Engagement findings for Hawera Education
The Ministry of Education has completed the first engagement process with our community. Thank you for taking part in this process and expressing your wishes for future schooling in Hawera. The Ministry have now released the report. It is being shared with local schools, early childhood services, South Taranaki Council and local iwi who will be sharing it through websites, face book pages and their usual channels of communication.
In the report the engagement showed:
That you are very involved and care about the future education of our community. You indicated the most important features of education for our community are:
- Quality teaching and learning
- Quality staff and resources
- Smooth and minimal transitions between schools
- Tamariki of all ages have a sense of ownership where they learn
- Having senior and junior students on a shared site to allow for tuakana/teina dynamics to naturally form and flourish.
- Having cohesiveness pathways through education from ECE (or Kohanga Reo) right through until after year 13.
- Strong school collaboration and whānau involvement
- Facilities that are accessible for all
- Facilities that are designed to last.
Other things that are important are that education prepares students for the future giving them life skills through individualised learning and a local curriculum, student safety at school, quality sports and quality provision for additional learning needs.
The engagement report has signalled change and we acknowledge this could be a time of uncertainty for many however no decisions have been made at this stage of the process.
You all have the opportunity now to ask questions or provide feedback on the information in the report. You can email this to enquiries.whanganui@education.govt.nz until 19 February 2021. It is important for you to have your say about the findings in the report as your feedback will inform the next stage of the decision-making process.
By 5 March 2021 the Ministry will provide a report to the Minister of Education about the engagement process (including the feedback received on the Engagement Report).
By end of March – early April 2021 a response back from the Minister will determine the next steps. At that time, we will let schools and the community know what the Minister has decided and the next steps in the process.
There are different legal processes that need to be undertaken depending on the Minister’s decision:
- There may be a period of formal consultation on identified option/s (or changes) with affected parties
- It may be agreed that the status quo will remain, in which case the process would be completed at this point.
Should there be consultation on specific proposal for schooling change the Ministry of Education will support affected boards and staff and ensure the community remains informed.
