Principal News

By Simon Clarke | Posted: Tuesday March 5, 2019

Are we always looking for the crisis?

As I have mentioned previously, there is a significant review of the education system currently taking place. I recently attended a forum on this topic and left with more questions than answers and as they say the devil is in the detail.

New Zealand does have a significant problem with underachievement in education, and we need to keep addressing this issue. These same children however are also over-represented in the health (especially mental health), crime, social welfare and poverty statistics and I fear that sweeping changes in the one area of education will not solve the underachievement issue. It will take a systematic shift in all areas of these children's lives to make a positive difference.

Is our education system broken to require such a drastic change? I would argue far from it. I read a report recently that the New Zealand Education system was rated 3rd in the world. The index was developed to assess the effectiveness of education systems in preparing students for the demands of work and life in a rapidly changing landscape. It focuses on the15-24 age band in 50 economies around the world. I have attached the full report at the bottom of this article.

One of the things I am most proud of in the education system in Dunedin is when new parents are looking at what school to send their child to, I can honestly tell them it doesn't matter where you go, your child is going to get an excellent education in Dunedin.

The task force is also advising that students only have one transition in their schooling meaning the end of Intermediates as we know them. It is true that some children find the transition between schools stressful and it can have a negative impact on their learning in the short term. However, I wonder if we will be doing a disservice to children by not practising these skills and developing resilience.

Claire Madden, a highly regarded Australian author on millennial issues, noted that it is estimated that Gen Z will have 17 jobs across 5 different careers in their lifetime. Gen Z will not be thinking ‘job for life’ - they will be thinking about job mobility rather than job security as they will need to continue to adapt to the changing external environment. The ability to transition from job to job will not be important but vital for people to fulfil their potential. A transition should not be something we hide from in school but embraced from time to time.

The Board will be discussing the task force's findings at the next Board meeting and release a white paper for parents to view and base your submissions on.

Talking of future skills and on a more positive note, I am very much looking forward to Friday the 15th of March where we will have our inaugural Creative Kids Conference. It will be an open morning on Friday where classes will be presenting what they have been learning about this term and teaching you to do some complex skills. Please click the link above to learn more.

Finally, I am pleased to announce that we have secured the services of Beth Downie to replace Robin Hartley as Deputy Principal. Beth is currently the Assistant Principal at Balmacewen Intermediate and is a highly regarded teacher who will bring many valuable skills to Kaikorai Primary School.

Kind regards

Simon Clarke