples include Unlimited and Discovery1 using the resources of the main library, Hagley Park etc.
What innovation could we introduce?
Schools/centres of learning based with business around the CBD of Christchurch - giving opportunities for learning to integrated into every day life and pooling of resources. we could look at the extension of hours of operation to enable whole communities to utilise resources - Unlimited were exploring this prior to the EQ's.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
I feel that Discovery and Unlimited are high respected and regarded educational facilities that are modern and innovative with respect to the future of education of the young people of Christchurch - there needs to be ongoing collaboration to ensure that the resources these 2 schools have are not tossed aside in moving forward.
It would help us to know where you live Canterbury
Are you? Parent
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
Provide more incentives for Beginners Teachers to be taken into the system.
What innovation could we introduce?
As a beginner teacher, with a scholarship to meet, I have had so many problems obtaining work. Before the earthquakes in ChCh I moved to Auckland but could not afford to stay without work. Now that many teachers are losing their jobs, the pool of qualified teachers has increased and the competition is vast - what incentives can be offered to ensure that new blood gets into the schools and that the teachers who have are still beginners do not leave the system - I have so many life skills to offer education as I am 47 years old and not a young person but having retrained it is disheartening to find little encouragement or incentive to schools that are still operating to take me on as they have more choice. Let's give the opportunity to grow with the seedlings of the profession being fed and watered by MOE instead of having to waste skills and enthusiasm and move away from education. Lets not waste the teachers education.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain? the funding levels needs to remain the same as per the same time last year for all education providers in Canterbury to ensure that the education community can continue to provide education - ECE to Tertiary, for the region
What should we change? the way the government is funding education in the Canterbury region. Ensure that education in all communities affected by the earthquake are considered. The way private ECE providers are allowed to opening centres in all areas citing the free market approach, when community ECE centres have to jump through hoops and redtape to open up a centre
What innovation could we introduce?
More community childcare centres that cater for the communities needs and not making it so easy for private providers to opening ECE services where there is a need for community childcare services.
What should we retain? the current level of education providers in chch
What should we change? the regulations that stipulates the number of car parks a child care centre has to have and it becomes more important to have then the outside play area for children.
What innovation could we introduce? more bilingual centres- samoan and maori.
What should we retain? the current system of educational delivery in chch
What should we change? change the current regulations as mentioned in 2.2
What innovation could we introduce?
Professional development for teachers on how to deal with the continuing aftermath of the earthquake and how these stresses influences the level of education and job security with the impending cuts to the government funding
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live West Christchurch
Are you? Teacher
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain? local early childhood centres and schools that can be accessed by all, including maori immersion
What should we change? a new high school within the eastern suburbs,
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain? local schools and early childhood settings allow our tamariki to feel a sense of belonging within their wider community and reflects the culture around them.
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
I have three children both primary and secondary from the eastern suburbs who's schools had significant damage from the earth quakes, one child was sent to another school as their school was so badly damaged, my other childrens school has suffered signifant damage also,
I feel it is vital to continue to fund teaching staff at their current ratios and continue to invest in the schools future regardless of roll changes, as most of our childrens school community has been significantly impacted through schooling, work, housing and friends. I don't understand how you can then take away the consistency their teachers and school offer them.
It would help us to know where you live
Canterbury
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
A focus on the revised New Zealand Curriculum. This will ensure that teaching and learning in our schools equips students with the competencies, skills and knowledge to be effective citizens. The earthquakes and subsequent changes in our physical and social environment mean that students need to be equipped to understand, cope and contribute in the community. The curriculum provides a framework for learning that would support these aims.
What should we change?
Implementation of learning based on the intent of the curriculum does need to be further developed. There is some evidence, e.g. based on ERO reports, that implementation is variable. Good practice does need to be identified and shared.
What innovation could we introduce?
Examples of curriculum approaches that are particularly effective related to the post earthquake environment should be developed as exemplars. These could be made available to teachers and schools as online resources. However, these would not be sufficient to bring about curriculum change by themselves.
Another essential approach that would help curriculum development would be support for professional development - in ECE, primary and secondary schools. Curriculum change is not easy to facilitate. It will be most likely to occur if resources (particularly exemplars of good practice) and in-depth professional development is provided. Such professional development does need to be school based, but the use of external facilitators is also important, as outlined in the Teacher Professional Development Learning and Development Best Evidence Synthesis.
What should we retain?
Good examples of curriculum implementation do need to be identified and shared. The most important aspect of education in the Canterbury environment is the student learning that takes place. A particular focus should be placed on this.
What should we change?
No significant structural changes would be required to enhance the curriculum provided in ECE centres and schools. I note that the resources provided for Shaping Education are predominantly related to the physical structures of schools, equipment (such as ICT), and school leadership and organisation. While these may be important, I believe the most significant factors to be considered are what learning takes place and how teaching best contributes to this.
What innovation could we introduce?
An enhanced focus on teaching and learning within the framework of the NZ Curriculum to consider the following:
1. The content of the curriculum for Canterbury students
2. The ways in which curriculum is planned and delivered.
Resources and professional development support need to be provided to ensure that this innovation is effective.
What should we retain?
What should we change? While literacy and numeracy are key priorities, now is a good time to take the opportunity to widen the student outcomes focussed on. In the current environment students would be further helped to develop as citizens if they could be equipped to:
1. Understand the events of the earthquakes and the subsequent reshaping of our built and social environments
2. Cope with the significant events that have taken place and the changes that will take place
3. Contribute to the community in which they live.
What innovation could we introduce?
The particular aspects of the NZ Curriculum that would help achieve the aims noted in section 3.2 are as follows.
Vision - students are actively involved (contributors to the well-being of NZ)
Principles - Community Engagement (the curriculum connects with their wider lives)
Values - community and participation for the common good
Key Competencies - Participating and Contributing.
The ways in which each of the above can be effectively supported by teaching and learning within our particular post-earthquake environment need to be explored. I am not sure that this is being done effectively across all of our ECE centres and schools currently.
There are two learning areas in the curriculum that would be well placed to support student learning in particular.
Social Sciences has an emphasis on helping students to develop attributes that are especially relevant to Canterbury now. It has a focus on preparing students to better understand, participate in and contribute to the local communities in which they live. Through the social sciences students would be able to understand physical and social changes to places and environments.
Health and Physical Education also has some relevance. In particular health education would help students to build resilience to manage change.
Professional development for curriculum innovation does need to focus on these two learning areas, and also make links across learning areas.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
The nature of professional development resourcing and delivery would need to be further explored to ensure that any model implemented is effective (based on identified principles).
As any funding is likely to be limited for education reforms and innovations within Canterbury, I believe the emphasis should be on what will have the greatest impact on student learning within the classroom. This is likely to be a focus on the curriculum and the quality of teaching, rather than physical structures and equipment, organisational changes or even school leadership.
I would be happy to be contacted to further explain these ideas. I am a recently retired teacher/school advisor, and have been involved with curriculum development and implementation.
It would help us to know where you live West Christchurch Are you? Other
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
The future of our country depends on the quality of our young people. We need to ensure that they don't continue to be our most valuable export, leaving behind the unskilled, unmotivated, and underachievers. We need to retain practical people to work in industries, and creative people to develop new industries and job opportunities.
We need to create confident, articulate children who have a realistic knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses. They all need to have a useful place and be valued because they are switched on to life long learning.
Mostly we do this. We know when this is not happening.
What should we change?
When the system works well, meeting the chns needs and their parents wishes we should celebrate it a leave it to work.
When it doesn't work, or in areas of great change, we need the changes outlined below.
What innovation could we introduce?
Clear logical systems - not like early childhood that is so diverse that children are coming to school with less knowledge and social/language skills than 10 years ago!
What should we retain?
School libraries as a hub of learning - and librarians!
Resource spaces - never enough space to store stuff effectively.
What should we change?
New buildings can influence the way teachers teach and students learn. This may be an opportunity to be creative in building and playground design where the work space inspires visionary learning, and includes a clever use of outdoor space, and cooperative hubs.
Clear guidelines for BOTs, principals and teachers when employing new staff or issuing Units. These can be suggestions of experience and skills that they will bring to the position, similar to PRTs but extending to meet the needs of the school. This would also help teachers who wish to apply for positions of responsibility, so they know the types of skills that will be required of them.
What innovation could we introduce?
As above.
Storage areas in classrooms could be behind walls eg Science Alive classroom where the wall was covered in pictures but was actually all cupboard space. Or each room/area/learning block could have a withdrawl room or office, wet area, cooking facilities etc. This would encourage interaction between classes.
As the older teachers approach retirement, they could take a sideways move to allow teachers who have lost their jobs to continue employment while more mature teachers become advisors, tutors, organisors, curriculum leaders, management networkers, home school networkers where their class are the parents etc - same pay scale as they previously had of course!
What should we retain?
Dedicated, highly practical teachers that have undergone quality training programmes and regular inservice in all subject areas.
Advisory services in all subject areas, and behaviour management.
Our own confidence that we are doing a fantastic job!
CRT
Reporting to parents in a way that is meaningful to teachers, parents and children.
What should we change?
Most of the advisory services have been reduced in science, social studies, the arts, PE and health. We need them to deliver a balanced programme that meets the needs of every child. These subjects give purpose to literacy and numeracy, and help to create a responsible society. Please reinstate the advisory service, not as university lecturers but as practical help in schools.
What innovation could we introduce?
Advisory services initiated to help school community interaction, where parents are supported, strengthened and valued for their role.
Money, support and personnel put in to the areas where we already know children need specialist or intensive learning programmes - eg small class sizes in some selected schools where chn have high behaviour or learning needs.
Associate teachers given more status within the university structure so they are highly qualified to tutor the practical skills that are being forgotten in academic training qualifications.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
This tragedy can become an opportunity to make something better happen. We deserve it! We can do it! Money is not the issue here - it is how it is used wisely without wastage to make a difference.
It would help us to know where you live
South Christchurch
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Community preschools
Hubs
Prioritise community focused ece services that enable communities to be connected
Prioritise ece/Community/Health service hubs
What should we change?
Ensure social workers are included in the provision of ECE services.
Government agency and council working together. i.e., MOE, MSD, MOH and council to ensure that ECE services are placed in schools and offer a holistic service to families.
Parent education rooms and programmes in ECE services - from antenatal to post natal care
Give priority to community ece services that are connected to health and social services'
Safe buildings
What innovation could we introduce?
Connectedness to social services, health services
ECE centres are a hub for Health nurse, dental, plunket, social services, schools all connected by physcial location to primary schools - continuity of care
Build communities with wrap around services
Incentive grants for community groups to offer wrap around services
MOE/Council to ensure land is available for schools and comprehensive ECE and Support service
ECE services that connect communities
What should we retain?
Community preschools
Hubs
Prioritise community focused ece services that enable communities to be connected
Prioritise ece/Community/Health service hubs
What should we change?
Ensure social workers are included in the provision of ECE services.
Government agency and council working together. i.e., MOE, MSD, MOH and council to ensure that ECE services are placed in schools and offer a holistic service to families.
Parent education rooms and programmes in ECE services - from antenatal to post natal care
Give priority to community ece services that are connected to health and social services'
Safe buildings What innovation could we introduce?
Connectedness to social services, health services
ECE centres are a hub for Health nurse, dental, plunket, social services, schools all connected by physcial location to primary schools - continuity of care
Build communities with wrap around services
Incentive grants for community groups to offer wrap around services
MOE/Council to ensure land is available for schools and comprehensive ECE and Support service
ECE services that connect communities
What should we retain?
Community preschools
Hubs
Prioritise community focused ece services that enable communities to be connected
Prioritise ece/Community/Health service hubs
What should we change?
Ensure social workers are included in the provision of ECE services.
Government agency and council working together. i.e., MOE, MSD, MOH and council to ensure that ECE services are placed in schools and offer a holistic service to families.
Parent education rooms and programmes in ECE services - from antenatal to post natal care
Give priority to community ece services that are connected to health and social services'
Safe buildings
What innovation could we introduce?
Connectedness to social services, health services
ECE centres are a hub for Health nurse, dental, plunket, social services, schools all connected by physcial location to primary schools - continuity of care
Build communities with wrap around services
Incentive grants for community groups to offer wrap around services
MOE/Council to ensure land is available for schools and comprehensive ECE and Support service
ECE services that connect communities
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live East Christchurch
Are you?(select option) Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
Physical education needs to remain, ideally with swimming education as part of this. Too many young adults are not exercising regularly and many more are unable to swim to save themselves
Maori should be integrated into the school character. Kio Ora used for greetings...
Kindergartens are a vital part of the local community - there need is still there despite many parents working and using other forms of daycare.
Schools should be local as much as possible. Especially kindergarten and primary schools. However High Schools should still be based within communities and not concentrated at central far away points - such as Burnside Mega- School
What should we change?
Less Mega-Schools like Burnside, more local schools. I think that we should look at trying to use facilities for all the community - such as libraries, halls/performance theatres and swimming pools. This would share the expense potentially of these expensive items but add real value to the local community. Thus the school would be kept at the centre of the community, but benefit from some of the funding coming from Council and local fundraising
What innovation could we introduce?
Local high Schools that are the centre of the community. Then share the facilities for the benefit of that community. Shared swimming pools, libraries and school theatres would allow better facilities to be built than the school could afford alone, but allow the local community to benefit.
The Lyttleton to Sumner area needs a local high school. This could be based at Van Asch College which is no longer fully utilised (once Redcliffs School has finished using it).
What should we retain?
Local schools built great friendships amoung peers. As part of the local community they act as an anchor and focus for community activities.
Mixing the classes with streaming of subjects means that children are taught at their current level in that subject, which may be different from their level in other subjects.
What should we change?
We seem to be moving away from supporting swimming within schools. This is essential in New Zealand with our plentiful access to water.
We need to teach children how to cope in the real world. Thus education about balancing the household budget, finances, loans, the importance of regular exercise, and certain health education including obesity and smoking.
What innovation could we introduce?
Aiming to make a child part of the New Zealand Community.
What should we retain?
Local Schools
What should we change?
Christchurch is predominantly Pakeha. Trying to integrate more Maori Te Reo in daily life is important. Socially trying to make the school the centre of the community. We need to enable teachers to continue to support school sport and after hours activities
What innovation could we introduce?
Better education regarding coping in the real world. Advice about budgeting etc
More IT innovation/incorporation would be really useful
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
The spread of high schools in particular is uneven, due to historical development. There is no local high school for the south east of Christchurch. A high school in Ferrymead with a shared library and community swimming pool would benefit all the community and the local primary schools (who have lost their swimming pools). The council and local community would be happy to contribute to such facilities.
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Interested member of the community
Are you representing?
Group What should we retain? To retain school hours linking the traditional times of about nine am to three pm for early childhood education, primary schools and high schools, enabling parents to work and children to participate in out of school activities. Traditional opportunities for a choice of either single sex or co-ed secondary education.
What should we change? Create a revered and desirable image of local community secondary education where a good education at any secondary school across Christchurch is viewed as being of equal value.
Prioritize local secondary schooling.
A focus on active transport in each suburb, linking services, businesses and schooling. Primary school children use established safe travel routes to walk and bike to school. These should continue to be used at a local secondary school as students take themselves to school by active transport.
Communities that were short of facilities would change through provision of all the amenities and services required for sustainable living. Increased investment in suburban areas will cause them to thrive.
A role model of community leadership will be invested in schools including community leaders, Kaumatua and local business people.
Comprehensive management should always provide our children with local schooling and recreation opportunities. Provision of timely local education for children in North East Christchurch was not happening before the earthquakes. It needs to be prioritized now. We want to waste less time transporting students. The current situation where more than 500 students travelling over 10 km to high school every day by car is neither economic nor healthy for our community.
The majority of the people (68%) who attended the Christchurch North East Secondary Education Committee’s public meeting on secondary education in October 2010 would prefer to send their children to a co-ed secondary school. 72% are concerned about the cost and time used travelling to school and they would consider moving away from the area if there is no local secondary school in the area in time for their children.
A local secondary school would minimise increasing traffic congestion and defer the substantial costs associated with the subsequent implementation of roading infrastructure upgrades. Excess traffic on earthquake damaged roads would be minimised. Traffic management will be more predictable. It would lead to the retention of more than 500 secondary students who travelled out of the area every day in 2010. If there is no local secondary school by 2013, a projected 2,200 students will need to travel out of the 8083 area every day to attend secondary school. This will have significant detrimental effects on peak traffic congestion and future roading requirements.
What innovation could we introduce? Embrace and welcome new families into the green areas with a vision that they will remain, raise families and be part of these communities for decades.
Services from Early Childhood through to Secondary Education provision being linked to housing areas.
Use this unique opportunity to attach communities back to their local secondary school.
Develop stronger attachments between secondary schools and their communities utilising parents’ skills, resources and relationships.
A choice of either single sex or co-ed secondary education either following the traditional model or influenced by a new dynamic not be bound by zones, time tables or subject choices.
Viewing a school as an economic asset, where other businesses will establish nearby increasing employment opportunities and creating a well rounded community.
Encourage or oblige expert practitioners in any area of education to share their knowledge and skills across the entire school network rather than only within their own school. What should we retain? Primary schools have huge attachment to their communities utilising parents’ skills, resources and relationships.
Schools which are accessible, undiscriminating, local and objective.
Primary schools create sustainable communities by:- building relationships over six to eight years attendance; students learn self management skills; pupils get to school on their own; leadership responsibilities; participation in out of school activities and sports; parenting networks and the emotional commitment given in building the school family.
We like communities owning their own future. The Christchurch North East Secondary Education Committee Inc. (NESE) is a strong advocate for secondary education in our community.
What should we change? The distance to the secondary schools to the 8083 area of North east Christchurch discourages active transport. The establishment of a new local secondary school in the 8083 area will enable active life style routines to be reinforced and extending into lifelong habits with significant long term benefits for individual and community health.
Consider extending primary schools currently only providing education up to year six to full primary schools across the whole city. Intermediate school sites could be used for additional primary schools, school hubs or for tertiary education including trade academies.
What innovation could we introduce? We like the idea of envisaging and implementing a whole new concept of education in Christchurch.
Couple education services to housing areas and be accessible to their communities.
Early wins being new school facilities instead of replacement and repair.
Establish a local secondary school in North East Christchurch with a recreation and sports facility attached similar to Papanui High School, as a central focus for the community to use and enjoy. There will need to be coordination and cooperation. The Ministry of Education could work with SPARC to unite a sporting facility with a local secondary school for North East Christchurch. The Sports and Recreation and Arts and Culture program needs to be actively interlinked with the Education Renewal Recovery Plan. Our children need a stronger, brighter future if they are to stay in Christchurch. They also need to have a vision of a sustainable community.
What should we retain? Cultural development in a multicultural learning place.
The ‘open doors’ and ‘shared learning’ experiences provided through Early Childhood education and Primary Schools, where parents and families are considered integral in the well being and learning of their child and the school as a whole. Develop this further through secondary schooling to make strong links between the students and their immediate community.
What should we change? Smaller secondary schools offer a safer, more positive, higher achieving environment with less discipline problems. Smaller schools are more economical to operate, while having the flexibility to adapt quickly to meet student needs.
Advance the use of technology that increases the ability of all learning establishments to gather and teach information on a variety of subjects regardless of their size. Yet have a strong focus on utilising the resources in the immediate community to provide a strong relevant aspect to learning.
What innovation could we introduce?
We may need to embrace natural resources as facilities to over ride the loss of built resources.
The 8083 area demonstrates many examples of the successful integration between the natural resources and education programmes. The environment is rich in learning opportunities. A secondary school in this area would provide outstanding opportunities for pupils to interact with their community in a holistic way, developing lifelong learners. Learning could utilise the local environment including Bottle Lake Forest Park, Travis Wetland, the rivers and beaches.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
The Christchurch North East Secondary Education Committee Inc has prepared this submission following consultation with our community.
We wish to support the current initiatives already in place at the closest existing secondary schools, enhancing the culture of achieving among their school communities.
These established programmes could be undermined by the major expansion needed to accommodate the fast growing community in the 8083 area. Smaller secondary schools provide a more positive, higher achieving learning environment that are cheaper to run and can quickly adapt to student needs.
Children in our community already use active transport to travel to primary school. Walking and biking to secondary school would be a natural extension of their current lifestyle. Our children wish to belong and feel included as members of a sustainable community.
Creating a local secondary school in the 8083 area is in line with the Resource Management Act’s promotion of sustainable management principals, enabling communities to provide for their social, economic and cultural well- being as well as promoting health and safety by enabling safe walking and cycling to school. It is also in line with the Canterbury Regional Council’s policy framework and the Christchurch City Plan’s sustainable transport objectives. Building a local secondary school is in line with promotion of sustainable management principals. It seems sensible to encourage the Ministry of Education to give due consideration to their guidelines and to work together to minimise motor vehicle usage when shaping the future of education in Christchurch.
Extension of the Northern Arterial, including four lanes along QEII Drive is imminent. It is essential that students are able to travel to secondary school safely. Provision of the required safe passageways for walking and cycling by a budget in deficit is uncertain.
Provision must be made to accommodate a sharp increase in demand for state secondary school capacity in North East Christchurch, above the Ministry’s current forecasts as a direct consequence of post earthquake changes in schooling and migration patterns. The annual migration of families away from North East Christchurch for schooling reasons will slow significantly, as many families are now restricted by damaged homes and land.
A local secondary school for the North East area of Christchurch would: build a stronger community; reduce traffic congestion; reduce the demands for roading improvements and delay the implementation of major road capacity upgrades.
Our community has a strong desire for a local secondary school.
It would help us to know where you live East Christchurch Are you? Organisation Are you representing? Group What should we retain?
Small (under 450 children) community orientated schools.
Large playground space compared with the numbers of children.
What should we change?
Update infrastructure and enable greater collaboration between schools
What innovation could we introduce?
Improve infrastructure around ICT/bandwidth.
Provide opportunities to collaborate between schools.
What should we retain?
Small community orientated schools.
Teachers and parents who know every child in a school and the wider community. personalised learning
What should we change?
Better sports hubs and facilities within community areas
What innovation could we introduce?
Quality swimming facilities for hubs of schools - covered, staffed and heated. Could be arranged by CPSSA clusters
What should we retain?
Small schools and community orientation.
Large playing areas
What should we change?
Remove old relocatable classrooms and replace with purpose built 21st century buildings
What innovation could we introduce?
Quality bandwidth for ICT.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live East Christchurch
Are you? Teacher
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain? Christchurch traditionally has provided good solid mainstream education and has been the birthplace of some more innovative models including Discovery and Unlimited. However I do not believe it has catered well for Maori educational needs. It imported the Kohanga Reo and Kura Kaupapa models which were developed in the North for an environment which is significantly different to the south with very little room for adaptation to the people or the environment. While I believe the kura and kohanga need to continue to be supported as they play a valuable role in supporting the growth of te reo me ona tikanga the reality is they are appealing to a very small percentage of the Maori population in Christchurch and growth has been stagnant at best over the last decade. Bilingual units have been building in popularity in Christchurch however they also struggle to operate a kaupapa Maori philosophy in a mainstream environment - it is inevitably compromised to fit in with the majority culture. We need more options for our whānau.
What should we change? The stats for Christchurch show the gap between Maori and non-Maori achievement is even more pronounced than the national Maori stats - which are horrendous in their own right! The reality is Maori education in Christchurch was already in crisis pre-earthquake. The situation has only worsened post-earthquake as a significant proportion of our Maori tamariki, who were not particularly engaged in learning or schooling before the earthquakes, are even less motivated post earthquake. Many whānau are desperately looking for alternatives including sending them away, out of Christchurch, to boarding school.
In my view if we are serious about building a better educational future for Christchurch we need some major paradigm shifts across everything. We need to first reframe the question from "how can we provide better schooling/education" to "how can we achieve better learning outcomes for our whānau."
That then shifts the emphasis from being institution focused to student focused. It shifts the emphasis from teaching to learning. It shifts the issue from individual engagement to whanau engagement. I personally think EVERYTHING needs to change.
What innovation could we introduce? Once we have reframed the question we then need to redefine how, where and when learning takes place most effectively and centre it around the individual needs of each and every student.... one student at a time. The notion of mass production is based on an outdated industrial era factory model. Our schools are still firmly entrenched in the industrial era no matter how much tinkering might have happened over the past century, it is really time to see it for what it is so we can let it go and move on into the 21st century!
I am involved with a group of passionate Maori parents in Christchurch who have been working over the past 18 months to redesign learning for our whānau. The model we are proposing draws on traditional Maori knowledge of how knowledge was transmitted from generation to generation and then contextualises it for the 21st century. Pre- european we had our own education system which worked with individuals inherent, talents, qualities and passions while at the same time requiring collective responsibility, accountability and contribution. It required the whole whanau, the whole village to engage. The notion that it takes a village to raise a child is firmly rooted in traditional Maori society. Rearing children and educating them in our reo, tikanga, whakapapa, history, and developing their skills was a very serious and disciplined business. Individuals knew how their roles contributed to life in the pa and at times the difference between somebody properly fulfiling their role was the difference between life and death for them and their whanau. There is much we can learn from our own history about creating learning environments and opportunities.
We are keen to launch the very first Pā Wānanga (learning village) in Christchurch. We truly believe an innovative model of this kind will substantially change the face of Maori education in Christchurch and indeed Te Wai Pounamu and could be a catalyst for changes across the country. There is no doubt in our minds that there is a appetite, a hunger for innovation of this kind in the Maori education space.
What should we retain?
I am struggling with this question. My instinct is to start with a clean piece of paper. Successive Governments has tried to solve the "Maori problem" for many years - I would hate to think how many interventions, programmes and well intentioned pilots have been imposed on Maori and yet the gap between Maori and non-Maori achievement refuses to budge!
Instead of trying to make something work that has clearly not worked for this long, my belief is that we need to open our minds to the possibility that there may in fact not be one answer. This would then require us to really listen to individual communities who may actually have some ideas that will work for them. The most significant developments in Maori education over the past three decades have been those initiatives driven by Maori themselves. However they either struggle to move beyond a small pilot or are over time severely watered down so that they eventually conform!
What should we change?
Enduring and meaningful change will, in my humble opinion, only come abut when there is a true shift in the balance of power. When there is true partnership with Maori. To truly empower Maori, or for that matter any community driven initiative, the Government needs to seriously entrust both resource and power to Maori and its communities and, to put it bluntly - get out of the way - i.e stop prescribing how things should be done and controlling process through budget. The relationship should be a true partnership whereby power and control is shared and each is held accountable to each other for outcomes, not outputs - shifting the mentality from short term results to long term impact.
In our pā wānanga we want to completely change the face of education by taking out the artificial walls between early childhood, primary, secondary and tertiary and regroup learning so that it happens more naturally. At times it will happen in age groups but more often than not the combining factor is more likely to be a shared interest need or passion. This is not dictated by age of manufacture.
What we would also like to see change is a greater emphasis on embedding culture, identity and connection as a solid foundation for learning. I have been fortunate to see place based learning in action when my family moved away from Christchurch for a period of time up to the East Coast. It made me even more aware of the shortcomings of education in Christchurch for Maori kids. Christchurch is urban, and the Maori population is very small consisting of a number of Iwi. Ngai Tahu is the tangata whenua (I am Ngai Tahu) but is a minority within its own rohe. It is almost in our DNA to manaaki and look after the successive waves of colonists, whalers and then Iwi, that have been attracted to tich resources of Te Wai Pounamu and it has more often than not been at the expense of our own identity and culture.
Place based learning is in my opinion critical to establishing identity, culture and connection with place. We want our tamariki in Christchurch to be proud they live here; to know our stories, our whakapapa; significant land marks; where to go for mahinga kai; our marae; our people. This learning needs to not only be validated but celebrated as providing the essential foundations needed for our tamariki to go out in the world and thrive - Maori succeeding as Maori.
What innovation could we introduce?
We are strong advocates of providing a one stop shop for whānau in Christchurch for their education needs. Some very practical barriers for our whanau here are the difficulties in accessing Maori medium education when the different levels (i.e. Kohanga, Kura, whare kura wananga) are spread all over the city. This problem has been exacerbated post earthquake. The model we have been working on will see everything from early childhood to tertiary studies located on one site.
But we want to go further than just co-locating schools, we want to testablish a Pā Wānanga - an innovative 21st century learning village. By taking out the artificial walls we want ot achieve truly seamless learning - whanau of al ages learning side by side; in an environment that recognises the importance of place, identity and connection; that normalises the notion that Maori can succeed as Maori.
For too long in Christchurch and indeed New Zealand many of our whanau have had it ingrained that being Maori equates with all the stats that are negative in this country. So many turned there back on being Maori to "succeed". We don't want our kids to have to choose to be Maori OR Successful! Sir Mason Dury coined the phrase "Maori succeeding as Maori" which says it about as eloquently as it can be said.
What should we retain?
Enquiry based learning is becoming more accepted as best practice in teaching as is place based learning which is particularly relevant to Maori. I would want to retain the direction at least.
What should we change?
Having said I would retain place based learning as a theory I don't think it is actually happening in Christchurch for Maori in the schooling system and tends to happen in tribal out of school programmes. We need to change that so that learning about place, whakapapa, conection are integral to learning, not extra-curricular.
The Kotahitanga programme places emphasis on the relationship between teacher and student as a critical success factor in learning. All good stuff, but it all doesn't go far enough for me.
The balance of power in the relationship between teacher and student has to change from an authoritarian one, where teacher knows best to a shared responsibility where students increasingly take responsibility for their own learning and in turn their own outcomes. I am not sure if teachers colleges are churning out this kind of teacher, but to bring about lasting change we need to address the issue right back at this point.
What innovation could we introduce?
In terms of delivery I would like to see more enquiry based learning particulalry in the early years as our tamariki explore the world around them.
That means learning can not be confined to a classroom and books. learning through doing and real world experience should dominate the curriculum - field trips, work experience and experimenting should be the norm not a treat. The classroom should be wherever the learning is happening whether it is a marae, on top of a maunga, in the moana - these are the "classrooms".
The physical environments for schools should be "learn-scaped" so that they are conducive to learning. This requires flexible learning spaces that cater for the individual learner to the group learning situations. The days of a classroom filled with desks and chairs and a teacher standing at the front with a black/white board are obsolete. The factory model is well past its due date.
Our kids are multi- taskers. They are digi-natives - they are highly connected. They can download information at the push of a button. They are highly stimulated. We no longer need subject matter experts as "subject teachers" in the classroom - they can go find that expertise online or in their communities. We need teachers who can facilitate learning, who are more akin to coaches and mentors than the authoritarian boss.
This means we also need to get innovative in the teacher training area. I have talked to many teachers who can not reconcile what they were taught in their formal teacher training courses with what they learnt on the job!! So I say start them on the job first for a probationary period to first test their fundamental suitability to the role; then add in layers of professional development as they go. There is no question in my mind that the teachers are the "key" to successsful education, we can all remember those teachers that turned us on to learning and those that totally turned us off. Innovation in the teacher training space is sorely needed and will be critical to successfully implementing any new education initiative.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
We have done quite a lot of our own research and have have been thinking about this for some time as we have a vested interest in improving Maori education performance in our city - we all have children coming through the system. While Ruaumoko has caused major devastation and chaos he has also brought about an unprecedented opportunity for Christchurch to rebuild not just what once was but to build a 21st century city that is truly magnificent. We want to be part of that landscape. Accordingly we would be happy to feed in any thing that will help in the planning for the future of Christchurch.
It would help us to know where you live East Christchurch
Are you? Board of Trustee
Are you representing? Group What should we retain? strong sence of resilience and community
What should we change? need a variety of provisions within the christchurch schools
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change? more student directed learning focus rather that top down approach;be willing to be bold and innovative after the devastating effects of the Eq ...a chance to rebuild
What innovation could we introduce? support more openly the success of schools like Unlimited High school where innovation in education is happening and the kids are highly motivated and passionate about this form of education
What should we retain? strong sense of community;getting schools to share sites and resources as those that did with morning and afternoon schools for example
What should we change?
Allow schools to share facilities ;allow schools to open for longer hours (glide time) and let community's have use of the school buildings as there is a great need for more use of schools facilities due to many communities buildings damaged eg churches,drama schools
What innovation could we introduce? see above in 3.2; also allow students to move between schools to suit thier interest and passions eg uni for star courses;another school might be strong in sciences and so forth
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater make this time after the EQ to be innovative and standout to the world that we can move from adversity to opportunity by way of innovative ideas to actually happen
It would help us to know where you live
South Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain? retain schools with diverse purposes, a wide range of special character schools, and schools that fill different niche within our community
What should we change? more diversity, more flexibility, make sure we are meeting the needs of todays teenagers LEARNER DIRECTED and LEARNER FOCUSED approach for all schools. Ensure we are creating citizens who are engaged with learning for life and contribute to society. It must focus on equitable outcomes and on meeting the needs that our future will demand.
What innovation could we introduce? introduce secondary pre - employment/trade academies - with hands on intensive options at secondary level. Have more fluidity for students to shop around and meet their needs, opting in for small chucks of learning from different institutions. Greater focus on sustainability embedded throughout all learning, tomorrows adults need to know about their inherited world. Well resourced e learning portal allowing greater flexibility for learners.
What should we retain? economically it makes sense to retain facilities that have withstood the quakes.
Schools that meet the needs of their surrounding communities, schools that are pushing the boundary of what education can look like,
What should we change? keep schools small, research shows optimum size is 500 and less, go beyond the square box class room architecture. Create "demonstration models" experimental learning hubs around the city, embedded with the community set up for real life learning working with professionals.
What innovation could we introduce? Learning Hubs, especially one back in the new central city. Have more integration between shared facilities between schools and with the wider community. I endorse the work complied by the Shaking Up Christchurch Education Network (sept 2011)
What should we retain? retain funding for He kakano, he kahikitia programs, enviroschools programs schools that are already trying to be future focused and learner directed.
What should we change? Think very carefully about the rebuild of schools this is an amazing opportunity to be better prepared for future education if you get it right,
What innovation could we introduce? teacher exchanges with new and innovative schools eg Alfreston in Auckland.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater be bold and brave, step outside the square, have the courage to experiment and try some of the innovative ideas that have been suggested.
It would help us to know where you live
South Christchurch
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
We should retain a range of schools that have a wide range of purposes and provide diverse learning programs and outcomes for students.
What should we change?
We should increase, encourage and support educational diversity. Supporting schools to do things differently and uniquely, not expecting all schools to be the same. Or our students to be the same. Not focus out attention solely on academic outcomes, but think holistically about education and its purpose.
What innovation could we introduce?
Incentives for innovation and real world learning. A larger range of ways in which students can meet their learning needs. Making connections with tertiary institutions whenever and where ever possible to expose young people to a broader range of options and challenges.
What should we retain?
Schools based in communities meeting the specific needs of each community.
What should we change?
Schools should be more involved with the wider community, making the most of local resources like libraries, pools, parks and businesses.
What innovation could we introduce?
Hubs, schools that operate from a variety of locations and with increasing flexibility. Learning time should not be restricted from 9-3 (especially for teenagers), there should be opportunities to take evening courses in the city. School should have increased ability to work together, students should be able to use resources from a variety of places to suit their needs. This might include CPIT and University.
What should we retain?
Diversity to continue to provide for a range of learning styles.
What should we change?
We should place value on things other than academic success by acknowledge the value of a range of things like community involvement, student well-being and so on.
What innovation could we introduce?
More community involvement.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live Canterbury
Are you? Teacher
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
We should retain Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti
What should we change?
NCEA should be abolished, there are no skills involved, it doesn't provide realistic feedback and it makes no sense.
What innovation could we introduce?
A new system of qualifications that focus on students strengths and doesn't exploit their weaknesses.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
(select option)
Are you?
(select option)
Are you representing?
(select option) What should we retain?
A variety of schools offering different approaches to teaching and learning. For example, Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti was based in the central city and offered "Discovery" style learning, which kept student interests and passions at the center of the programme.
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
More support for schools that offer learning beyond the classroom, for example, a simple transport system for students moving between locations of learning.
What should we retain?
Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti and Discovery 1 schools were designed to put the focus on young people. Students are put at the center of learning, and programmes are designed around their individual interests and needs. Given the above goal re: "Putting the focus on the child and young person", we should retain Unlimited and Discovery 1 as schools leading the way in child focused learning.
What should we change?
Encourage more schools to adopt student centered learning models. Perhaps offer PD opportunities for teachers from all schools - give them time to visit Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti and Discovery 1 to see how learning is facilitated in a truly student centered model.
What innovation could we introduce?
A PD fund (see above)
What should we retain?
Unlimited's model of using the wider community for education. For example, sharing resources such as the city library, parks etc are cost effective while also ensuring the students are truly parts of the community. Developing partnerships with businesses has also been a valuable method to ensure authentic learning for students. Unlimited students work with local businesses and also develop their own entrepreneural projects.
What should we change?
I would like more schools set up to share resources as Unlimited does. It is certainly beneficial to all parties to connect schools with the community.
What innovation could we introduce?
Systems within schools that allow students to move out beyond the school to learn in the community.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live Canterbury
Are you? Teacher
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
To keep learning the basic living skills, eg cooking sewing budgeting.
What should we change?
Maybe a better grading system
What innovation could we introduce?
A coe'd highschool with certain seperate classes for different sexes, as I think that boys and girls learn differently, but with the benefit of the social advantages of having a co'ed school.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
I would like to suggest that you include a space for people to write other comments. It is frustrating to read in the newspaper today that the Minister of Education is asking for comment on the size of school facilities, design and quality of school buildings, the location of schools and the curriculum. The Christchurch Press Tuesday November 8th reports these headings but nowhere in any information from the MOE have I seen the invitation to provide feedback under these headings. The people I have spoken to who have looked at this website have been confused by the questions and not known how to respond. Please give people some better prompts for eliciting ideas. Also... I hope that the Minister is not really suggesting that this is the appropriate way to handle a review of the New Zealand curriculum.
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Wednesday sport, at school this was a great opportunity and even though I am not very sporty I took the chance to experience many different sports. One of these was golf croquet in Hagley Park, it was a great way to enjoy the sunshine, socialize and appreciate the garden city.
What should we change?
More focus on teaching 'through' the arts. This was done a lot in primary schools after the earthquake to give the kids a chance to adjust to school again after the trauma and is a method of teaching that I think has great value all the time.
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
There is a lack of multicultural teaching and learning in Christchurch in particular. This needs to be developed to keep up with the rest of New Zealand.
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
South Christchurch
Are you?
Tertiary student
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Pre Quakes Christchurch was very separated into "desirable" and "not desirable" education institutions. The quakes have meant some schools share facilitities and have allowed students to meet others from different environments and backgrounds which they never normally would have. This is fantastic. Therefore we should retain this sense of "equal in education" for students and aim to have all education places being seen as "desirable" for students.
More school to school interaction.
Great to use other institutions which can provide a different learning experience. Post quakes Canterbury Museum teachers went out into the community and to schools and this worked really well. Keep looking for other ways and places to go to teach and learn.
What should we change?
Break down the "haves" and "have not" mentality of Christchurch re desirable and non desirable schools and aim instead for all schools to be desirable and to play to strengths (either actual or potential) for the school.
What innovation could we introduce?
Perhaps some kind of IT link between schools to retain that contact with other schools which began during the quakes.
Use ChCh institutions to add value to learning experience, eg Art Gallery, Canterbury Museum, Botanical Gardens, Marae etc and make it easier (eg Council Funded buses for school trips) for schools to visit.
Have interactive links between schools and other institutions (virtual teachers etc) where students can ask questions etc.
What should we retain?
Summer schools work well. Use university and Museum and Art Gallery for summer schools not just for tertiary (which happens now in university and museum) but also for senior secondary school students.
What should we change?
Summer schools work well. Use university and Museum and Art Gallery for summer schools not just for tertiary (which happens now in university and museum) but also for senior secondary school students.
Get more funding into pre school learning and make sure 100% of teachers are qualified. Where needs are identified (eg kids not attending any kind of preschool etc) make a mentoring programme so that kids do get early childhood learning.
What innovation could we introduce?
Make it easier for secondary school students to do specific topics at another school (either by attending a class there or joining a class via Internet)
Make a vision and committment to 100% of Christchurch (or even Canterbury!) pre school age children getting early childhood teaching/learning experience.
What about 0 fees or very low (20%) fees for three years to attract students back to our university. Increase scholarships and encourage businesses leaders to make promises of support for tertiary graduates to have employment in Christchurch post university studies. We need to keep people here if possible.
What should we retain?
Use of other institutions for added value learning experiences, eg Canterbury Museum, Art Gallery, Botanical Gardens, Marae. Add to the existing organisations by adding eg businesses, historic homes etc.
What should we change?
Link up students (secondary and tertiary) with elderly (eg old people homes etc) in a long term planned programme to interview (oral, video, digital, written) Christchurch elderly so that we have a unique record of our people before we lose much of unwritten history about this time in our lives. Elderly have much untapped potential to really teach and add value to younger people's lives.
What innovation could we introduce?
Use more media which young people attach to - eg cell phone apps, face book style interactions etc. But also to be really innovative actually get students talking to each other and interacting (without technology!).
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Use every avenue and medium to engage young people, really put effort into pre school learning and keep it up to keep people in Canterbury long term
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
To be effective and make sure not too many things change I think we should still keep the same school hours. I think we should also keep that when you go to high school you can choose what subjects you want to do
What should we change?
I think that when you enter Year 7 you should be given a laptop.
What innovation could we introduce?
I think that we should introduce that even primary schools end school on Wednesday at 2.30pm for sport practices and games.
What should we retain?
I think that every school should still have a playground in their grounds.
What should we change?
I think that every school should either learn a language or do kapa haka - Even Primary Schools.
What innovation could we introduce?
That every school has to have a school pool and a tennis court in their grounds. Every school should also have a park to access and use within walking distance
What should we retain?
What should we change?
I think that in High School's they should take more time working on the subject they want to fulfill or pursue or go on to study at University. I think we should make some of the learning systems more effective and relative to the children so that they understand the meaning and don't get bored.
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
School student
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
I would like to add a small building that would be used to educate school children. This educational centre would be situated in the centre of the city, every child in Christchurch would be given one free entry every school term. The educational centre would educate children and adults about earthquakes, animals and many more subjects. Every school would get the opportunity to take a group of children to the centre. Inside the centre there would be interactive learning options. Every student would be given a activity booklet to take home and show their parents what they have learnt during their time at the education centre.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
South Christchurch
Are you?
School student
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Existing schools when there are student to attend them
What should we change?
Remove and replace old and damaged buildings and make good the ground around them
What innovation could we introduce?
New schools for the 21 Century including spacious grounds appropraite teaching spaces and technologically capable buildings
What should we retain?
A multitude of different school from which parent, student and teachers can choose.
What should we change?
Older, damaged and inappropriate facilities need to be replaced or repaired and modernised.
What innovation could we introduce?
More diversity between schools in Christchurch.
What should we retain?
Our well motivated community with a focus on providing quality learning outcomes.
What should we change?
Need to correct poorly laid out site plans to create more efficient school sites
What innovation could we introduce?
Schools that will have the ability to be upgraded as new technologies arise
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
In the short term the education of our youth must offer them security and stability
It would help us to know where you live
Canterbury
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing?
Group What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
The design/quality of schools should be better and environmentally friendly e.g. The schools could be made out of special wood, they could have a really cool design but still environmentally friendly, schools could even be made out of shipping containers.
What innovation could we introduce?
Every school should introduce digital learning in year 7, this gives kids a better understanding of technology and to prepare them for the future.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
North Christchurch
Are you?
School student
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
Introduce meaningful school zones. It is not fair nor just that a school gets to define its boundaries in order to take in the wealthy and exclude the poorer sections of the community.
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
Change to a smaller number of children per teacher ratio. How can any child (with or without specials needs) get the attention they require when a teacher has so many children? They cannot. Smaller numbers of pupils to teacher ratios will ensure children have ample opportunity to get the attention they require to succeed.
What innovation could we introduce?
I would like to see every child screened from 3 years old to check for vision, hearing and speech issues and provided with glasses, grommets, hearing aids, speech therapy as required, with ongoing yearly assessments to ensure they continue to have the correct remedies. How can a child meaningfully participate at school if they cannot fully see, hear or communicate? They cannot.
Furthermore, recent research has revealed that a significant number of children have Specific Learning Disabilities (which covers a spectrum of disorders: for example: dyslexia, attention deficit, hyperactivity to name a few). The school should be first port of call for recognition of these disorders in the children (either by training the teachers to recognise SLD or by bringing in external providers to assess the children) and also for providing information for parents. More assistance should be provided to these children in the form of specific teaching skills provided to teachers so that parents do not have to self-fund specialist external providers in order for their kids to just 'keep up' with their peers at school. Children with SLD could do more than just 'keep up' if they were provided an education in a manner that wasn't alien to how their brains worked.
Link free hours of childcare/kindergarten attendance to proof of immunisation. Require proof of immunisation as an enrolement prerequisite. If not immunised, require the child to be immunised. Children shouldn't suffer the consequences of contracting a disease simply because the parents are too stupid/ignorant/poor/lazy to get their child vaccinated. Reinstate getting immunisations at school. Make the parent explain face-to-face to the Principal and an attendant GP their reason for opting out. Unless it is because the child has a compromised immune system (eg cancer), they wont have a valid logic-based reason.
In fact, why not encourage GPs and Dentists to locate their practice onsite at every primary and secondary school? I bet they'll pick up a lot more cases of abused children and/or children of negligent parents.
For high school, new research has shown that students achieve more starting later in the day. Have our high schools teaching hours reflect this.
Homework is ineffective and research proves this. Do away with it - at least until late high school (if you must).
At co-ed schools, split the boys and girls and offer single-sex classes. Provide unisex bathrooms as a way of accepting diversity (transgender teenages will greatly appreciate this). No- one has single-sex toilets at home, why offer them at school? Just make the toilets age-related so older children have less opportunities to intimidate younger children.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Concentrate on the basics at primary school: quality teachers, small numbers of children to teacher ratios, a sound grounding in English, Maths and Science. The kids need the absolute best teachers with proven techniques there are at primary school because if they haven't learnt basics by high school they never will.
It would help us to know where you live
Canterbury
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
As much of the physical assets as possible.
All systems that are based on sound educational knowledge and research
What should we change?
Everything that doesn't! And there is a great deal as the teaching professional unions are conservative and self- centred. Individual teachers are fine, it is their unions that let them down.
I was impressed with local action groups that tacked content qnd delivery issues, then shared their conclusions widely.
What innovation could we introduce?
1. Review the place of computers in teaching and learning. Recent research suggests that computers have no place in the class room. This is a great blow for me as from 1975 on I spent my career in Computers in the Curriculum (in the UK and NZ) and was an advocate for greater use of computers. in education. But facts are facts.
2. Drop school zoning.
3. Emphasize good teaching methods for boys.
4. Introduce more content attractive to boys - trade training etc. I>e., Use mags and books of interest to boys in slow reader recovery classes.
5. TERTIARY: Start a recovery college so that dropouts can start their studies again. The college would have to allow part-time studies, night school studies, and web-based studies.
ADULTS
Have retraining programmes to allow the unemployed and the underemployed to get better jobs.
TEACHER TRAINING
Have better training based on the private (graduate) college that does such a wonderful job.
What should we retain?
As above. Actually, I am not too impressed with the present system as there are too many failures and unfocused young people leaving school.
What should we change?
All that doesn't satisfy the criteria revealed by modern research.
Introduce a system for paying good teachers and encouraging them to stay in the classroom. At present an ambitious teacher has to get a position of responsibility which demands he/she spends less time in the classroom. So, have a Senior Teacher grade and pay them what they are worth. German industry pays the senior technician/tradesman (the Meister) more than the CEO because excellent technical people are worth much more to the company than a CEO.
What innovation could we introduce?
Pre-school education for all.
Address the failures of the present system in sending out 20% of the graduates of the school system being innumerate and illiterate.
What should we retain?
All that satisfies the conclusions of modern research.
What should we change?
All that doesn't. I would like to see the Swedish funding system introduced here.
What innovation could we introduce?
More fun into the classroom using CDs and games to help learning.
More physical education programmes with visiting Phys Ed teachers.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
I have far too many suggestions to list here but, in general, we need to remedy the faults of the old system and provide opportunities for better learning experiences for all ages.
It would help us to know where you live
West Christchurch
Are you?
Business owner
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Trips to the town center and the lasting historic buildings
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
More Laptops and Technology for schools
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
I think we should have more classrooms and smaller classes (less than 20)
It would help us to know where you live
North Christchurch
Are you?
School student
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
I think we should retain the age groups in each school.
What should we change?
I think we should change most schools to using their own laptop. Each school should be provided with laptops and computers.
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
North Christchurch
Are you?
School student
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
I think we should retain how we group the students, like by age and not by ability.
What should we change?
I think that we should change the amount of students in one classroom. In every school I think that each class should have around 20 students so that they can have more one on one time with the teacher and so that the class isn't so crowded with 30 odd students.
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
I think that we should make all year 7 and 8's have laptops so they can use e-learning in the classroom.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
South Christchurch
Are you?
School student
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
We need to retain schools that offer a different type of education such as Unlimited Paenga tawhiti, Discovery, Hagley etc. These schools cater for such a variety of students in an exciting and innovative way. They encourage and embrace individuals and are able to lead the way towards creating a more vibrant education system. Remember one size doesn't fit all.
What should we change?
We should change the idea of the school only being available for those pupils that attend during the day and make the facilities more available to the wider community. Schools should be able to share resources with one another instead of being such seperate entities.
What innovation could we introduce?
Let senior school students be included in tertiary institutions such as CPIT and Uni. There shouldn't be such a gap. Share facilities which will make the transition easier and encourage more students to further their studies.
What should we retain?
Keep education facilities in the CBD district. Children should be part of the city.
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
Keep the inner city schools. Provide more early childcare opportunities in the CBD. This make the city child friendly which then gives a sense of community which is very important to a city the size of Christchurch.
What should we change?
More schools that offer a choice on how children learn. Make the CBD a learning hub for a variety of institutions such as pre school, ESOL, primary, high schools and tertiary education.
What innovation could we introduce?
Make the CBD buildings multi use.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
North Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Shirley Boys High School as a unisex boys school and Avonside Girls High as a unisex girls school.
What should we change?
The two schools would benefit from sharing specialist facilities while retaining thier unisex tailored curriculum delivery. eg hall. IT, Gym, grounds sports, technology delivery suites
What innovation could we introduce?
Build a new super school on Burwood Park and retire both existing sites to sports grounds currently catered for in the existing park as well as relocate those existing park facilities on to the locally available red zone land.
What should we retain?
Shirley Boys High School and Avonside Girls High as single sex schools
What should we change?
All the buildings
What innovation could we introduce?
Leave that to the staff and school leadership ,Board of Governers to continue to develop their own brand of character education
What should we retain?
A single sex boys education and the staff unit that has developed expertise and curricullum based resources adapted to delivering the curriculum to young people but boys in particular. The same applies to Avonside Girls but with a female only focus.
What should we change?
The site space at SBHS is too small and damaged for the demands placed on it by a school of 1500. Avonside Girls is similarly challenged. Specialised facilities would be better shared on the same site but run as a seperate school.
What innovation could we introduce?
Continue to offer single isex girls and unisex boys education as they are proven to outperform their co ed counterparts accademically. Huge demand exists for single sex school education in Christchurch and the existing two public schools are liable to have even more burgeoning rolls when the central CBD is converted to intensive residential development with CGHS and CBHS being their zone of choice.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
The single sex school in christchurch has proven bennefits to our local population evidenced by their popularity. Site sharing of specialised facilities makes sense but retaining the single sex nature of the governance ans staff , curriculum focus and delivery by experts in their specialised feild also is paramount to the continuing accademis success both schools enjoy in comparrison with similarly deciled co ed schools.
It would help us to know where you live North Christchurch
Are you? Teacher
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
Longer breaks at lunch to be an hour
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
Have a lap top or ipad and use them for learning.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
School student
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain? our focus on learning and teaching - strengthen implementation of NZC & Te Whariki to a deeper level.
What should we change?
Reduce competition between Ed settings (ECE, school, tertiary) so that shared responsibility for ChCh children and families flourishes rather than responsibility remaining in individual settings. develop educational relationships between sectors (ECE & School) - give priority to establishing new ECE services to those prepared to locate alongside schools or other community service providers, and to those prepared to work in a partnership relationship with businesses or the like.
What innovation could we introduce? stronger useage of ICT's for communication and to celebrate learning & achievement - have a web presence for 'Christchurch education' where all EC/schools can promote ideas, innovations etc. Where business/social/community orgs can contribute and celebrate achievements across ChCh.
Require all new ECE services to include adult spaces for parent and community use. New schools built with community useage in mind
Reward effective innovation/Enable innovation, teachers able to take risks to try new ideas without concern of ERO critique.
What should we retain? diversity of ECE services
What should we change? build stronger community relationships - ie. services across Ed & social/health/welfare, currently working for/with young children and families need to collaborate and work together.
What innovation could we introduce?
Location of schools/ECE services in communities - could retain residential communities but also introduce some located in business communities or hubs
Recognition of the economic necessity of ECE services throughout ChCh recovery and beyond.
What should we retain? personalised pedagogy - engaging students in purposeful & meaningful learning
Attention to identity, language and culture in every educational setting - ChCh experiencing an increasing cultural diversity
Natural environments
What should we change? rethink the way space is used in ECE - ie. group sizes, ratios, and age groupings. Create more family/community familiar settings
Share education expertise across education settings - set up opportunity for collaboration between teachers, not just Principals What innovation could we introduce?
Teacher expertise matched to student passions in curriculum areas where there are traditionally limited numbers - eg these students going to a home school for regular work and then to a specialist teacher for additional curriculum. eg. sport, trades, art, dance, drama, cooking, outdoor pursuits etc. sharing expertise of ECE specialist teachers eg. centres enter into contract between each other to swap staff for particular purposes, (Te Reo Maori, Pasifika language, education sustainability, infants/toddlers culture of respect, environments etc)
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater a fantastic opportunity to do something that will become internationally recognised for authentic, effective & sustainable teaching and learning across all sectors.
It would help us to know where you live
South Christchurch
Are you?
Organisation
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Papers at UC. UC is facing redundancies cause of a drop in student numbers after the quake BUT long-term is this really the right move? It costs much more to hire a new lecturer than to retain one.
What should we change?
Our VC makes $500,000 a year (and who knows how much the members on the uni council make--probably something similar) This is 7 times that of a starting lecturer and 4 times that of a professor. It's indecent to be making this much money when our staff is losing their jobs.
Let's face it--Chch is a pretty racist city. If we really want more international students to study here we have to start punishing racists--not just giving them home detention like Phillipa Ann Parker got for setting her dogs on two Asians. I have also read that the ex-Nazi Kyle Chapman is studying social work at UC!? Are you kidding me? I don't begrudge the man an education but social work--should it even be legal for a man with his past to study this subject? It's like allowing a pedophile to study early childhood education! Finally, can we put our international students into buildings that are safe--not ones where the employees who work there regularly complain that they feel the building shaking when trucks go past. If we take good care of international students, more will come, and we are falling short in this area. It's not enough to advertise NZ as a great place to study and live: we actually have to make it so.
What innovation could we introduce?
Hmm, let students vote on proposed changes at uni and let their votes be considered in the decision making. As things stand, "management" decides what is best for students. Universities consist of four groups: students, staff, general staff and management--all four groups should have equal input and this is clearly not happening at UC.
What should we retain?
Early childhood education is important and I keep on hearing how well this is done in NZ. Arts and Humanities papers. These papers are being cut at a drastic rate at UC--aren't there some creative ways to retain them? For example, making more 2nd and 3rd year students take the same paper but their tutorial content and amount of homework is different (3rd years obviously have more homework and more difficult tutes). The UC History department follows this model successfully.
What should we change?
What's this push for compulsory Maori language in schools? If people want to learn it, they should have the option to do so but if I have kids one day I want them to spend time learning Chinese or a European language--more useful both for business and pleasure.
What innovation could we introduce?
Make more affordable school/uni exchanges possible. NZ is so far away from the rest of the world--it will help us to understand the rest of the world if we spend more time there at a younger age.
What should we retain?
I learned so much through field trips and group projects. Also had access to a swimming pool both in primary and high school, which was wonderful. Really love this bout the education system here. Am also loving the tough attitude that is being taken on drinking in public in Riccarton--students have to learn to drink responsibly as otherwise they will turn into adults that drink irresponsibly.
What should we change?
A little bit more academic pressure is not going to kill our kids. It's good preparation for the real world--you have to work hard to succeed at your job; your boss is not going to say: "I recognize you are a special and unique individual who has your own unique way of contributing to this work environment..." It will be more like: "Report on my desk by 5pm please." We need to prepare our kids for this.
What innovation could we introduce?
We have some amazing papers at UC (I am a student there) and I think more people in the community should have acces to them--a more educated community is always a good thing. Some papers should be offered in the evening and this should be advertised to the community. I think this could also help UC with retaining some of their papers. Many unis worldwide offer evening papers/weekend timeslots so that people who work can also study parttime.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
I understand that schools and unis are to some extent a business, but if they turn into full-blown corporate organisations they will ultimately fail just as corporate organisations are currently failing all over the world because they can't support the bloated bureaucratic systems these organisations create and rely on.
It would help us to know where you live
West Christchurch
Are you?
Tertiary student
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Large outdoors spaces and swimming pools.
What should we change?
More of a level playing field - some schools have a lot of resource, others have very little. Schools seem to reinforce the gulf betwene rich and poor in CHCH.
What innovation could we introduce?
Schools sharing resources - with specialisation so that one has great music facilities, another great sports facilities. High decile schools adopting low decile schools.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
More career focus - more assistance in transitions to the workforce.
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
South Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
I think that when students go to high school they should still be able to choose what subjects they want to do, such as different technologies. This means that the students are doing what they want, so they will be more interested in it.
What should we change?
I think that some of the subjects that are currently compulsory, in high school, should not be compulsory, such as science. When children are older they may not want to do anything to do with science so taking the time to learn unnecessary skills is a waste of time. A better use of that time would be them learning about things they want to do when they are older.
What innovation could we introduce?
I think that in high school students should mainly learn about what they want to do when they are older. This means that when they leave school they will already have most of the skills they need to, to do what they want to do. This should raise the youth unemployment rate because more young people will have the skills to do jobs.
What should we retain?
I think that all schools should have school camps because it is good out of the classroom learning.
What should we change?
I think that instead of just learning a classroom all day, we should do more outside of the classroom learning. This would evolve things like going on buses to places where we can learn and sometimes doing our work in the school grounds but outside on the field.
What innovation could we introduce?
I think that all students, when they get to year 9, should receive a Mac Book Pro. I have used a laptop in class now for 2 years and it has really helped my learning. It is a really useful resource and I think that it would help all children’s learning.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
North Christchurch
Are you?
School student
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
Children in year 7 should be given an apple laptop
E learning is a good choice for the future. E learning allows children to carry all their work with them without having books that can get lost. A computer allows access to many resources including the Internet. A computer saves a lot of unnecessary paper that would usually be wasted without a computer. Apple also had iPods, iPhone etc that can be used with apple computers.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
South Christchurch
Are you?
School student
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
The days and times of our school days and the subjects.
What should we change?
-Everyone from year 7 and up should get a Mac Book donated by the government. I have had experience with e learning, and it definitely opens up a whole new world of learning, and helps you to get work done a lot quicker, and is generally more efficient.
What innovation could we introduce?
-Everyone from year 7 and up should get a Mac Book donated by the government. I have had experience with e learning, and it definitely opens up a whole new world of learning, and helps you to get work done a lot quicker, and is generally more efficient.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
-Everyone from year 7 and up should get a Mac Book donated by the government. I have had experience with e learning, and it definitely opens up a whole new world of learning, and helps you to get work done a lot quicker, and is generally more efficient.
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
School student
Are you representing?
Group What should we retain?
I think we should retain the hours that we learn for. I think anything shorter is not long enough, and anything longer is too long, and the students will get bored. Although I am learning from 8:30-3:30 I think either this or 9:00 - 3:00 is good.
What should we change?
I think we should change the sizes of classes. I think 25-30 students in the class is too big, and each class should be around 20 students. I think this would allow more one-on-one time with the student and teacher, and this will benefit learning.
What innovation could we introduce?
I think laptops and other devices should be used instead of paper, because I think that kids enjoy using technology more than writing on paper. As long as teachers have software to monitor what they are doing, I think this could be beneficial to learning, especially for international students as they can change the language.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
West Christchurch
Are you?
School student
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
-I think every student year 7-13 in New Zealand should have a Mack book because technology is rapidly developing and will be a key part in a child’s future. From using a laptop I have developed new skills and I can be prepared for new technology yet to co
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
- I think every Friday kids should have outside time. (If the weather is nice) A time where the students go outside and do their work, this will give them fresh air and also enables kids to have freedom and not be confined to a small place. This is healt
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
West Christchurch
Are you?
School student
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Schools in all areas of the city with zones.
CPIT, Universities
What should we change? state Single sex schools could go, and intermediate schools. also the very small primary schools. Schools should be about 250 minimum for primary or even larger
What innovation could we introduce?
Primary school, Junior high schools and senior high schools like in the Flatbush area of Sth Auckland
What should we retain?
Cultural diversity, schools for primary age students in their local area, but not too small because this does not give them full experiences as these schools do not have the funding to be diverse
What should we change?
Get rid of single sex secondary schools and I am a science teacher at one and although it was important up to about 15 years ago society has now moved on and many of the arguments we used for single sex girls education in science are no longer valid.
What innovation could we introduce?
Junior and senior high schools. Look at what is happening with places like the new Ormandy College in Auckland.
What should we retain?
The welll educated teachers who are fervent about teaching and learning and give hours more than they are paid for to the job. Books, libraries and well equipped classrooms
What should we change?
More computers, diversity in work spaces for students and staff. Length of lessons and timing of school day- more flexibility
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Need to get rid of elitist attitudes. I've learnt that some of the schools that parents and the community think are great do not have a lot of innovation going on and are too reliant on texts and not on practical work. It has been an eye-opener teaching in a high decile school in the afternoons and seeing the lack of equipment they have compared with a lower decile school from the eastern suburbs. The eastern staff are more sympathetic and creative!
It would help us to know where you live West Christchurch
Are you? Teacher Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
• The importance of Canterbury to NZ economy
• Broad range and diversity of learning opportunities
• Opportunity for industry training
What should we change?
• More focus on levels of competence required rather than UE
• Specialization within institutions including schools
• More focus on pathways and reduce barriers to success
• Flexibility between institutions
• more collaboration between levels and institutions and capital investment
• Sharing of physical resources
• Clarity of NQF - how students enter and progress
• Accessibility of options – equity issues around new groups needing to be engaged/participate
• How courses are structured – timetabling, blocks – flexibility needed
What innovation could we introduce?
• Alignment of system from year 1 – 100
• More flexible policy – funding; teaching
• Practitioner driven pilot programme opportunities
• All tertiary providers collaborate about space, ideas, resources, qualifications, capital investment
What should we retain?
• The Canterbury Advantage of learners
• Level of dialogue and engagement there has been between MOE, NZQA and students
What should we change?
• How much scope is there? (There is a real opportunity to innovate/be flexible/be different.
• Focus on lifelong learning - away from linear mode/silos/boxes.
• Better use of available resources – more strategic/visionary – sharing of resources
• Don’t rebuild for sake of it – but look for developments that make commercial and educational sense.
• Focus on the learner o Career information o Needs and aspirations of the learners
• Redevelopment of facilities – presents opportunities to move away from status quo (eg. work based learning) • Revised pattern of provision – simplify, make more flexible, responsive, understandable, coherent to parents,
caregivers and learners
What innovation could we introduce?
• Allow more input from community/consultation from stakeholders
• Competitive Canterbury: We Can Do It Here – Some driven by imperative, but could be exemplary –
Canterbury might, should, will look different?
• Education/learning for all ages – appropriate learning for need not age
What should we retain?
• Various models – not one size fits all (diversity of institutions)
• Regional or national capability
• Strong research facilities
What should we change?
• Pathway guidance – educational mentors
• Remove cohort aggregation – have individual learning plans
• Application of technologies; centres of excellence
• Education brokerage – have network of providers
• Appropriate exit strategies for learners
• Opportunity to look at zoning
• Flexibility – of when/where learning takes place
What innovation could we introduce?
• Create multipurpose facilities across institutions
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater this is a summary of the MOE tertiary focus group
It would help us to know where you live
(select option)
Are you?
Other
Are you representing?
Group What should we retain?
Connection of business with education;
Quality standards;
Young people in the region;
Schools as community focal point
What should we change?
Focus on outcomes - not just outputs;
Effective pathways for senior secondary students;
Careers education provided for all students;
Stronger effective relationships - employers/business more involved in education system;
Focus on skills and key competencies
What innovation could we introduce?
Use technology to link and access learning that’s not available locally;
Focus on learning for all ages (not just students in school but also workplace);
Seamless integration between learning and using environment;
Centralized/coordinated “brokerage” service with direct A – B connections;
Greater recognition of prior learning and current competencies;
What should we retain? choice of schools - single sex/co-ed
What should we change? link funding to growth areas; review which years go to which schools - review intermediate schools; shared use of services with schools and community and greater flexibility of use; move away from prescriptive and restrictive model; better engagenent with local bodies for planning etc; flexible trainig opportunities
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain? choice – flexibility
What should we change? move quickly to avoid disadvantagedf displaced population; clarity of roles/responsibilitiesfor delivery of education plan; attract high quality teacehrs; personalise learning opportunities; provide facilities where the population is growing
What innovation could we introduce? work to strengths (shared education/community facilities); make it easy for teachers and businesses to interact between respective sectors
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
This feedback is from the MOE Business/community focus group
It would help us to know where you live
(select option)
Are you?
Other
Are you representing?
(select option) What should we retain?
Key learnings from the last year in Christchurch suggest that the education system will benefit from being principles-based (because this is a more flexible approach) and that these principles include:
• Flexibility
In disastrous times, flexibility is a basic skill. This also applies to times of rapid change. Global patterns and trends at this stage suggest that rapid change is likely to be the norm for at least the next thirty years.
• Resilience
New Zealand’s refugee populations are full of astonishing stories of resilience. Refugees can tell you that the only way they survived disasters was with great internal resilience. Flexibility is one element in resilience. For the education system to be resilient, its structures and processes need flexibility, its relationships need to be strong and open and its curriculum and teaching style needs to focus on building resilience in individual children as well as within the wider community.
• Innovation
This is another element of resilience. While there will be elements of the education system that we want to all have in common, a resilient system has ample space for innovation at all levels.
• Inclusion
Christchurch’s future population is likely to be increasingly multicultural. The education system is a key means of integrating new people. There will also be a large percentage of people with trauma issues and with all the issues that come with migration. Increasing social services will not be possible in a restricted financial environment. Neither is it necessarily desirable. Instead, the education system can make a space for everyone in its communities to be actors. The Christchurch experience of neighbours turning to neighbours for help is a great example of how people can provide for each other. An education system that is inclusive will give active roles to all its members, including children.
• Relationship-based
There is extensive evidence within the early childhood education system and in reported earthquake survival strategies to demonstrate that success in the future lies in respectful, open relationships. The stronger the relationships are between family and school/early childhood centre, the stronger the child will be. The stronger the relationships between community members are, the more easily they can care for each other, be flexible and take care of the physical demands of life. The stronger the teacher-student relationship is the better children learn. The better the relationship between doctor and patient the more likely the patient is to recover. The stronger the relationship between a business and its customers, the better the business will do.
• Sustainability
This is an excellent opportunity for Christchurch’s education system to incorporate sustainability into all aspects of the system.
• High quality
There is ample evidence that high quality education and care is the ONLY type of early childhood education that makes a significant long term difference to children.
• Uniqueness By linking any plans for Christchurch education to its new strategic plan, the Minister can ensure that the future education system has a Christchurch uniqueness. There is also an opportunity to shift from a focus on producing adults who know how to ‘fit in’ to one cultural framework no matter what their background, to producing adults who are unique –whether they are European or Maori, Chinese or Somali; whether they have major disabilities or are top athletes; or whether they become highly gifted scientists or mechanics. When each person’s uniqueness is appreciated and developed we will have less negative social spending and more satisfied, able and contributing citizens.
• Integration
The future is in integrated approaches. The younger the child, the more important this is. The education system is an integral part of our social and economic systems. It can only maintain integrity by ongoing dialogue and cooperation with health and other systems.
• Balance
A focus on balance ensures do-ability. Too much emphasis on any one subject in a curriculum, or on any one group in the population; or domination of one culture or worldview creates imbalances that lead to physical, economic and societal disruption.
• Accountability
Accountability to children, parents, whanau, communities, funders, and government keep a system responsive and responsible.
The Early Childhood Council believes these principles should underpin the whole education system to strengthen cohesion for children and young people.
5.2 In relation to the early childhood education sector, we believe the sector should aspire to be:
• Available to all 0 – 5 year olds
The Early Childhood Council supports the government’s focus on making participation in ECE available to all 0 – 5 year old children.
• Close to parental workplaces and/or homes
Christchurch centres found that parents wanted their children close to them. Anecdotal evidence in other areas is that children and adults value this even in times of non-emergency.
• High quality with a focus on continuous improvement
High quality ECE is the only type that is beneficial to our children.
• Close relationships between home and carers/educators
Centres in Christchurch where relationships were already strong coped more ably than those where relationships were not so strong. They talk of the huge need everyone has to be able to share in a safe and respectful environment, the multiple challenges they face as they move house, occupy temporary accommodation, attempt to find new jobs or restore business operations etc. Effective education does not happen when people are not feeling safe. Sharing of the issues everyone faces frees children to learn, adults to cope and all to rebuild.
• Integrated with local schools and child related services including health provision.
As with other relationships (as above), children benefit most from integrated services where strong relationships ensure good flow of information and there are few or no gaps in provision. • Flexible.
For example, working parents need access to high quality childcare and education, no matter what hours they work.
Government rhetoric needs to match funding and support. All political parties state that our youngest children are our highest priority but funding and policies do not reflect this.
What should we change?
• Funding model – simplify to achieve centre and staff stability and to accommodate the financial pressures from the uncertainty of the environment.
For example, significant role fluctuations currently make it hard for services to plan for appropriate staffing levels without incurring additional costs.
• Review compliance to increase focus on care and education
The guiding principle for compliance must be what is safe and appropriate for children.
• Map Christchurch to ensure availability of appropriate, close to home/work/school early childhood service provision for every child aged 0 – 5.
What innovation could we introduce?
• Realign the education system with the above principles
• Develop principle-based policies and procedures for all early childhood education providers,
• Develop policies and procedures in a way that encourages continuous quality improvement
• Increase flexibility of structures
• Encourage integration of centres with home care to get better flow for families
• Develop integrated services through community hubs and other networking
• Train a workforce to teach 0 - 8 year olds or even 0 – 12 year olds – will increase workforce capability, enhance integration of early childhood education and schooling. Educate these teachers to work with health professionals and parents
• Develop a project that allows each type of early childhood service to define quality and develop parameters and criteria to assess achievement of quality
• Evaluate effects of any relaxation of regulations for the earthquake – if they worked, consider instituting nationally.
What should we retain?
• Focus on participation
• High quality
• Flexibility for many different philosophical, cultural, religious etc models
• Maintain or improve funding levels so that parent fees are kept affordable.
What should we change?
• Funding model – simplify to achieve centre and staff stability and to accommodate the financial pressures from the uncertainty of the environment.
For example, significant role fluctuations currently make it hard for services to plan for appropriate staffing levels without incurring additional costs.
• Review compliance to increase focus on care and education
The guiding principle for compliance must be what is safe and appropriate for children.
• Map Christchurch to ensure availability of appropriate, close to home/work/school early childhood service provision for every child aged 0 – 5.
What innovation could we introduce?
• Realign the education system with the above principles
• Develop principle-based policies and procedures for all early childhood education providers,
• Develop policies and procedures in a way that encourages continuous quality improvement
• Increase flexibility of structures
• Encourage integration of centres with home care to get better flow for families
• Develop integrated services through community hubs and other networking
• Train a workforce to teach 0 - 8 year olds or even 0 – 12 year olds – will increase workforce capability, enhance integration of early childhood education and schooling. Educate these teachers to work with health professionals and parents
• Develop a project that allows each type of early childhood service to define quality and develop parameters and criteria to assess achievement of quality
• Evaluate effects of any relaxation of regulations for the earthquake – if they worked, consider instituting nationally.
What should we retain?
• Base all pre-school learning on Te Whāriki
• Relationship based learning
• 80 - 100% qualified teachers wherever possible
What should we change?
• Review Te Whāriki, noting the curriculum needs to be “refreshed” not fixed or significantly changed
• Improve transitions from early childhood service to school and from one school to another
For example, this should include an agreed transition plan between early childhood service and primary school. Teachers need training in making transitions successful.
What innovation could we introduce? • For whole schooling system, develop a ‘sustainability’ curriculum that includes teaching of basic skills such as food growing and preparation, house building and maintenance, health care and clothing production, and relationship development and management.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
This submission is from the Early Childhood Council. The ECC has surveyed its membership on this issue. Our submission is a summary of the results of the survey and incorporates latest research findings and the experience of our Christchurch members.
There are three phases in developing Christchurch’s future – ongoing survival until the earth stops shaking; turning the disaster into an opportunity to rebuild and reframe taking into account latest knowledge, changing demographic, changing shape of city and changing shape of world; and redevelopment. This opportunity to turn the disaster into an opportunity is very welcome.
While our expertise is in the early childhood sector, this sector has strengths that have helped Christchurch providers manage the last year’s disasters very well in some cases. The whole education sector can learn from these strengths.
It would help us to know where you live
North Island
Are you?
Organisation
Are you representing?
Group What should we retain?
We need to keep our community not for profit centres operating to ensure we do not lose the community culture in the east side of CHCH.
What should we change?
Limit the amount of large corporate centres opening centres when community based services are struggling already with the exodus of families from the East side.
What innovation could we introduce?
Look at ways to make the CHCH city centre more child freindly, parks and play grounds like in Sydney, Darling harbour. Places that children will grow an identity with and want to return to for years to come.
What should we retain?
Inner city education like Discovery and Unlimited
What should we change?
More green spaces for children to use, focus on sustainability.
What innovation could we introduce?
Greater emphasis around art in the city centre from each of the CHCH schools and ECE settings in CHCH on pavements, gardens, signage and buildings
What should we retain?
Greater empahsis on revisiting our amazing curriculum Te Whaariki.
What should we change?
Increase ece spending and professional development funding.
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain? Great teachers, innovative ideas, adaptability to change, sense of community & family involvement, support for families, lots of room for kids to play & run around, green spaces, national standards, anti- bully programmes
What should we change? The curriculum : make it current, only teach what is actually useful and relates to real skills that children can actually use in the big wide world; encourage thinkers & inventers who are confident to challenge the status quo; smaller class sizes; greater variety of teaching methods
What innovation could we introduce? Self confidence is the key to successful & happy children. Use a wider variety of teaching methods to match the childs preferred learning styles: eg: some methods used in Kumon (where kids gain confidence by taking small steps) Some methods used in Montessori & Steiner school (where kids can see the practical implications of their thinking); Some methods used in corporate training (where kids are given mini breaks each hour to rechange their batteries) Some methods used in Journery of Hope (where kids are encouraged to talk about feelings, come up with coping strategies for all life situations and take turns giving & receiving praise & unconditional love); Learning Outside classrooms - in the fresh air or even outside school grounds - keep it fresh & interesting. Parents can help support their kids & the school, give them some tools and tips on what they can do.
What should we retain? Schools in each area (close for kids to get to), attentive teachers, plenty of opportunities for families to be involved in school activities, plenty of feedback to parents, free or minimum fees
What should we change? Celebrate NZ huge cultural diversity (greater variety of cultures & language taught in schools from early age), smaller class sizes (important for 'shy' kids to gain confidence too) M.Ed needs to be quicker to provide schools in areas where population has sharply increased (or where communities are coming unstuck due to lack of high school opportunities available)
What innovation could we introduce? Visit the areas and talk to the people to ascertain what they need, rather than making the decisions from your office. Cut the beauracy and red tape and huge amount of paperwork and lengthy procedures, so everyone can save time & money & get things done.
What should we retain? Great teachers, proactive teachers & principals, share best practices, PLP goals and meetings, Inquiry studies each term
What should we change? More sharing of info & best practices, smaller class sizes, learning tailored to childrens needs rather than beauracratic needs (eg: practical apps, mini breaks, confidence builders), less travel time (to high schools especially)
What innovation could we introduce? Lots of opportunities to build a childs confidence in their ability, by adapting learning to suit & challenge them personally
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater I am definitely impressed with how far education has come since I was at school. We are on the right track! Lets keep going. Lets also make it easier for the teachers to teach our wonderful children & develop them to their full potential. Parents are teachers too, so give them lots of support & communicate what needs to be done at home. Support each child the way THEY need to be supported, by finding out their learning styles and communicating in ways they can understand & succeed easily - pass this info on to parents too. Preschools are a really valuable asset to our childrens education and love of learning - lets keep them well supported.
Can we please have a New High school in the east of Chch that is a safe journey for our kids to travel to, and is inspiring for them to attend.
It would help us to know where you live East Christchurch Are you? Parent Are you representing? Individual What should we retain? Retain the number eight wire mentality of New Zealanders. Give students room to play within the current system so their strengths can be harnessed by their teachers and the students can grow to their potential.
What should we change? Have schools in a similar geographical area become more interactive with each other. Not sure how this will happen. Make these smaller areas larger hubs.
What innovation could we introduce? Closer links with local communities, e.g., use local churches, kaumatua, local leaders, etc to bring their knowledge and skills to schools and be part of bringing up the young... 'It takes a whole village to raise a child.'
What should we retain? The current curriculum. We have one of the best education systems in the world. Don't throw out the baby with the bath water and think that other countries have better ideas than innovative NZers.
What should we change? National Standards. It is important that all children are given value from where they are at, and for teachers to add-on value to what the children have... NOT having a standard to reach.
What innovation could we introduce? Seeing each child as an individual not as a label, e.g., above, at or below the standard. Giving schools tools to measure the add-on value of each child. How have they made progress against where they started. Keep each child as a whole not one of a number.
What should we retain? Retain teacher: student ratio. Keep class numbers small. Invest in early childhood and ensure behaviour problems are dealt with via grass roots programmes such as Incredible Years being available to more parents.
What should we change? Top heavy nature of support agencies. Where is the help dysfunctional kids so desperately need?!? My daughter has children in her class who stop her from learning. Where is the help for her teacher and school to deal with these behaviours. She is in a lower decile school. My son is 10 and he has had children in his class who have thrown scissors and exhibited many behaviours that saw him excluded (after 3 years of interventions, none of which worked).
What innovation could we introduce? Links to community and an elder who can take families under their wings and help them with tips and ideas that might help them... e.g., supergrans, etc. Use already existing support systems to enhance relationships between elders and new parents.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater Keep what is working... enhance what we have... use the knowledge gained in the east because of the earthquakes, e.g., community becoming the centre of the community and bringing everyone together with non- denominational help for everyone who requires it.
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
Freeville School
What should we change?
A new high school in the Eastern Suburbs
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
Freeville School
What should we change?
A new high school in the Eastern suburbs
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
We will eventually shift out of the area as there is no high school appropriate for our daughter - lots of people we have met are doing the same thing. We were extremely lucky to get into Freeville Primary (Due to the earthquake) and have found it to be a fantastic school
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
We need to retain a strong Intermediate school that provides educational needs for year 7/year 8 in the eastern suburbs. This is because it provides an opportunity for children of this age to experience a variety of learning opportunities in a larger school environment with teachers that are experienced in dealing with issues relating to his age group.
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We need to support early educational services that bring families together. The local Playcentre's have been invaluable in providing a support network for families and has shown that having a strong focus on community/whanau can make a huge difference to families especially in times of stress. Playcentre's and Kohunga Reo should be located in the grounds or beside primary schools were possible to encourage families to join and to help the transition from preschool to school.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Current strengths: capabilities, reputation, and the existence of all the complementary parts of a training, education, research and technology transfer sector, capable of being developed into a world class "innovation system" to benefit individuals and communities, while providing Christchurch with a major economic engine going into the future.
What should we change?
Independent research shows that innovation systems deliver substantial social and economic capital when institutions form a unitary system with a single overall objective which transcends inter-institutional rivalry, and operates instead on the basis of collaboration, complementarity, and the management of direct and indirect costs through sharing of capabilities and operational and capital resources. Therefore, necessary change includes inter- institutional collaboration for the purpose of creating an innovation system which is able to become greater than the sum of its parts, and a strength of Canterbury in perpetuity.
What innovation could we introduce?
Four innovations are indicated: resourcing schools to support Canterbury children exceptionally; development of seamless and accessible educational and training pathways for those young people and those who chose to join it from elsewhere; construction of Public-Private partnerships between educational institutions and industry, business and iwi to grow participation and employment opportunities, and building on existing R & D strengths to build a science and technology industry and research cluster in Christchurch, with Government-supported growth incentives and tax priviledges which recognise the distinctive needs Christchurch has at present.
What should we retain?
Quality should be retained wherever it occurs; special support should be provided to ensure that appropriate educational support is available to each affected child, high quality ECE is particularly important under present circumstances.
What should we change?
The plethora of compliance, provider, governance and management bodies should be rethought. A Canterbury- wide body with objectives similar to (but broader than) those of Skills Australia would be useful. The education providers could then cooperate and jointly deliver courses and programmes to meet identified needs. Similar planning can be done leading to coordinated university provision and R and D development. Industry, iwi and business leaders would be equal partners in that enterprise, with the providers and public participation. A Board of Regents, or equivalent, could be consistituted to facilitate the forward planning of training, educational and research development in and for Christchurch and Canterbury. The city and region need planks upon which further social, community and economic development can occur. Numerous instances and detailed analyses show that education and research can fulfil that function, intergenerationally. However, that does require inter-instutitional harmony, collaborative management and shared governance with an appropriate level of sensitivity and skill.
What innovation could we introduce?
Consolidation and simplification of provision; a strong emphasis on the workplace relevance of courses and qualifications offered; collaboration so money is not wasted and talent, skills, systems and infrastructure can be shared within sound business models. Forward planning, including needs analyses and delivery of high-value, courses and programmes which are relevant to the present needs and the strong and proposerous future of Christchurch and Canterbury. There is neither time nor money to waste on unproductive inter-institutional competition. It would be appropriate instead to develop a standard-setting training, education and research system based on a strategic view of the future and progressive collaboration. What should we retain?
The talent and professionalism of Christchurch primary, secondary and tertiary teachers and researchers, the committment of parents and extended families, the tradition of respect for and interest in learning, science and the arts which has long been associated with Christchurch
What should we change?
Modes of delivery, present levels of disengagement, barriers to participation and progression, & emigration of the qualified.
What innovation could we introduce?
Delivery should be routinely multi-modal: in person, classroom, studio and laboratory based, supported by digital technologies and the new social media as "virtual classrooms". There is a case for Crown investment in this given the circumstances. Multiple pathways should be broadened and made accessible to school pupils in Christchurch to anticipate and deal with disengagement. A very thorough effort should be made, to the satisfaction of a "Board of Regents" to make training and education especially accessible to young people in Greater Christchurch. This necessarily would involve reconsidering barriers to participation, to credit transfer, and the inter-institutional movement by students. A system of prizes, scholarships, rewards and recognitions should be instituted for five years to help kids in Christchurch get on to and stay on the educational pathway. This is a national matter, to be funded by the Crown, and administered impartially by an independent body; Regents, again.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
The purpose of education in Greater Christchurch is necessarily to deliver individual, societal, cultural and economic benefits necessary to the future of a convivial and prosperous major city. Shape follows from purpose. In that matter, the circumstances call for a move towards development of an innovation system, with unitary governance by the wise, collaborative management, where pupils are put first and the arts, industries and businesses of the region are strengthened for the future.
It would help us to know where you live
North Island
Are you?
Interested member of the community
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
Zoning - everyone should be entitled to equal opportunity to receive the same quality education whichever school they choose to send their child to. Do families in the lower socio economic areas get the same chance at education? Question why zoning has been considered a requirement in Chch? People perceive some schools to be better than others. It is only those fortunate enough to be able to move into those zones who can then attend those schools. What happens to the rest? We need to re-visit this attempt to try to force people to attend their local school.
What innovation could we introduce?
Align it with workforce and tertiary education requirements - not just reactively but planning for the future.
Create a generation who can create their own future with wisdom, innovation and confidence.
What should we retain?
Getting ready for school focus at Kindy etc
What should we change?
The existence of Intermediates. Why do we have them? Two years in no mans land. I had the good fortune of starting high school in Year 7 (Form 1 in those days) and although it was quite a steep learning curve, it was a breeze when it came to Year 9. I already knew the schools culture and systems and expectations.
What innovation could we introduce?
Amalgamate intermediates with high schools or primary schools.
What should we retain?
The National Curriculum. Keep the children wanting to learn.
What should we change?
The National Standards!
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Quality levels of funding to allow excellent teacher child ratios in ECE. Affordable and accessible for ALL children. Highly trained skilled and knowledgable teachers establishing and maintaining authentic partnerships with families/whanau.
What should we change?
Ensure e-learning in available to ALL learners, and up-skill teachers to also have this knowledge and experience. Value children as drivers of their own learning opportunities. Make Early Childhood Centres, Schools and Tertiary Education Institutions places where students want to spend time. Involve children in the planning and investigating of their own learning journeys. Build interactive communities between all sectors of education and the wider communities. (Locally, nationally and internationally) Consistency of learning opportunities and assessment frameworks across all education sectors.
What innovation could we introduce?
Education sites where all sectors are linked through networks, such as social media, e-learning opportunities and involving students in peer-support, buddy systems etc across and between the sectors, and the wider communities.
What should we retain?
Ensure class sizes are low.
What should we change?
Create and strengthen authentic partnerships with families/whanau across cultures.
Children are at the forefront of their learning. They should be able to create their own learning journey, not be reliant on THE teacher and the Education System to do it FOR them. Pre-service Training Institutes should ensure that teachers who have completed the course of training are in fact competent to take on the responsibility of supporting children in their learning, to very high standards. Teachers of Infants and Toddlers NEED to be highly skilled in understanding children's brain development and the implications of early experiences on their future reactions and responses to their life experiences.
Encourage open classrooms and shared/team teaching opportunities in Primary Schools.
What innovation could we introduce?
E-learning across and between education sectors and the wider community. ECE curriculum, Te Whāriki mirrored across the education sectors.
What should we retain?
Maintain ECE Te Whāriki curriculum and take these concepts through to Secondary level of Education. As a community we are all learners, and each child's individual characteristics, learning styles, passions, dispositions, culture and background need to be valued and honored throughout their life.
What should we change?
Maintain ECE Te Whāriki curriculum and take these concepts through to Secondary level of Education. As a community we are all learners, and each child's individual characteristics, learning styles, passions, dispositions, culture and background need to be valued and honored throughout their life. Build stronger interactive learning communities. Group all education sectors together by location, focus or interest themes(eg sport, art, dance and drama, music, religion etc). Have community based ECE centres given preference over the larger Private Multiple Centres, to be included on MOE school sites. Community Hubs including health and welfare services could also be incorporated into these sites.
What innovation could we introduce?
Focus on e-learning across the education sector and the wider community. Business Hubs could have Early Learning Centres attached, and develop e-learning interactive relationships with each other.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Lets be creative and have something really special so that we can celebrate this as an opportunity to be innovative and demonstrate our resilience to these traumatic events.
Kia Kaha Christchurch !!!!
It would help us to know where you live
Canterbury
Are you?
Other
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
We should retain a variety of different education styles so that students and parents have a variety of providers to choose from that suit them and their children eg single sex schools, Hagley community College Unlimited, Linwood and we need smaller schools to exist as it especially important to stay in close contact with pupils at this time
What should we change?
More affiliation with business and tertiary education providers. Linwood has a close alliance with the polytech and Unlimited develops special between students and the business community for example. Send more talented students to other institutions for extension rather relying classroom education.
What innovation could we introduce?
Further technology for every student so that they can continue their education on line through these times if they have access to power.
Also students work in the year appropriate to their skills rather than the year according to their age
What should we retain?
Social contact through a physical localities and we need to retain a variety of providers that are willing to push boundries and try different approaches to education
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
Develop more schools that are willing to share facilities such as community libraries, business education, universities and to harness the power of the wider community.
Schools that are willing to be collaborative
What innovation could we introduce?
More support for learning via e learning and hub schools
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
School staff, students and parents have been incredibly flexible during this time going to great lengths to accommodate each other and change and keep the learning of the students choice supported.
It would help us to know where you live
South Christchurch
Are you?
Teacher Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Community based preschools and kindergartens that operate on a not for profit basis. These centres operate to educate children, and are the cornerstone of communities. We need to fight to retain the rolls and funding available to these centres as these are the types of places better positioned to deliver quality education to the children that need to access early childhood education. There should be a limit on the number of new licenses granted for privately owned centres when there is a local kindy or community centre close by that could educate these children instead.
What should we change?
Introduce a 2 tier funding system for early childhood - those in private ownership get a lower level of government funding. Not for profit centres get a higher level of funding because their money is spent on educating children, not buying preschool owners flash cars and funding their overseas holidays. Too many people are getting rich from early childhood and that sucks.
What innovation could we introduce?
I like the idea of seamless education
What should we retain?
What should we change?
All the good high schools in Christchurch are in the richer areas, those in the Eastern Suburbs have a poor choice. We desperately need a good high school on the East side of town.
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
Community based not for profit early childhood education.
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Christchurch is blessed with schools of various sizes, shapes and cultures. This variety is a strength and gives parents the ability to select a school that suits their child's personality and needs. One size does not fit all.
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
One size does not fit all. We should not necessarily develop a model to make all schools the same.
Schools need to be developed that reflect the curriculum and needs of the child. I agree with separate early childhood, primary intermediate and secondary facilities as they focus on different developmental stages for children.
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
Introduce a middle school option
What should we retain?
Diveristy
What should we change?
Buildings need to be updated.
Buildings need to be conducive to Christchurch weather.
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
Canterbury
Are you?
Principal
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
Schools as community hubs especially in semi-rural areas.
What should we change?
Full primary/secondary model. In the north canterbury area a model of primary (Year 0-6), middle (year 7-10) and upper secondary (year 11-13) could work well and create space in growing areas at both secondary and full primary levels.
What innovation could we introduce?
Learning hubs that cater for specialist curriculum areas. For instance having a music/drama type academy that provides specialist teaching much like Year 7/8 technology classes do now.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
Canterbury
Are you?
Principal
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
I believe we have an excellent education system, but it could be even better!
What should we change?
I believe we need a much greater emphasis on science and technology, especially that which is relevant to CHCH's strengths in engineering and agriculture.
What innovation could we introduce?
Set National Standards in Science. It is as important as Reading, Writing and Mathematics.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
Merge the two Lyttelton Primary schools
Build a new high school in Ferrymead/Heathcote to service need from Sumner, Redcliffs, Mt Pleasant, Heathcote and Lyttelton. Many parents view Linwood College negatively and deliberately drive past this school to other schools. This could be a hi-tech, green and bicultural school.
Merge Lincoln University, University of Canterbury, University of Otago (School of Medicine) into a single University that is ONLY allowed to market itself internationally. A Veterinary School and Medical School capable of recruiting off-shore should be an integral part of providing 1) a complete University in Canterbury and 2) a great export earner.
Rationalise the Aoraki, CPIT, SIT competitors under a single CPIT banner.
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Well trained teachers - vital to keep investing in them
Keep focusing on the basics - reading, writing & maths...
Physical exercise, music & academic stuff - our kids need to be kept exposed to all of it!
What should we change?
New High school co-ed in the North east.. demand is there around QE11, Waitakiri etc.
What innovation could we introduce?
More funding for tablets & technology.. not at parents direct expense....
Keep giving our kids a sense of confidence and a safe learning environment where they are encouraged to learn and grow
What should we retain?
Merging intermediates & high on a site is great - but keep intermediates with their own separate identity... important for this age group....
What should we change?
New High school co-ed in the North east.. demand is there around QE11, Waitiri etc
What innovation could we introduce?
Size of classes - 20 should be a common class size...
What should we retain?
What should we change?
Zoning - remove it - is so unfair & leads to people renting to get kids in.
New High school co-ed in the North east.. demand is there around QE11, Waitakiri etc
What innovation could we introduce?
Love online resources for our kids to use after school!
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Regular assessment of teachers ability & competence..... should include feedback from parents
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Retain not all learning being computerised - children need to know how to use computer technology but they like being taught by teachers in the traditional manner and do not seem to enjoy more of a dependence on the computer medium for learning.
What should we change?
Abolish zoning. Parents ought to be able to choose where they send their children to school whether they live in the vicinity of the school or not.
Would like to see co-ed schools separate out learning into single sex classes from age 8 years within the co-ed school environment (as Cathedral Grammar School has done). Encourage all schools to offer foreign language learning from age 5 years including the option of french and spanish. Encourage all schools to run gardening programs to teach our children the valuable life skill of how to grow produce and healthy food.
What innovation could we introduce?
The cost of a private school education continues to be out of reach for many new zealanders. Whilst the Aspire Scholarship initiative is fantastic it would be great to see this available from year 7 and 8. Greater interface between schools and possible sharing of resources or initiatives that are working well in various schools. Schools can learn from each other - do they currently interface? As a parent I do not see any evidence of this. Encourage all schools to align with Canterbury University and engage in learning through this avenue eg. writer in residence program in schools and other such initiatives. Ilam School does this well.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
There needs to be a greater emphasis put on specialist teachers and training of teachers who can be placed in all schools primarily for the benefit of individual extension. Where this is not the case in schools it appears to be left up to individual teachers. Not all teachers have the background or necessary skills to provide this let alone the time in a class of 27 children.
What innovation could we introduce?
Itinerant specialist teachers if it is not possible for all schools to have their own
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live West Christchurch
Are you? Parent
Are you representing?
(select option) What should we retain?
The range of different schools supplying the different needs of the individual students/ communities.
What should we change?
The total isolation of the schools
What innovation could we introduce?
Shared resources e.g librairies, specialist equipment, large meeting spaces
What should we retain?
Places where the student feels secure and thus able to learn and contribute as avaluable voice within the community
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
The ability to travel between sites to study with a more specialist teacher/ resource. Felxibility
What should we retain?
Diversity of schools offering different forms of learning
What should we change?
Think beyond the model of one size fits all
What innovation could we introduce?
Be more adventurous in encouraging individual learning which may mean cluster schools and children moving between them to make the most of the facilities on offer
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It's very important to have learning communities through the whole city that can look outwards to benefit the whole community arther than being insular and protectionist. Special character schools are important so that students can be inspired to learn in the own way giving greater freedom of thought giving a more robust outlook to the future of Chch
It would help us to know where you live
South Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
The green feel (garden city). However extending this to self sustainability as well. Let's lead the country in green schooling.
What should we change?
Provision of IT equipment and quality of IT programme not only preparing students for their future but giving them an edge on digital education that is not provided.
What innovation could we introduce?
One whereby all education settings are situated together, working together and educating together. A one stop shop which is inclusive in nature and at least bicultural in action.
What should we retain?
Choices in education eg. Catholic, total immersion, bilingual etc.
What should we change?
Most of it! Lose the necessity to be confined within walls as the only means of education. Let's be creative!
What innovation could we introduce?
Innovation and research based evidence of pedagogy in action. Māori students achievement in CHCH is embarrassing not to mention unacceptable. Create a Māori learning environment that meets goals as stated in Ka Hikitia but one that is open to all nationalities and peoples who are likeminded.
What should we retain?
Private schools generally perform well in NCEA etc.
What should we change?
Doing what we have always done so that we get what we have always got!! Māori and pacific education needs immediate attention and needs those groups to spearhead the innovation. Low decile schools need to have the same quality resources and buildings that high decile schools have!
What innovation could we introduce?
All schools need to leading the innovation in self-sustainability, digital education, and markedly improved Māori retention and success. Canterbury is renowned for excelling in sports so let's keep this in mind in the rebuild so that schools can be situated closely to these environments for accessibility to quality resources. Swimming pools situated by school improves instructional swimming opportunities decreasing likelihood of drownings. Parks, halls and churches should also be near schools so that resources can be shared and utilised to it's maximum. Traditional concept of education whereby we are preparing students for the industrial age has now got the opportunity to lead the way into the digital age. Ensure schools have the facilities to provide this. Musical talent, from Canterbury has always been a distinctive strength despite limited provision and accessibility of quality resources. Purpose built buildings by or within schools will ensure more talented Cantabrian musicians are discovered and nurtured.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
A normalisation of what is traditionally termed as 'alternative education' is required. Innovative practices such as those practiced at Discovery, Unlimited and the proposed Pā o Rakaihautū are based on research and best practice as stated by MOE both nationally and internationally. Without creativity there would be no inventions. Students with improved higher thinking skills and cutting edge IT skills are the key to a prosperous future in ChCh. Schools based on old fashion values where whole family involvement is normalised ensures social responsibility and continues the improved relationship building instigated through experiencing the loss and heartache from the earthquakes. (An extreme, but effective method of leveling the playfield) Breaking down barriers and empathy for those worse off than self. Helping others in need has returned to CHCH. Let's continue this lifelong lesson into the future for our children's benefit of an improved social system.
It would help us to know where you live
North Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce? the need for having schools that are different and willing to push the boundaries of innovation
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce? the need to have schools that are more collaborative and share expensive facilities like libraries and specialist teachers via eLearning.
What should we retain?
Choices - different styles of llearning.
What should we change?
Have the student be in charge of their learning. Not high jacked by adults/teachers who think they know better.
Trust and patience is the key.
What innovation could we introduce?
More trust and patience. Learner directed.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
I would like to see low rise and safe facilities, with more green space around schools. Utilise community facilities that already exist - swimming pools, librarys, poly tech etc.
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Difference! We need to keep the heterogeneity of pedagogy, learning spaces, media, culture and knowledges. I
What should we change?
Bricks and mortar do not make schools - the students, staff and famillies do. We have an opportunity to combine like minded communities and learning facilities. Using facilities as UPT and Discovery 1 did - library, pools, sports facilities. Mainstreaming children across age range and abilitiy - not
What innovation could we introduce?
Enquiry based learning for those its works for and routine led training for those it works for. option to complete part of every school year after yr 5 outside of chc while our resources recover.
Teacher/ staff sharing and option for teacher PD outside chc. Each staff memebr to complete one piece of research per year.
Using UC facilities /staff - as their numbers seem to have dropped away.
What should we retain?
Enquiry based learning supported by staff input.
What should we change?
Religious education about all faith not christian prosleytsing at schools
What innovation could we introduce? tikanga and te reo at all schools second language
What should we retain?
IT
What should we change?
Schools are funded fully , so lack of parent 'donation' does not compromise learning for children in lower decile schools
What innovation could we introduce? social workers at all schools
Emotional education example- how to manage disaapointment /competition etc
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live West Christchurch
Are you? Parent
Are you representing? Group What should we retain?
Schools that offer obvious differences in their approaches to teaching such as Unlimited, Discovery 1, and Steiner schools.
What should we change?
Parents should be able to select from a range of mainstream and alternatives schools to send their children to rather than all schools being forced to comply with homogenised teaching systems
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain? schools that are different and willing to push the boundaries of innovation
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce? schools that are more collaborative and share expensive facilities like libraries and specialist teachers
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
Canterbury
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
. Our schools that have a different approch too our kids learning still structured but in a way that will enable our kids to decide there own learning paths. good access to all public facilities.
What should we change?
NCEA
What innovation could we introduce?
Anything that will inspire our children to want to love there learning
What should we retain?
What should we change? zoning
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
The fact that all kids are different and that not all kids strive in the same learning environment, giving our kids and parents the opportunity to be able to chose a n education that is best suited to there needs.
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Group What should we retain? Diversity is key. Christchurch needs options now more than ever before. Innovative and exciting learning opportunities are what our children need to stimulate their interest in the future and inspire them to make positive life choices.
What should we change? Encourage more schools to operate with discovery based learning, student directed passions and interests, like those used at Discovery 1 School and Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti.
What innovation could we introduce? Consider more creative and practical teaching focus. Only 20% of students go on to tertiary study. What are the opportunities for training at school that are relevant to what industry and business actually need. the majority of students deserve to have education focused on their needs and career aspirations not just those that can afford to get into debt for higher education. Christchurch kids will be sent away if there are not worthwhile studies and career options available here.
What should we retain? Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti was an excellent example of business, community and students gaining learning opportunities of use in the real world and exploring tertiary opportunities and academic relationships from year 9.
What should we change? Pour more money into creative and collaborative teaching practices, using strengths of schools to share education innovations. Share resources more equitably.
What innovation could we introduce? Expand on projects like UPT digital programmes. Ensure earlier access to ICT skills and make sure schools are properly resourced to look after maintenance of equipment and software. Liaise with ICT industry to train kids to meet their future demands.
What should we retain? Inspiring and innovative teachers and principles.
What should we change?
The current system here is flawed with private schools considered the only decent education option for many parents.
What innovation could we introduce?
Encourage more parental participation with elective type learning opportunities, expand gateway work experience opportunities to inspire students from Year 10.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
The loss of Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti and Discovery 1 school from the central city is significant. Those young people used to make the city feel energised and vibrant. It is important to encourage young people of all ages into the city and have schools operating close by. Having young people confident in urban areas is essential to the city's growth and future. CBD's are not just for adults and people behave better when children are around.
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
More diversity of education delivery.
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
Additional support for eLearning such as is being implemented at Unlimited.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
Unlimited High School
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
Focus on eLearning opportunities
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Please keep Unlimited High School funded and open
It would help us to know where you live
North Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain? Two schools! Discovery1 and unlimited why?
These two schools take kids who have potential and that have slipped thru standard schools .these two schools encourage self motivated self directed learning.teaching our future leaders both in community but also in government vital life skills.the core values that make nz what it is.this school took on two of my children who had been let down by mainstream schools that wouldn't or couldn't allow learning to be different and developed around learning issues and medical issues.these two schools made non functioning teenagers depressed and bulled become vibrant creative self motivated teens who care about and respect other piers and adults.To respect property and others space.
What should we change? A narrow mind attitude or perhaps as some have said the old boy network attitude to progressive learning ways.where students who would be a burden to society who now contribute in a positive way to our community.
What innovation could we introduce? A shared learning spaces as in garden self supporting areas, along with creativity being encouraged in well supervised areas as in arts and drama.
An environment where both young and old can come together to share ideas young teach old and old teach young.example being shared learning in IT areas.
What should we retain? Unlimited school and discovery 1 encourage all pupils contribute to being responsible caretakers of our city.behavior rewarded in positive ways.?Each student strengths in many areas encouraged to be tried and tested.Weather it be in redeveloping business areas or social environments.
What should we change? The rich versus poor areas.all ages encouraged to take responabilty in the city's clean green programs.
What innovation could we introduce? Areas of the old being able to play board games in a restful and happy family like space.more wheel chair access to allow these ones to interact with all people in the business community!
What should we retain?
All I can say is look at the 10 tenors that unlimited school teaches it's students.keep this school and discovery1 as a hub of learning within the city.
These school allows our future leaders to develop relationships that upbuilding to our city.
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
My dream for all young people to have the freedom to develop their learning at a pace that no barrier weather it be medical social or economical can hold back.Our generation of primary and secondary will be the ones caring for us when we are old ! For goodness sake support not isolate
It would help us to know where you live North Christchurch
Are you? Parent
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain? Small centres with limited license numbers.
What should we change? Limiting the size of new Centres and the monopoly of corporate ECE groups that dominate the sector. As long as the chain corporations see ECE as a money making business then the children and quality education will always come second.
What innovation could we introduce? Larger outside areas with greater risk taking play equipment.
Natural environmental areas.
What should we retain? Good quality independent centres.
What should we change? The ministry to have more of a part in deciding if new Centres are needed in the area, not just at resource consent meetings. Priority given to people who have a proven track record in offering quality education if two groups wish to put in a centre in the same area.
What innovation could we introduce? Hubs where there is education but also more of a community feel- community rooms, social services, plunket, doctors, WINZ etc so that the development of the whole child is met and families feel supported.
What should we retain? Some high quality, individual centres are delivering an excellent curriculum, this should be shared with others so we can learn from each other.
What should we change? The academic entry level for teachers is too low and too many weak/unsuitable people are gaining a teaching qualification. Only if this is addressed will the standard of teaching and learning improve.
Move to a more mulitcultural approach, this does not mean moving away from the emphasis on Maori culture and language but Christchurch has to appreciate that there are many other children particularly from asian countries who are being pushed aside and their home life/culture/language is not being seen as important.
What innovation could we introduce? Centres to be paired up so that they can share knowledge and expertise- staff to visit each other, standards of teaching and learning can be moderated.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
As an independent centre I would welcome the opportunity for Education advisors provided by the Ministry to visit my centre and offer advice on how and what to improve. There is a lack on consistency in Early Childhood about what constitutes 'quality' and centres are isolated in their work. An advisory team could visit many centres and share good practice and give an independent judgement on standards and how they compare with others.
I would like to point out that in the point below I live in the East of the city but my centre is in Cashmere so I probably do not represent the views of the East.
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Business owner
Are you representing?
Group What should we retain?
Keep parent choice
Keep a variety of school options available
What should we change?
Rationalise schooling so that it is efficient and cost effective ignor self serving rhetoric about middle schooling
Consider joint governance options
Consider greater partnership between MOE and school leadership
What innovation could we introduce?
Supporting high achieving schools (based on ERO reports) to continue to be innovative and risk takers
Focus on research about learning (NOT ON STRUCTURES)
Consider having preschool and primary schooling on the same campus
Get rid of intermediate schooling (it is a rediculous nonsense to assume 2 years in a school has any positive advantage) and consider full primary schooling and or Year 7 -13 schooling
What should we retain?
Reletive equity between schools
High achievement within schools (international studies)
A dedicated and high performing work force
Parent involvement in the local school
Parent involvement in governance
What should we change?
Competition between schools is counter productive
What innovation could we introduce?
Collaboration and cooperation between schools on a formal basis
What should we retain? pre school choices
Full primary schooling local governance
What should we change? take out intermediate schooling
What innovation could we introduce? year 7 - 13 schooling
Open secondary (year 7 - 13) schools that specialise around specific learning difference and or talents ie:
- gifted senior secondary with access to UC
- sports academy
- music academy
Have a city wide strategy to support gifted education within primary schools using tertiary educational support.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
We have an opportunity to think about schooling as a whole, to be collaborative and cooperative and to use research in a way that informs decision making. Use BES and John Hattie's work
It would help us to know where you live
North Christchurch
Are you?
Principal
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain? Opportunities for further academic and practical education with continued provision and support for our Universities and polytecnic.
What should we change? A greater focus on quality publicly available education from toddler through to adult education. Education is the key to our future as individuals and NZers.
What innovation could we introduce? Greater community linked education. Each community should have its own hub of learning allowing for Preschools/Kindergartens/Primary/Intermediate and High schools to become closely linked and located within each community. We will have the new opportunity for land availability to allow this to happen now. This will strengthen our communities for without this sort of vision and provision for the people, especially us effected so much by the quakes in the east, our communities will fall apart and leave.
What should we retain? The locating of Kindergartens next to Primary schools. A fantastic assistance when transitioning young chn from Early Childhood into Primary education. This is a asset when setting up chn to get the best possible outcomes from day one of entering the school system.
What should we change? Commiting to the value of Early Childood Education which is the foundation stone of chn becoming life long learners and valuable, aware, tuned in contributors to their own education and communities. Realising that quality ECE is just as vital to communities, cities and our country as universities.
What innovation could we introduce? Reinstating the value place on quality ECE through financial support for 100% qualified teachers. Genuinely including preschools and Kindergartens as a vital necessary part of the rebuild of chch. The young chn learning life long skills now in our ECEs are the ones who will help form and rebuild our city in the future.
What should we retain? A balance of both single sex and co-ed schools as we have to allow for parental choice.
What should we change? A public education system to be located in each community from ECE through to High school/Adult education. Less finances put into private schooling and more back into public education (kindergarten/primary/High Schools) where it is most needed.
What innovation could we introduce? A trade education hub set up in the east where there is the greatest need. A possibility for this could be set up at Aranui High. Aranui and Mariehau High schools both have very poor reputations and academic performance though are the only high schools available to the families on the North East of chch. For years our families have been leaving the area as their chn reach high school age to take advantage of the quality schools on the other side of town. This is a time to strengthen our communities and chch. Turning the likes of Aranui or indead Mairehau into trade training schools would turn them into valuable assets for chch. Then locate or relocate quality high schools into our communities where we need them. In these new, changable (and dangerous) times it is not right our chn should have to bus to the other side of town to get a decent higher education.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
North Christchurch
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
Maintain the smaller rolls for schools (caused by the earthquake) for existing high schools, meaning they are more community linked.
What should we change?
Build new schools in the areas of growth especially north-east Christchurch where Prestons Road, Waitikiri etc will add even more pressure to schools (and infrastructure) that are from where I live nearly 10km away.
What innovation could we introduce?
Smaller community focused schools. My closest schools (from Queenspark) are Aranui and Mairehau yet these are in places I rarely, if ever, go to.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Keep single sex schools as an option.
Keep zoning but rethink some aspects of it. Shirley Boys, for example, takes in much of the inner city where there are few teenagers, so it's current zone is too restrictive, But we don;t want to can zones altogether which would lead to a situation where there is a free for all where everyone tries to get into a select so-called "good schools." The City council suggestion of exempting inner city residents from zoning rules is just plain stupid.
What should we change?
Have more vocationally oriented courses to cater for non-academic kids. Also have flexibility for really able kids to do university courses while still at school.
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
We need more cooperation between schools so that expensive big ticket items such as gymnasiums and performance centres are shared say between a neighbouring high school and intermediate school. If single sex school such a Shirley Boys and Avonside need to be rebuilt - build them side by side so they can share teaching resources (co-ed classes at senior level) and facilities (see above). There is too much competition between schools and not enough cooperation. If a new swimming/sports complex is rebuilt in the eastern suburbs, make sure it is near enough for schools to use it easily.
What innovation could we introduce?
More joint public/education facilities. The CCC library at Riccarton High is a perfect example - we need more of these.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
Consider amalgamating small schools. Does Lyttletonn really need two primary schools? It seems insane for public money to be spent on propping up tiny Catholic schools which are replicating facilities and resources when nearby state schools have space.
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
The whole area does need education provisions in some form - however we cannot hold on to what we had as it is financially impossible. We need to know first and foremost where the suburbs that are staying will be and then build the right number of schools that are warranted for the population that exists, there. The wider area of Canterbury, especially Selwyn must be addressed - where there is roll pressure, get ahead of the game by not building piece by piece - see the big picture ie Darfield and Rolleston are going to boom - put plans in place now. For too long there have been too many small schools in Chch (under 150) for a city and in the outer regions, under 30 (apart from the isolated, eg Springfield / Windwhistle etc). We need to put together a plan where we have projected savings that are made by closures and planned expansions and developments. Each suburb does not necessarily need to have a school - eg, Redcliffs - we are proving that we can adapt and the education sector needs to (not the MOE - schools).
What should we change?
Less consultation - come up with say three plans - and then present them. It is done in roading (motorways etc) Too much time is spent consulting and wasting $$ to talk. There will always be 30% who don't agree yet we focus on them - stuff them. We are looking at a great opportunity to restart facilities that are top of the range. We do need to close some schools - and in all honesty, no one will like it but we have lost half of the city as it is ... this is the reality. Schools in the eastern suburbs are no different to transient schools where the roll goes up and down like no tomorrow - they get funded and staffed on what they have and if they are not viable, run down, in an area of decline or in an area set to go, act now. People will be far more understanding now than in 5 years time as there is a reason for it. I have been through 3 school closures due to network reviews ... sad at the time but best for education as the schools are far more superior.
What innovation could we introduce?
It does not take innovation - it is out there for us to see - we do need common sense of the best use of taxpayers funds, foresight - what is the big picture we are aiming for here and we need leadership which Mrs Tolley has - she will say what needs to be said and sticks to her guns.
What should we retain?
Rural communities need the local school - PROVIDING there is a community - shop, township etc Examples are Kirwee, Southbridge, Glentunnel etc. In CHCH, there are too many schools in each others pockets. We need primary and high school provisions and of course the tertiary.
What should we change?
No more intermediate schools - waste of time and money. Either recap all primary schools or ideally have this model - buy huge pieces of land (or acquire). On the one site, have ece, primary (y1-6) middle college (y7 - 10 - with Nat Stnds imposed) then higher college. The higher college could take on the role of academic and trade. These could feed through to polytech and uni. Also put on these sites 'super clinics' for dental care, councelling services for all (not just high school), medical services - similar to the role of the public health nurse and any other community based service that would benefit our children. This will capture kids in need far easier, and parents are on site - esp at the ECE / primary end of the education sector. We know that parent involvement drops - this may change it. Build the schools around sporting arenas - 2 - 3 pools of varying size, decent fields and also the opportunity for environmental learning. The special schools would be part of the equation - not outside the square. If we use the shopping mall thinking - park up and you have everything there ... same lines of thought. This will not work in the wider chch area however so changes there too. No Year 7 - 13 schools - rationalise rural and recap.
Where there is good housing and permanance around employment, sound buildings and little investment needed (ie roll growth classes, good school history, supportive community and no roll decline) start planning now and put steps in place so schools / comunities can begin to accept it. There should be little consultation. I am amazed that the education sector (who is simply servants of the state) has the right to ignore ministerial requests and orders. This should change as we are not in the position of juggling the nations books - only our own.
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
Definately ECE (drop playcentres - keep preschools and kindergartens), primary and high school, plus uni. Put back in place the teeth that ERO once had to identify and move 'dying' teachers. We could overhaul the secondary system - good examples in Akld - Mission Heights. to drop departmentalised thinking and become more inclusive.
What should we change?
The big question is why are so many kids falling out of the high school system yet performing well in primary... it is the system not fitting the kids. there must be better options for our young adults at the high school end. Is there a way we can feed students in the academic / trade and also military system - as we do have it all on our doorstep. Build a high school in Rolleston.
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
No more wasting $$ on fixing broken schools. The decision must be made asap and move on it. If we are pouring more funds into a school that has no future, stop straight away. This would not have been an issue 30 years ago - the MOE would have done it -would you do this with your own funds??? See the big picture - this is really exciting times ahead and will be fantastic for our kids coming through in time to come. It will also elimate the haves and have nots of chch - well known for its class system. God had no mercy where he shook the earth ... maybe we should take a leaf from his book too!
It would help us to know where you live
Canterbury
Are you?
Principal
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
*I read this as What should we promote?:
Look at what each secondary school promotes/leads/excelles in and build on that, e.g. STAC - music and sport; Burnside - drama and maths; ... create further learning opportunities, - tournaments, music/events, theatre sports, maths challenges (like the crypton factor/top town) that are open to a wider group of students (other schools involved/invited to attend) so they can excel in these fields to the students to show case their talents/ability which allows students to grow and mature in a supportive environment while indulging in their talent and making ChCh a renowned city for supporting students talents with many different avenues of opportunities while learning. E.g. A dynamic theatre sports annual event between secondary school students held at the 'Canterbury Drama School'.
What should we change?
The stigma that parents hold on to, and pass onto their children, their olden day opinion of secondary schools in their time and how you have to go to a certain secondary school to get a decent education.
Lets start changing that type of attitude that lingers and defies brilliance or enhances stress. Let the secondary schools honour and openly give credit to each other for what they achieved - either through students achievement or on the completion of a new building e.g. library/ICT. It may take some years but what if we all started doing that. I wonder what type of result and better relationship building between people we would have?
What innovation could we introduce?
Build on what makes our college's special and have specialist schools around Chch that support their learning. Thereby it would appeal to overseas students / other students from NZ to come and study in Chch.
What should we retain?
No thoughts on this.
What should we change?
IT should be mandatory that ALL children have to attend a EC centre/kindergarten/playcentre FROM 4yo.
Also, how about we be really innovative and have primary schools attached to secondary schools so that eliminates the effect of most children attending a primary school until Yr 6 then having to go to a Intermediate for two years (new uniform, new teachers, new rules, stationery and school systems to get used to - and it takes time for teachers to really know students other than on the face of things). Then from Yr 9 the student moves onto secondary school and once again new uniform, rules, teachers, stationary.
What about if Chch started thinking innovatively and created school environments which support students from primary, intermediate and then college. What if either there were really big schools that encompassed those three stages or if intermediates were attached to colleges and therefore uniform, teachers and school rules would be less of an upheavel in a very topsyturvey stage of life for these children anyway.
What innovation could we introduce?
There should be a set criteria from the Govt. that states that every EC centre/school should start teaching all children who turn 4y and 6m old: the alphabet, the sounds of the alphabet, the letters of the alphabet (in accordance with their local primary schools criteria of printing letters programme); how to hold a pencil and write their name; how to count to 10 and how to write the numbers to 10.
The EC centre (by this I mean any type of EC centre) that the children who having turned 4.6 months also learn in accordance with the above basic beginnings to follow a set programme that includes the alphabet etc and the children have to sit, listen and follow instructions over a period of 1.5 hours in order to become used to constructive learning in a structured environment. Too many children turning up to school little little preparation from parents or EC centres.
Have commented and made suggestions about intermedicates and secondary schools becoming a one stop school system in the above box.
What should we retain?
The truth of the matter is you can't because every child has a different background and no one can tell parents how to raise their particular child. Therefore there are a lot of children who come with different experiences of life and knowledge.
What should we change?
Schools should be able to provide children who have difficulty with behaviour problems small class sizes in order that the teacher can give them the attention they need/require and not disrupt 19 or so other children from learning.
What innovation could we introduce?
These behaviour children are probably tactile type of children so having a programme of learning supplemented with creating would, I believe, a innovative way to approach the unprecidented amount of behaviour that is coming into schools. Though this is not to create a 'naughty student class' scenario it would be very professional and children would be supported with teacher and teacher aides in the class. The class would be big on social skills.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
I believe in order to reach your goal (this feedback survey) that you are wanting to achieve. I think you have to look at other cities around NZ and see what they have and are good at and are known for and then look at what is missing in secondary students education and how can Chch develop it and make it their own - I talk about secondary schools because that is where our children really make their meal ticket but whatever the missing piece is in the education sector it can certainly be made a starting block in primary and intermediate environments.
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain? We should retain teaching and support staff who know and understand the complexities of the situation which pertains to Canterbury.
What should we change? We should change nothing as a knee-jerk reaction to the trend that has seen people move away from Canterbury either as a permanent or temporary solution. We should make clear, evidence-based decisions which will benefit the whole community: even though students have moved away, there are still a wide range of students who require more support than usual. Until things settle more, no permanent decisions should be taken which might be detrimental to those who most need support.
What innovation could we introduce? We should be innovative in our use of staff across the region in the short term - placing emphasis on need and appropriate support with the range of staffing which already exists across the region.
What should we retain? a wide range of schools across the city regardless of decile, religion etc.
High quality educational opportunities for all
What should we change? Freedom of choice for parents of special needs children. Parents should be able to make a decision based on the needs of their child: some children can thrive in a mainstream school, others will thrive in a special school. Parents should have the right to be able to enrol their child in the school which will best meet the needs of their child.
What innovation could we introduce? technology for all regardless of decile - equal distribution of technology & technological equipment for the promotion of opportunities which can be best met through ICT
What should we retain? High quality teaching staff who upskill regularly and share resources/ knowledge for the improvement of their community. High quality support staff who have clear understanding of the students they support.
What should we change? National Standards! While it is vital that there is a continuum for education, National Standards is not necessarily the best implementation of this. Better consideration needs to be given to the wider picture which includes students with special needs and the current situation for a number of students who have been adversely affected by the earthquakes.
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
I work as a teacher in Christchurch and I see a lot of commited teachers and support staff who have gone significantly beyond their roles given the situation over the past year. Those who remain care deeply for those in their care & have shown commitment beyond what would considered to be normal practice. Principals are under considerable pressure and are in an often unenviable situation regarding budgets and staffing etc.
It would help us to know where you live
South Christchurch
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
We should retain the sense of community that arose out of the earthquake. The sense of shared purpose. This means we will need to have an education system that is highly integrated with its community and driven by its community. It may mean relooking at how schools are goverened.
What should we change?
We absolutely need to change the high stakes assessment nature of education and in particular, secondary education. Having formal sit-down, pen and paper based assessment may give us nicely digestable data but it destroys innovation and creativity in secondary schools. We need to completely rework how we assess students. It will politically challenging but there is certainly an opportunity here. The purpose of education needs to shift from its current purpose, which is in reality, simply to rank students according to examinations that have little or no relevance to real life or real learning. The purpose of education needs to be about giving students the learning skills that they need to succeed in this new rapidly changing enviroment.
What innovation could we introduce?
So many useful innovations are already being tried by teachers in secondary schools. Unfortunately they are all stymied by the fact that at the end of the year students must sit down in an exam hall with a pen and regurgitate the facts that teachers have given them. I would love to see technology and creativity in the classroom instead. I would love to see communities and schools decide for themselves what is important to teach and for them to find innovative yet robust ways of assessing a students preparedness for life in the dynamic economy that awaits them.
What should we retain?
Skilled teachers and school leadership. the goodwill that schools really run on. We need to trust schools and school leaders more to find solutions in partenrship with their communities.
What should we change?
We could change the location of schools, the timing of the school day and year (make it suit the students). Why do students need to attend a particular building everyday when the internet provides the opportunity for distance learning at a time that suits students and their families?
What innovation could we introduce?
Ultra fast broadband and new tech tools mean that families should ba able to tailor a learning environemnt to suit themselves that is personalised. Where students hsow that they have the ability to self-direct, why not let them? For students that are clearly not engaged by eduction as it is, why not allow them to propose their own learning schedule and curriculum?
What should we retain?
Nothing necessarily. It should all be up for discussion with communities and students.
What should we change?
What ever students and famillies ask for.
What innovation could we introduce? Much more technology, much less standardised testing. Much more flexibility and community based learning options, especially for those for whom the current model does not appeal.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
This could be a significant time for significatn change. It would be difficult politically (I know that voters will still hark back to "when I was a student" and "it never hurt me", but actually those old methods are failing many of our students and need change. Be Brave and make change. Let the only driving question be "what is the best thing for the learning of our students in Christchurch". Perhaps this will mean we need significant change across the country to match!
It would help us to know where you live
South Island (excluding Canterbury)
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing?
Group What should we retain?
University of Canterbury, high level of secondary schooling
What should we change?
Move Polytechnic out of the CBD to link with UC; more apprenticeships; better technology; more student housing; encourage set up of semi-private high schools in North Canterbury; staff numbers in primary schools should be set for 2-3 years to give some certainty of staffing
What innovation could we introduce?
Rural technology schools; IT training college;
What should we retain?
What should we change?
More schools in North Canterbury/Rolleston including high schools and a technology/tertiary college - population is set to dramatically increase and parents do not want to bus kids into Christchurch for high quality education, with Rangiora High School full
What innovation could we introduce?
Ensure that all schools have a school hall capable of holding all students/parents in an assembly - with our inclement weather it is essential to have a warm, dry assembly place to build a school community
What should we retain?
Great staff committed to kids and region
What should we change?
Constant changing of funding due to spikes/lows in numbers particularly for higher decile schools - means these children/teachers are receiving less ancillarystaff support and potentially lower achievers are slipping through the cracks
What innovation could we introduce?
Constant ratios of students to staff irrespective of decile
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
We urgently need a review of primary and high schools in North Canterbury with huge growth predicted and the likely lack of facilities in Christchurch over the next 10 years - this generation of children risk missing out on sporting and cultural opportunities. Urgent capital investment in classrooms and school halls is needed within next 5 years to cope with the demand as parents seek to school their children closer to home, rather than bus them into Christchurch for high school
It would help us to know where you live Canterbury
Are you? Parent
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
REALLY REALLY fast internet!!!!
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
School student
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Inner city schools such as Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti
What should we change? need to look at how to retain excellent teachers and how to 'retire' those that don't achieve results
What innovation could we introduce?
Link schools such as Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti with things such as school of music/natcoll/jazz school/dance companies/theatres/galleries etc so that they are all located in a similar area
What should we retain?
Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti central city school
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce? create a system that allows for more mentor/hands on learning experiences to be assessed
What should we retain?
What should we change? the narrowness of the NCEA system - innovate and create learning that happens in a real life arena
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
Canterbury
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
COMPETITION. Abolish the ridiculous zones - which restrict poorer students access to quality education on the basis of where they live. This is particularly important with people being forced to move due to the earthquake. Christchurch should be pushing for a school voucher system.
East Christchurch is not in any zone for high schools (aside from under performing schools with no zones). Schools should have to compete with each other for students. Christchurch should be a place where every child has an opportunity to attend a chosen school through their own merit - not chosen for them on the location of their house, or random ballot.
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
Build a new high school in Christchurch East. There is currently no education provided except for failing education (as evidenced by the dismal numbers of the 'local' schools)
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
The earthquake hit schools who shared with another school produced an important example of how different schools can be tailored to different kids. Some students preferred morning school, some preferred afternoon school and some preferred the normal timetable. However, (regardless if the students, parents and teachers agree on a new timetable), all schools will be forced to return to the normal school time next year. This is an example of a lack of enterprise in the schooling system.
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Performance based pay for teachers. I have had some fantastic teachers and some absolute rubbish ones. They should not receive the same pay.
Also, teachers should not be promoted into management of the school - the schools should be managed by managers, with the best teachers receiving higher pay, and continuing to teach the best students.
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
School student
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Smaller schools which embrace and build communities
What should we change?
The time of school hours and the authoritian style of learning. Embrace the digital generation and the news ways young people learn- in school, and particularly at university.
What innovation could we introduce?
8am- 2pm Schooling, strong emphasis on community learning, service learning and extra cirricular learning.
What should we retain?
Wide spaces, green spaces, sustainable buildings.
What should we change?
Small classrooms and insufficient land spaces.
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
Dynamic range of teachers.
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
Service learning
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
West Christchurch
Are you?
Tertiary student
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Teaches with personality. People who can really look at their classes and understand that people learn differently and keep classes or courses that have all elements. Keep practical element. Like smart boards that students can use. Make sure you keep all practical elements of science. Explosions (contained) are good so have the right equipment available!
Field trips are so important. Everyone remembers them for years to come where as one class can be forgotton within minutes. Plus maybe just getting outside the class into the school grounds. Keep it up with all the computers available.
What should we change?
Group work needs to remain! Communication is one of the most important skills which is necessary in all areas of work, more development programs, more integration between schools. Showing people's talent and skills in more areas than just sport. have writing or drama groups.
What innovation could we introduce?
The more technology the better. Its something that everyone has to deal with in every day life, the earlier you start the easier it is to learn. Not phones in class, that's silly and distracting but power point, typing is essential maybe a class on that at primary school, run through programs like excel.
What should we retain? big areas to run around in. Plants and trees not only incredibly important for the environment the aesthetically pleasing elements of nature help to keep everyone's stress down.
What should we change?
Get rid of the stupid playgrounds and put back the massive forts and climbing walls. there was a potential to get hurt on them but children will get hurt anywhere. Its part of growing up. It never did myself or my friends or even our parents any harm.
What innovation could we introduce?
Easy and accessible. Web pages. Student representatives on the board of trustees is essential. Make weekly reports back to assembly. Get kids involved!
What should we retain?
Keep the kapahaka groups going strong keep culture thriving, international weeks events recognise that we are a country made up of so many and celebrate it.
What should we change?
PUSH LANGUAGES.
Its such a vital skill we all miss out on because we are so far away from other countries. But it will be essential in later life as globalization increases communication and development between all countries.
What innovation could we introduce? Put some drive back into kids. Get rid of the participation certificates. Put more esteem into achieving and doing well. Keep badges and blazers and things that make students proud and make others want to achieve as well.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Christchurch was an amazing place to grow up in. I had brilliant schools and I was surrounded by amazing students and teachers. Papanui had some of the most talented teaching staff, which were able to target students
It would help us to know where you live
West Christchurch
Are you?
Tertiary student
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
Preschools should have school holidays like kindergartons and schools, our preschool is only allowed 1 week off at christmas which I think is selfish this year as not only the teachers need a good break the children are all so drained and tired and could do with a lot of family time/holiday
What innovation could we introduce?
Free school buses
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
West Christchurch
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Schools which represent their communities and their needs. Allow for variety: our choice for a sessional Kindergarten was removed when the only one near us needed demolition.
What should we change?
Support for teachers working with earthquake survivors. either the school or children. Reducing staff numbers won't help!
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
Windor's schoool's ability to tranlate the curriculum locally is fantastic.
What should we change?
The North East High School movement had some merit before the quake: where we put our high schools now has to be very carefully considered.
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
Very good to have the choice of single sex schools on this side of town, alongside co ed ones.
What should we change?
Remove National Standards!
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
I'm just wondering why you do not publish the comments here online as they are submitted. Surely it would be more beneficial to all if we could see the comments of other submitters.
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
During and after the earthquake schools proved themselves as centres of their communities. Strengthen schools position in the community by supporting a wider vision than just the basics of education as we have had them currently. Provide security for communities by building at schools things like composting toilets and by connecting rainwater tanks. In the event of another quake schools could quickly be centres of safety and provision for their communities. Link schools with other community resources like libraries and pools. The partnership model that Riccarton High School operates with the city council for the library is something that ought to be expanded. Cluster some resources together like early childhood centres with primary schools, or primary schools with high schools. Cluster them around council owned parks, tennis courts, pools, etc. Allow space for community groups to use these resources outside school hours so that the most is made from the use of the facilities.
What innovation could we introduce?
Get high speed broadband out to the East as a priority. Help schools to share this through meshed wifi networks. Free internet on the East side would help communities immensely.
Quality schools are shaped by the people. Involve people at a local level in the decision making process. Get teachers and children involved in building design.
What should we retain?
Keep the focus on quality teaching. Teachers make the difference.
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
Flexibility. The model of one teacher, one classroom, one group of children is not the only possible model for primary schooling. Allow more flexibility. Schools could be open for breakfast and provide after school care to allow working parents to not have more complicated child care arrangements. Staffing and facilities would need to be more flexible.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Perhaps the shape of these questions might put off many people from responding. The language used is not language that many of our school families would respond to. How about running a few facilitated face to face meetings so those who need to talk their feedback can have the opportunity.
It would help us to know where you live East Christchurch
Are you?
Teacher Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change? zoning agreements so kids can go to closest school, needs to be reevaluated since new subdivisions opened
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
Zoning as it is without new zoning proposal for central city Christchurch residents, as this may affect classroom sizes and education for children who are currently in zone or live a street away from their school
What should we change?
Look at altering starting and finishing times for high schools, to enable students to start earlier and finish earlier. Students are more likely to have the time to play more sport or participate in more activities.
What innovation could we introduce?
More collaboration between high schools, and technology hubs. Also more bi-lingual class opportunities. More focus on music in lower decile schools outside of the north-west area. Community service based projects to allow youth to see a different way of doing things, such as, helping the elderly learn how to use new technology in exchange for learning how to grow some vegetables
What should we retain?
Students having an automatic right to attend their local school means that they will be closer to home and are more likely to play with others in the neighbourhood
What should we change?
Help some schools that are less desirable to enhance their reputation and provide an exciting point of difference, like some schools have special sports or music programmes
What innovation could we introduce?
Involving the community more in local school life and having locals passing on knowledge to younger people
What should we retain?
Programmes such as the music orientated ones in the north-west, like at Westburn and Burnside High School
What should we change?
Introduce different programmes like the north-west music based one into other schools in Christchurch
What innovation could we introduce?
Art, film, design, graphics, trades, sports, etc special programmes at schools and in school areas, rather than just as school subjects. This would be particularly good for under subscribed schools
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Christchurch needs to have more technological based forward thinking in schools, whilst retaining older ideas (like trades) to back up and use to create new ideas.
It would help us to know where you live West Christchurch
Are you? Parent
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
Smaller schools especially at primary level, close to homes and preferably within walking distance.
What should we change?
Merging intermediate with secondary schools would be excellent. Intermediate schools are too disruptive for just 2 years. Having a middle school for years 7 to 9 or 10 then a senior school makes much more sense to me.
More single sex options at secondary level.
What innovation could we introduce?
Closer links between early childhood centres & primary schools - site sharing with some sharing of facilities & specialist teachers eg music rooms, gyms, libraries etc.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
(select option) What should we retain? culture of chch.. history/ memories/ special times/ people . passion for learning adventure/ outdoor spaces.
What should we change? mix the old with the new more sharing between schools/ eces- joint professional development.
What innovation could we introduce?
A transitional curriculum for children aged 4-6.. a mixture between Te Whariki and NZC.
What should we retain?
Interschool Activities/ Joint fundraisers.
What should we change?
More collaboration between the sectors.
Pay Parity between teachers.. easy to cross offer between. Recognising prior skills and overseas teaching experiences.
What innovation could we introduce?
More mixing between skills/ sharing ideas/ working as a community. Brother/ Sister schools/ ECE's buddying up within CHCH.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
National Standards.. as teachers will just teach to these and these will become the curriculum rather than the actual curriculum.
What innovation could we introduce?
The curriculum should fit the child not the child having to fit the curriculum. Keep it flexible and spontantoues while still covering the basics.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
South Christchurch
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
I think that schools should be retained as much as possible as each has a distinct quality and fits a set niche in the city.
We need to maintain zones to find out the needs of the communities at least initially.
What should we change?
Some schools may need to be downsized in order to keep them operating and this should become more apparant in a couple of years once the houses in the red zones are emptied and the people rehoused.
What innovation could we introduce?
Possibly look at more specialised courses at schools like academies. All schools need to make sure that they have academic courses and non academic courses in order to meet the needs of their students and local communities
What should we retain?
Schools that meet the needs of the parents and employers in the area. Childcare centres may have to be open longer. Secondary schools could start earlier at 8.00 and finish earlier as this worked well in co-sharing schools in Christchurch.
The tertiary system is fine. Both Lincoln and Canterbury are functioning well with a greater emphasis on digital technology.
Primary students need to have systems in place for care in emergencies if caregivers are unable to be contacted.
What should we change?
Need to change sites to meet the needs of communities.
What innovation could we introduce?
Possible site sharing of schools to continue although have the schools being run at the same time.
What should we retain?
Normal routines need to be maintained as much as possible as that keeps things normal for students.
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Things should be kept as a status quo for the moment as students need normality. They also need to feel that their schooling options are being unchanged and are validated
It would help us to know where you live East Christchurch
Are you? Teacher
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
I feel that overall the education systems and facilities we had in Christchurch were very good and the proximity to two universities plus a polytech enabled students to choose their own path for the future
What should we change?
Class sizes in schools should be reduced, ECE learning centres need to have a better ration of fully qualifid teachers to students plus should be kept at pre 2009 student levels, there should be better funding for school support staff and national standards should be dropped until things return to normal (possibly until 2013).
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
I think the number of schools ant tertiary education institutions are about right, although maybe the city could now do with another trade academy for apprentice builders.
What should we change?
Post quake there needs to be an investigation of where to locate schools so that both schools and class sizes will not be too big and also to allow for future growth of the city (which looks like it will be in the North and West.
What innovation could we introduce?
All schools to have computers and especially high schools having enough computers for every student at the school for schools in the region to be networked by computers and have high speed broadband plus a range of other multimedia tools.
What should we retain?
Most of the current system should be retained
What should we change?
Remove national standards and instead give teachers the tools so they can assess an individual child's strengths and weaknesses so they can help that child not only improve their weaknesses but move into fields where they will excel.
What innovation could we introduce?
Video conferencing between high schools and universities/ business leaders/ politicians to give high school students better insight into the practical applications of their learning.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
I think what happened after the quake shows that it doesn't work to have schools sharing sites but maybe that starting times could be made a bit earlier at some schools.
It would help us to know where you live North Christchurch
Are you? Parent
Are you representing? Individual What should we retain?
All my teachers
What should we change? my temporary school that doesn't have enough space for everyone or enough teaching stuff.
What innovation could we introduce?
Small classes and better stuff in the classrooms.
What should we retain?
All my teachers
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Get our schools back quickly. It's not fair that we have to wait at least another year to get a real school back. What are you doing?
I can't believe that you don't care about us and just think about the money.
It would help us to know where you live
North Christchurch
Are you?
School student
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
All teachers and support staff must be retained in order to support our tamariki through this incredibly difficult time.
What should we change?
National Standards. They are not good for any school but to put the pressure of this ridiculous policy on already incredibly stressed teachers is tantamount to abuse. Trying to make an unworkable and backward policy fit in a superficial way to keep the MOE and Tolley happy is just one extra stress that is unnecessary.
What innovation could we introduce?
Education for the 21st century. Something National promised and then gave us national standards. We need amazing ratio's to get our tamariki through a terrifying time, we need flexible learning environments so that children don't have to travel for 3 hours a day due to their school being on the other side of Christchurch now. We need resources at the temporary locations. We need support in rebuilding all sites, including pools, paths etc.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
Leave our teachers and support staff along. It is disgraceful that you would even consider taking away our staff due to your ration/money focus.
Full support to put our schools back in their entirety.
It would help us to know where you live
North Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
What should we change?
There needs to be a HUGE cultural change in the way schools "accept" students with disabilities. This needs to be driven from the top down, through the Ministry of Education, school staff, board of trustees and the wider school community. All too often, we have experienced significant bias towards children with disabilities and whether true or not, the perception we have is that MOST schools would rather not have to deal with children who are disadvantaged as they don't fit into their stereotypical box of a "normal student". This we believe stems from an extreme lack of understanding of disabilities and the perceived impact this would have on schools budgets and image.
What innovation could we introduce?
Disability training should become just as important (if not mandatory) for schools as for any other cultural learning requirements. We need to provide a role model for all schools to follow, where acceptance and understanding of all students is as important as receiving academic achievements.
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
What should we retain?
What should we change?
What innovation could we introduce?
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Parent
Are you representing?
Individual What should we retain?
No industrial model style school ie most schools in CHCH
Schools that offer a wider variety of schooling options to cater for the diverse student population that we have.
The Key Competencies!
What should we change?
Opportunity to be innovative, classrooms without walls, ubiquitous learning, schools that are networked, authentic contextualized learning
Class-ism that is perceived by some communities. Large schools do not offer the diversity of leadership for students.
Trades academies wont prepare students for the 21st Century. post industrial style of teaching to knowledge age pot modernism teaching
Movement towards 21st Century literacies not just the current narrow two(literacy adn numeracy)which are learned in isolation therefore students don't connect to them comfortably. remove the siloing of subjects where science , maths English etc is all taught in isolation
What innovation could we introduce? learning centres from birth to adulthood. networked schools
BYOMD - bring your own mobile devices community schools where learning begins early in the morning and rolls onto late in the evening. gardens, horticulture, technology, applied subjects cross curricula learning not silos that we currently have
Private/public partnerships
What should we retain? smaller schools offer wider opportunities eg 1st IX rugby, a 1000 student school verses a 2000 student school where there still is one 1st IX
What should we change? no single sex schools, but able to have single sex classrooms within co-ed schools.
What innovation could we introduce? ubiquitous learning preparing students for the 21st century
What should we retain?
CONTACT: Coralanne Child Christchurch Recovery
ADDRESS: Ministery of Education 39 Princess Street Christchurch 8140
PHONE: 03 378 7345
EMAIL: [email protected]
WEBSITE www.minedu.govt.nz What should we change? look at schools unlimited, Pt England school in Auckland, Albany junior and senior school,
What innovation could we introduce? have parents involved from pre birth to adulthood.
We would welcome any other comments you would like to make around the future shape of education in greater current re imbalance of students in certain areas via passing viable schools more links to the community, industry and tertiary providers
It would help us to know where you live
East Christchurch
Are you?
Teacher
Are you representing?
Individual