Category: PPTA

Source: Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA)

The complaint from PPTA Te Wehengarua related to its request back in March this year for information about the Government’s policy, advice and costings for the re-introduction of charter schools. 

“We are pleased that the Ombudsman has sustained our complaint,” says Chris Abercrombie, PPTA Te Wehengarua president. 

“We agree with the Ombudsman’s finding that the refusal to release this information was unreasonable and unlawful and that there was a legitimate reason for our request to be given urgency.”

“If the Associate Education Minister had set a more reasonable timeline for the charter schools legislation and establishment then the Ministry of Education may not have run into such difficulties.”  

The Ministry’s original response to the request identified 25 documents as in scope of the request. Only two of the documents were released in part. Four documents had even their titles withheld and 17 documents were withheld under section 18(d) as ‘soon to be publicly available’.  

As a result of the Ombudsman’s investigation the Ministry has apologised to PPTA and has recently released all the information requested – nine months after PPTA’s original request. 

Chris Abercrombie said PPTA Te Wehengarua had a keen interest in understanding the proposed model for charter schools, particularly now that state schools will be able to convert to charter schools.  

“The continuing lack of transparency around the plans for charter schools gives us cause for serious concern about how they will operate. More than $150 million of taxpayers’ money is being poured into charter schools under a huge cloud of secrecy. This is totally inappropriate for the use of New Zealanders’ hard earned taxes – they have a right to know how that money is being spent.” 

Source: Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA)

The ERO report from a review of relationships and sexuality education in our schools is welcomed by the NZPPTA, says President Chris Abercrombie.

“The report has shown us that there is widespread support from parents, whānau and students for relationships and sexuality education (RSE), but there is a need to improve consistency across the RSE curriculum as a whole.”

“In an increasingly fractured and online world, it is important that parents and whānau know what their rangatahi are learning at school. Nowhere is this more important than in relationships and sexuality education.”

“The 21 key findings and the seven recommendations will make a welcome difference to the experience of RSE for all of our ākonga. In particular, the recommendation to move away from the current ad hoc practice towards a more prescriptive and structured approach is one we support in this case. RSE is too important to be left to chance, and often much of the material is outside of the lived experience of those delivering the curriculum. A structured approach ensures age-appropriate, identity-affirming information is delivered across the board.”

“Students have made it clear what they want to learn, and when. It is essential that student voice is recognised when the curriculum is reviewed. It is also important that any changes are properly resourced. The addition of appropriate teaching resources and professional learning for teachers should also be considered, to support those delivering RSE.”

“We acknowledge the challenge that principals and schools face when consulting with their communities on the RSE guidelines, and that this process can be difficult and divisive. We support the recommendation to consider moving from a two-yearly consultation requirement to one that requires schools to inform parents and whānau about what they plan to teach, and how, before teaching it.

This knowledge will enable parents, whānau, and their young person to make decisions about what is right for them. For the minority that want less RSE, they would be better able to identity the lessons they wish to withdraw from, and the same would be true for those who wish to know more. With a clear understanding of what is not being taught, they can supplement the learning in their own homes”.

“We know that often there is a narrow view of what RSE is. In most cases it is about helping young people understand how to navigate friendships and thinking about others in an inclusive way. These are key skills for being an active member of your community and wider society.”

Source: Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA)

“A two-tier system of schooling, where one tier is desperately under-funded and under-resourced, while another tiny tier is funded to succeed, is not the way we do things, and not what most New Zealanders want for our public education system”, he said.  

He was commenting on the announcement today of five more charter schools, which will open next year. 

“It is extremely disappointing to see hard-earned taxes being poured into a tiny number of charter schools when there are so many existing schools around the country in need. For example, one of the proposed charter schools, the BUSY school in Christchurch, is offering what all New Zealand students who require additional learning support deserve. At the moment, many of them are not having their needs met, as the alternative education system has been left to languish under successive governments.” 

Apparently, the small number of young people whose applications for the BUSY school are successful, will have access to the national curriculum as well as a vocational curriculum to improve their employment opportunities, and they will be provided with a wrap around support system.  

“Every young person at risk of falling through the cracks at school deserves this – not just a handful of students chosen at the whim of a sponsor. This is an island in an ocean of need.” 

Chris Abercrombie said it broke teachers’ hearts to see extremely niche schools, such as a Remuera-based French language school, being funded with public money when state schools needed more teachers, building upgrades and pastoral and learning support.   

Chris Abercrombie said an international education report (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) released overnight shows clearly that Aotearoa New Zealand students need a lot more learning and pastoral support to improve their achievement.  

“Yet the Government blithely announces today it is funding an elite language school. Using public money to fund such an elite school amidst so much actual need shows how out of touch this Government is with what is actually happening in Aotearoa New Zealand.” 

Source: Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA)

“Much of the report reflects feedback that we received from PPTA members last October. The late delivery of resources, particularly assessment exemplars, and lack of effective planning, has been appalling. Clearly, the expertise of teachers and leaders in schools and in the subject associations has been what has got students over the line. Teachers’ professional knowledge and commitment has filled in the gaps left by the NZ Qualifications Authority and Ministry of Education.

“The shambolic implementation of NCEA Level 1 has only served to make already overworked and overloaded teachers seriously consider their future in the profession. Teachers are having to fill the gaps caused by a worsening secondary teacher shortage – they absolutely need the NCEA changes to be supported fully and rolled out smoothly.”

He said teachers supported the quick changes recommended in the ERO report. “In the longer term, more substantive changes need to be agreed with the teaching profession, and they need to be made carefully so we aren’t in the position of being in a change process, on top of a change process.”

The current Government needed to shoulder some responsibility for the implementational shambles this year. “Their requirement for public sector cuts saw almost all specialist support for NCEA implementation removed from the Ministry through a chaotic restructuring at the start of the year.”

PPTA Te Wehengarua members, at their annual conference in October, insisted that the Ministry and NZQA develop an urgent improvement plan for NCEA Level 1 assessment to be rolled out from the start of next year. Young people deserved a fully resourced and well implemented national qualification system.

Teachers supported the changes that were planned through the NCEA review, said Chris Abercrombie. “The proposed changes were positive and broadly aligned with PPTA Te Wehengarua’s original criteria for a valid qualifications framework – that it is fair, inclusive, cumulative, clear, motivating, coherent, constructive and manageable.

“However, teachers have been deeply disappointed and frustrated by the lack of proper resourcing and grossly inadequate implementation of the changes.

“The Government also needs to step up and resource vital roles like the Principals’ Nominee, who is the teacher in a school that is responsible for ensuring the NZQA requirements for assessment are met.”

Source: Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA)

Commenting on the release of an Education Review Office report into the issues, he agreed with the agency that the current model for managing school attendance was not designed to succeed.

“The issues causing the increase in chronic non-attendance over the last 10 years are complex and varied. If we want to see a long-term reduction in these rates, schools and school attendance services need more staffing, more time and more resources.

“Schools and attendance services are stretched to the limit. They don’t have the time and resources that these issues need. Young people who are chronic non-attenders, and their whānau, need a lot of ongoing time, attention and support that currently just is not there.”

Chris Abercrombie said the report made it clear there was no quick fix, evidenced by the fact that the attendance of many students who return to school after chronic non-attendance, starts to slip again after about two months. “When these students return to school, it is a challenge to reintegrate them – schools need more support for this.

“We need lasting, meaningful and integrated solutions – both at the community level, with other agencies and supports, and at the school level with appropriate funding and resourcing for gateway, alternative education and activity centres, pastoral care and learning support.

“Alternative education has been chronically under-resourced for years, a point which has been made previously by ERO.

“It’s deeply disappointing that the Govenrment has chosen to pour hundreds of millions of dollars into a vanity project such as charter schools, when  issues such as chronic non-attendance are crying out for adequate funding.”

PPTA also had serious concerns about the report’s recommendations for more parental prosecutions. “All this will do is put people who are struggling financially further into debt, and / or give them a criminal record.”.

Governments needed to be bold and brave enough to address the underlying causes of chronic non-attendance. These included poverty, housing insecurity, and mental health.

Source: Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA)

Te Huarahi Māori Motuhake (THMM), the national Māori governing body of the Post Primary Teachers’ Association, PPTA Te Wehengarua, are united in our opposition to the Treaty Principles Bill. We share the view that the Bill is based upon ‘a disingenuous historical narrative that distorts the language of Te Tiriti and undermines social progress and cohesion.

The principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi provide a mechanism to address Treaty breaches and improve relations between the Crown and iwi and hapū and should not be used to alter the intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.  Tampering with these principles is a regression of the last 50 years of positive movement forward for Te Tiriti relations. Tangata whenua, educationalists and tangata Tiriti have worked hard over many years to understand and enact practices that give life to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and we want to ensure this hard work is not wasted.

The cultural development to honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi in public education is threatened through this Bill. This is an attempt to rewrite history and change the intent of our tīpuna. It will also absolve the Crown’s obligation to work with and actively protect the rights and interests of Māori, particularly the educational needs of ākonga Māori and mātauranga Māori. We oppose any actions that deliberately undermine the status of tangata whenua and relinquish the Crown’s obligation to uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Te Huarahi Māori Motuhake leads cultural knowledge, expertise, and insight essential for crafting policies and practices to ensure the Association’s constitutional objective, ‘affirm and advance Te Tiriti o Waitangi’, is upheld and culturally led at PPTA Te Wehengarua. Te Huarahi Māori Motuhake are adamant in our opposition to the Treaty Principles Bill and are committed to affirm and advance Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We will work tirelessly to ensure the promises within Te Tiriti o Waitangi are upheld.

Source: Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA)

“This is an incredibly busy time for schools with exams looming. staffing appointments in a particularly tight job market and end of year awards and planning for the start of 2025 in full progress,” says Kate Gainsford, Chair of the Secondary Principals’ Council.

“Principals and staff have loads of work to get through in the time left before the start of 2025 and gathering information for a tiny lobby group appears to be pretty wasteful of government resources.”

Kate Gainsford said many principals were disappointed to receive such a request in this day and age. “Te Reo Māori is an official language in Aotearoa New Zealand and tikanga is a very significant part of ensuring that schools are welcoming, comfortable places for ākonga Māori and their whānau, and all young people growing up in New Zealand.

“Schools have worked hard over many years to meet Te Tiriti partnership responsibilities so that all students can be given the opportunity to learn te reo Māori and tikanga – it is part and parcel of being a good Te Tiriti partner.

“The OIA request asks schools to set aside their usual work so they can do research for the lobby group but provides no clarification about their motivation or what they are seeking to shed light on for what public good.”

Source: Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA)

Teachers, support staff, and school and centre leaders are committed to continuing to improve the education system to realise the promises of Te Tiriti and deliver equity of learning opportunities for all.

“The government’s repeal of the Fair Pay Agreements Act leaves teachers and other workers in early childhood centres worse off. It was a lost opportunity to affect positive change for common wages and conditions across the early childhood sector for kaiako and kaimahi. We will continue the fight to ensure early childhood education teachers are properly valued”, says NZEI Te Riu Roa President, Mark Potter.

A Cabinet paper revealed that the move would disproportionately affect women, Māori and Pasifika, and young people – all groups which are over-represented in early childhood education (ECE), where Fair Pay Agreement (FPA) bargaining had been approved.

David Seymour’s charter school project will see hundreds of millions of dollars diverted away from public education. Mr Potter says, “the refusal to invest more in public services means many children are on long waitlists and are not getting the learning support they need. The hundreds of millions of dollars earmarked for charter schools means less money for in-class support such as teacher aides and learning support specialists, alternative education and attendance supports for students.”

“These are proven ways to support students to learn and teachers to teach, and not investing in them is at odds with the government’s wider goal of lifting student achievement and attendance, says Chris Abercrombie, PPTA Te Wehengarua president.

“Getting students back to school is just the start – you have to also make sure they will stay there. Schools desperately need a meaningful increase in resourcing to engage students in alternative, vocational or adapted education programmes to support those with chronic attendance issues to reengage with school.”

Mark Potter says, “Teachers will continue to uphold te reo as a tāonga in their classrooms in spite of the Minister of Education’s decision to cut $30 million from Te Ahu o te reo Māori, a programme which develops teacher competency in te reo.”

Chris Abercrombie says, “The programme has helped both Māori and Pākehā kaiako and ākonga flourish in the reo and understanding of tikanga and te ao Māori. I speak to teachers and principals around the motu, and they say it’s helped boost their language confidence and proficiency, as well as challenging them. Our education system and our country are better off for being bilingual.”

“We urge the government to get public education back on track and ensure every tamariki and rangatahi in Aotearoa New Zealand can experience the quality teaching and learning they deserve.”

Note: On 23 October the NZCTU are hosting hui across the country to fight back against the Government’s ongoing attacks on workers’ rights.

Source: Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA)

The PPTA’s vision for the secondary teaching profession is: 

• Secondary teaching is a well-paid profession 

• We are a highly trained profession 

• Teachers and school leaders are well supported in their role   

• We are a culturally responsive and sustaining profession 

• Schools are properly resourced for pastoral care, curriculum and assessment 

• There is a sufficient and sustainable secondary teacher supply 

• There is a healthy work-life balance 

These industrial goals advance our vision for the profession:  

Vision Area	Industrial goals
A well-paid profession	Base scale rates recruit and retain well qualified subject specialists.   Management and leadership payments reflect the value of the work.   Reliever rates reflect the importance of relieving teachers.
A highly trained profession	There is properly funded and relevant PLD for all teachers throughout their career.   There are incentives or rewards to upskill and use new skills in the classroom.  There is appropriate PLD for those aspiring to mentoring and leadership roles.
Teachers and school leaders are well supported in their role	The employer provides the resourcing for teachers to do their job well.   Schools are staffed so that teachers can focus on teaching and learning.
Culturally responsive and sustaining profession	There is a culturally responsive and sustaining secondary teaching workforce.   The profession operates safely within Te Tiriti  There is recognition of kaiako matatau ki te reo Māori me ōna tikanga (skill in Te Reo and culture).    There is available, regular and time-resourced upskilling in culturally responsive and sustaining practices.  Schools are resourced for whānau and wider community engagement.
Properly resourced for  pastoral care,  curriculum and assessment	Pastoral care and guidance time are staffed at needs level.   Curriculum leaders have sufficient time to effectively perform their curriculum leadership role.  That nationally-directed assessment and curriculum changes are planned, reasonably phased and adequately resourced.
A sufficient and sustainable secondary teacher supply	There are sufficient, high quality ITE graduates to supply the sector.  There are supports and conditions for teachers and leaders through the career pathway to encourage retention through to retirement.  There is a deep pool of qualified day relievers available to all regions.  The particular recruitment needs of Kura Kaupapa Māori are addressed.
A healthy work-life balance	There are appropriate controls and expectations around workload.   Teachers and leaders are supported in looking after their health and family responsibilities.

These industrial targets for collective agreement changes by 2032 support our goals and vision: 

Vision Area	Collective agreement targets for 2032
A well-paid profession	Maintain a relativity to the median wage which ensures appropriate recruitment and retention.  Supervising day relievers are paid at step 8.  Preparing and delivering day relievers are paid at their actual rate.  Appropriate relativities are established for units and role-related allowances and maintained.  An improved system of leadership responsibility recognition.
A highly trained profession	Each teacher has an annual dedicated PLD funding allowance.   The Service and Qualification is stepped at one MMA value and at unit value.  There is a PPTA administered PLD fund as part of the collective agreement.  Unit holders receive the costs of upgrading qualification to Q4 or Q5.   There are sufficient study awards, study support grants and sabbaticals to ensure that each teacher over the course of their career could access one of each.   There are mentor-teacher roles established in schools with associated time allowances.  There is an additional allowance for teachers who hold a recognised adult mentoring qualification.  Associate teacher payments are at the hourly living wage rate.
Teachers and school leaders are well supported in their role	Teaching Council fees are centrally funded.  The mileage payment rate matches the IRD rate.  All equipment and material is provided by the employer to enable the teacher to deliver a course or programme.   Each teacher has an entitlement to ancillary support for administrative tasks associated with their teaching.
Culturally responsive and sustaining profession	Community liaison roles are fully established, with two hours per week allowance time and remunerated at unit equivalent.  A cultural leadership role is established and resourced with 0.2 FTTE time allowance and salary of three-unit equivalent.  There is a payment for recognising high levels of te reo and for gaining and improving qualifications in te reo Māori me ōna tikanga.
Properly resourced for  pastoral care,  curriculum and assessment	There are 3,300 pastoral care allowances in secondary schools and a proportionate number in area schools.  There is a base of two non-contact hours for leadership in addition to time for each permanent unit.  There is an 18-hour maximum contact load for a full time, fully certificated classroom teacher.  Class size shall be an average maximum of 25 and the teacher is compensated if this cannot be achieved.   Each teacher with responsibility for a curriculum or pastoral area has a minimum guaranteed one-hour non-contact time if they do not have a permanent unit.  Teachers without a unit who have an MMA have ten hours guaranteed allocation of release time to be used over the course of the year.  The e-teacher and e-dean roles are resourced and referenced in the STCA.
A sufficient and sustainable secondary teacher supply	EBITE trainees are specifically covered by the STCA for their employment component.  Supervising day relievers are paid at step 8.  Preparing and delivering day relievers are paid at their actual rate.  The options for end of career work have been increased.
A healthy work-life balance	Leave to attend the birth of their child is up to five days.  Provisions for role-related health checks.

Source: Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA)

“We have been waiting for the release of the report and recommendations for some time, so it’s great that schools have some certainty at last. It’s good to see the concerns of many schools reflected in the report.

“We are pleased that a Functioning Chief Executive (FCE) unit is being set up to prioritise school property – there is a tremendous amount of catching up to do and hopefully the FCE will mean this will happen at pace.”

However, principals were concerned about the Government’s intention to consider options for a new model that separated school property policy from operational delivery.

“Property functions must have a clear and close connection and integration with other planning and resourcing decisions affecting schools. This is crucial – the further away from the public service an entity becomes, and the more that it focuses on commercial efficiencies, the higher the risk that it misses the required integration with other planning and resourcing affecting schools. A good example of this is roll growth as a result of immigration.”

Kate Gainsford urged the Minister of Education to take into account principals’ and school boards’ knowledge and understanding of the complexity of schools’ needs, in designing a new model for school property.

“This will ensure that the new entity is truly responsive to schools’ needs, and can provide property solutions that will meet those needs. Property functions need to reflect the changing demands of what education looks like.

“For instance, while principals are happy with simplified and streamlined processes and buildings, school facilities cover a more complex set of needs than simple, modular relocatable units can generally meet on their own. These include: specialist teaching spaces, especially for technology; safe management of the movement of large numbers of people; air quality; professional workspaces; extra-curricular activities; and community expectations around schools as a hub for their communities.”

Kate Gainsford said the Secondary Principals’ Council looked forward to working with the Government on the implementation of the review recommendations. “I think we all agree that school property is a valuable public asset and should be well managed, planned for and maintained by the public service for the public good.”