Latest news with #RangioraHighSchool
Otago Daily Times
27 minutes ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Christchurch school brings back traditional single-cell rooms
A second Canterbury school has made the costly move to ditch its near-new open plan classrooms. Shirley Boys' High School is spending $800,000 to transform its open plan classrooms, built in 2019, into single-cell rooms. When Shirley Boys High was rebuilt after being damaged in the Christchurch earthquakes the Ministry of Education was in the midst of a push for open plan classrooms, the Innovative Learning Environments. Shirley Boys High was one of a number of Christchurch schools being rebuilt or repaired which joined the movement. Six years after its brand new building opened, Shirley Boys' High principal Tim Grocott said it was obvious the open plan classrooms were not working for students or staff. "The level of distraction was just too high. There was too much movement going on. They can hear what is happening in the class next door - "oh that's sounds interesting over there, I wonder what they are doing". Particularly if something was being played on TV or anything like that. So that level of distraction was a negative factor." Grocott said the shared spaces meant that teachers had to do what they could to limit noise, whereas now they can teach in far more engaging ways. "To be a character, to be at the front and tell a story and have the boys laughing and all of those sorts of things that add to the enjoyment of learning - they couldn't do it. Because that would be distracting other classes around them." In 2024, Shirley Boys' High also did a formal inquiry into how students and staff were finding the open-plan rooms, and Grocott said the widespread unhappiness that was found meant they needed to respond. It will cost the school $800k to make the change, and Grocott said the school was in the lucky position of being able to cover that from school reserves put aside by the board over the last 10 years. The first part of the changeover was completed in the last school holidays, and the final stage will be done in the next school holidays. The feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive and instantaneous. "Hugely positive feedback. The staff on the first day were absolutely thrilled. One of our teachers was hugging the walls in her classroom because she was so thrilled to have walls. But the boys are just much happier," said Grocott. Grocott said his view is that open plan classrooms are a flawed concept that just did not work for his school. A year ago, Rangiora High School finished the process of changing an open plan building, built in 2018, to single-cell classes. Rangiora High School principal Bruce Kearney said the feedback has been amazing. "The results have been a huge shift in engagement, in attendance, in achievement. It is not what I was expecting. I was expecting a small shift, but its gone through the roof, its made a massive difference in everything in the school." Kearney said while the open plan classrooms didn't work for his school, they may work for others, and his key bit of advice was to review them, and make changes if needed. Minister of Education Erica Stanford said open plan classrooms do work well for some schools, but she said she knows many schools want to switch back to single-cell rooms. She said that decision is up to the schools. "It seems to be a fad that comes and goes, but I think that the evidence is really tending more and more these days towards to making sure there are spaces that are quiet, potentially modular for children to learn. Especially for children with additional learning needs." In a statement, the Ministry of Education's Head of Property, Sam Fowler said the Ministry was aware some schools have converted open-plan classrooms to single-cell classrooms, and that there were schools where such work is currently underway or planned for the future. The Ministry does not have figures on how many schools have or want to convert such spaces. Fowler said schools in New Zealand are self-governing through their boards, meaning they are responsible for decisions regarding their daily operations and teaching and learning programmes. This includes choices about learning space configurations, and whether classrooms are open-plan or single-cell. He said new and redeveloped school buildings were designed for flexibility, enabling schools to tailor spaces to their preferred approach, but the Ministry was also implementing a programme of increased standardisation to ensure new buildings provide consistent and adaptable solutions for schools. The president of the Post Primary Teachers Association, Chris Abercrombie said the merits or otherwise of open plan classrooms was a frequent topic for teachers. He said the open-plan rooms can have positives, but require training on how best to use it. "Apart from one or two exceptions, very little thought seems to be given to that professional development. How to use the space effectively, how to teach there, how to often team teach, how to work together in that manner is often missing in that space." Abercrombie said the clear push from the Ministry towards open plan classrooms has died off, but the PPTA would still like to see proper research into their impact.
Otago Daily Times
26-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
'Kids do dumb things': Principal speaks out against keyboard warriors after assault at school
All schools grapple with ''challenging student behaviour'', and it is not helped by social media outbursts, a Canterbury principal says. Rangiora High School principal Bruce Kearney said he felt for his colleagues after critics took to social media following an incident at Oxford Area School last week. A student was taken to Christchurch Hospital with injuries after being allegedly assaulted by another student at Oxford Area School on Wednesday. Student taken to hospital after assault 'Heartfelt support' for student Challenging behaviour happened in all schools and most followed restorative processes when addressing the behaviour, he said. ''Kids do dumb things and our role is to teach them the consequences of their actions,'' he said. ''We try to hold young people to account for their actions in a kind and positive way. ''But social media isn't interested in that.'' He said people should not assume every ''unpleasant incident is bullying''. ''Bullying is ongoing emotional abuse and it happens everywhere and not just in schools,'' Mr Kearney said. ''It happens in the workplace, in the home, out in the community and online.'' While some social media critics wanted schools to return to corporal punishment, Mr Kearney said it was not the answer. ''It is teaching a student, 'I'm going to hit you because you hit someone else'.'' Like politicians, Mr Kearney said school principals were often targets of online abuse, including death threats. Rangiora High School was one of several schools to participate in the recent Pink Shirt Day, he said. Oxford Area School board of trustees presiding member Aaron Campbell referred enquiries about the incident at OAS to principal Mike Hart. In a statement, Mr Hart said the school was following its procedures to work through the incident. He asked the community to contact the school if they had any concerns or questions. ''Our thoughts and heartfelt support are with the student and their whānau during this time. ''We know this may be unsettling, and we are doing everything we can to ensure the wellbeing of all involved.'' Rangiora High School board of trustees presiding member Simon Green said schools have always grappled with ''challenging student behaviour'', which is an emotive topic. He said the board worked with school leadership to ensure bullying was addressed promptly and constructively, with ''a focus on restoring relationships and building a culture of respect and accountability''. A Ministry of Education spokesperson said staff had been in contact with Oxford Area School and were confident school staff were following appropriate procedures. Oxford Area School has students from years 1 to 13. Local Democracy Reporting noted several Oxford Facebook pages had blocked comments on the incident. By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter ■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Scoop
24-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
Schools Risk Losing Teaching Talent
Article – David Hill – Local Democracy Reporter North Canterbury schools are bracing for staffing headaches, following confirmation the Khui Ako will be axed at the end of the year. North Canterbury's ''best and brightest'' teachers could be lost following cuts in Thursday's Budget, a North Canterbury principal says. More than 100 teaching roles across North Canterbury will be impacted, with the Kāhui Ako (communities of learning) programme set to be axed in December. Education Minister Erica Stanford confirmed the Kāhui Ako scheme, which paid about 4000 teachers extra to lead improvements in groups of schools around the country, will be scrapped. The funding will be diverted to help pay for more learning support co-ordinators and teacher aides. ''We have assessed underspends and reprioritised initiatives that are underperforming or lack clear evidence that they're delivering intended outcomes,'' Ms Stanford said. Ending the Kāhui Ako programme means teacher contracts will need to be paid out and principals will be left navigating staff surpluses. Rangiora High School board of trustees presiding member Simon Green said it was ''devastating'' to see Kāhui Ako disestablished, ''particularly for North Canterbury kura where this model has been highly effective''. Kaikōura Primary School board of trustees presiding member Vicki Gulleford said the Kāhui Ako programme has been successful in bringing schools together and supporting the transition to high school. She said her school was set to lose its resource teacher of literacy, which was shared with the other Kaikōura schools. Kāhui Ako were established in 2014 and involved local preschools, primary and secondary schools working together. There are 220 Kāhui Ako around the country, comprising nearly 2000 schools and around 1500 early learning centres. In North Canterbury there are four, including Puketeraki which comprises 18 schools including Rangiora High School, and Kātote which brings together nine schools including Kaiapoi High School. Tipu Maia Kahui Ako comprises six area schools and seven Hurunui primary schools, while in Kaikōura a Kāhui Ako is centred around Kaikōura High School. Swannanoa School principal Brian Price, the Puketeraki lead principal, said around 40 teachers were employed in Kāhui Ako roles. ''These are our best and brightest teachers. We put them in these roles because they had to ability to lead, to upskill their colleagues and to lift student achievement.'' It will also impact on the relief teachers employed to cover for part-time Kāhui Ako roles, he said. Mr Price said schools in the Kahui Ako already had learning support co-ordinators and he thought it was unlikely they would gain any more, despite the extra funding. Tipu Maia lead principal Maree Lucas, of Omihi School, said Kāhui Ako had provided ''a great opportunity to collaborate, network and learn as a group''. She said 22 staff have been employed in Kāhui Ako roles across the 13 schools. ''This helps with staff retention in small schools. It has given us professional learning opportunities that small schools definitely wouldn't have been able to afford without the Kāhui.'' Te Kātote Kāhui Ako lead principal Andrew Retallick, of Woodend School, said around 30 staff will be impacted. ''It provided a leadership pathway which can even lead to becoming a school principal.'' He said there seven learning support co-ordinators across the nine schools. Given the existing formula of one co-ordinator to 500 students, he estimated Kātote might gain one or two co-ordinators at most. The principals said they were committed to continuing to work together. The Ministry of Education has been contacted for comment.
Scoop
24-05-2025
- Scoop
‘Kids Do Dumb Things': Principal Speaks Out Against Keyboard Warriors
Article – David Hill – Local Democracy Reporter Schools speak up on 'challenging student behaviour' in the wake of an incident at Oxford Area School this week. All schools grapple with ''challenging student behaviour'', and it is not helped by social media outbursts, a North Canterbury principal says. Rangiora High School principal Bruce Kearney said he felt for his colleagues, after critics took to social media following an incident this week at Oxford Area School. A student was taken to Christchurch Hospital with injuries after being allegedly assaulted by another student at Oxford Area School on Wednesday, media reported. Challenging behaviour happened in all schools and most followed restorative processes when addressing the behaviour, he said. ''Kids do dumb things and our role is to teach them the consequences of their actions,'' he said. ''We try to hold young people to account for their actions in a kind and positive way. ''But social media isn't interested in that.'' He said people should not assume every ''unpleasant incident is bullying''. ''Bullying is ongoing emotional abuse and it happens everywhere and not just in schools,'' Mr Kearney said. ''It happens in the workplace, in the home, out in the community and online.'' While some social media critics wanted schools to return to corporal punishment, Mr Kearney said it was not the answer. ''It is teaching a student, 'I'm going to hit you because you hit someone else'.'' Like politicians, Mr Kearney said school principals were often targets of online abuse, including death threats. Rangiora High School was one of several schools to participate in the recent Pink Shirt Day, he said. Oxford Area School board of trustees presiding member Aaron Campbell referred enquiries about the incident at OAS to principal Mike Hart. In a statement, Mr Hart said the school was following its procedures to work through the incident. He asked the community to contact the school if they had any concerns or questions. ''Our thoughts and heartfelt support are with the student and their whānau during this time. ''We know this may be unsettling, and we are doing everything we can to ensure the wellbeing of all involved.'' Rangiora High School board of trustees presiding member Simon Green said schools have always grappled with ''challenging student behaviour'', which is an emotive topic. He said the board worked with school leadership to ensure bullying was addressed promptly and constructively, with ''a focus on restoring relationships and building a culture of respect and accountability''. A Ministry of Education spokesperson said staff had been in contact with Oxford Area School and were confident school staff were following appropriate procedures. Oxford Area School has students from years 1 to 13. Local Democracy Reporting noted several Oxford Facebook pages had blocked comments on the incident.
Scoop
24-05-2025
- Scoop
‘Kids Do Dumb Things': Principal Speaks Out Against Keyboard Warriors
All schools grapple with ''challenging student behaviour'', and it is not helped by social media outbursts, a North Canterbury principal says. Rangiora High School principal Bruce Kearney said he felt for his colleagues, after critics took to social media following an incident this week at Oxford Area School. A student was taken to Christchurch Hospital with injuries after being allegedly assaulted by another student at Oxford Area School on Wednesday, media reported. Challenging behaviour happened in all schools and most followed restorative processes when addressing the behaviour, he said. ''Kids do dumb things and our role is to teach them the consequences of their actions,'' he said. ''We try to hold young people to account for their actions in a kind and positive way. ''But social media isn't interested in that.'' He said people should not assume every ''unpleasant incident is bullying''. ''Bullying is ongoing emotional abuse and it happens everywhere and not just in schools,'' Mr Kearney said. ''It happens in the workplace, in the home, out in the community and online.'' While some social media critics wanted schools to return to corporal punishment, Mr Kearney said it was not the answer. ''It is teaching a student, 'I'm going to hit you because you hit someone else'.'' Like politicians, Mr Kearney said school principals were often targets of online abuse, including death threats. Rangiora High School was one of several schools to participate in the recent Pink Shirt Day, he said. Oxford Area School board of trustees presiding member Aaron Campbell referred enquiries about the incident at OAS to principal Mike Hart. In a statement, Mr Hart said the school was following its procedures to work through the incident. He asked the community to contact the school if they had any concerns or questions. ''Our thoughts and heartfelt support are with the student and their whānau during this time. ''We know this may be unsettling, and we are doing everything we can to ensure the wellbeing of all involved.'' Rangiora High School board of trustees presiding member Simon Green said schools have always grappled with ''challenging student behaviour'', which is an emotive topic. He said the board worked with school leadership to ensure bullying was addressed promptly and constructively, with ''a focus on restoring relationships and building a culture of respect and accountability''. A Ministry of Education spokesperson said staff had been in contact with Oxford Area School and were confident school staff were following appropriate procedures. Oxford Area School has students from years 1 to 13.
