Kia ora e te whānau

Primary Principals’ Bargaining Collective (PPBC)

By the time you read this, a special flyer containing a survey of NZPF financial members as at Friday 21 May has been issued. The survey shares the details of a proposed primary principals’ union.

The NZPF Executive has responded to the calls of over 900 members in last year’s survey to examine the possibility of establishing a bespoke industrial voice for principals.

At our recent Executive meeting in May, the NZPF Executive voted to endorse the establishment of a bespoke primary principals’ union with the sole purpose of collective bargaining.

Leading into the next collective bargaining round, the NZPF Executive believes the time is right for a significant reset.

To this end, we wish to check with members as to whether you wish us to proceed. Sufficient support will likely mean a bespoke primary principals’ union will proceed, conversely if there isn’t sufficient support then the status quo will remain.

As a membership driven organization, we will be guided by you. Please do take the time to respond. The survey is not binding, but we require your clear guidance.

NZPF/Ministry of Education Road Trip

It is that time of the year when NZPF comes to you in your neck of the woods to talk education matters and top of the agenda this year is Curriculum Refresh.

I am privileged to be joined by Ministry colleagues leading the curriculum refresh. At each meeting I will be joined by either Kaylene Macnee (Chief Advisor NZC), Tara Taylor-Jorgensen (National Manager Curriculum Leadership), or Rose Carpenter (Change and Implementation Manager).

Our shared goal in partnership with the Ministry is twofold; first is to share information about the NZ Curriculum, the affordances, the constraints and the Curriculum Refresh process. Secondly, we want to hear your feedback about curriculum and achievement so that the Ministry can design curriculum that is responsive and fit-for-purpose.

This conversation is core business for principals. Your local Principals’ Association will be in touch with you to let you know the details of your regional meeting time and location.

Please priortise attending. It is the responsibility of principals to lead curriculum and pedagogy. This is our area of primary expertise and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Legal Opinion

The Ministry has the power to direct a school to enrol a young person who has been excluded from school. This often occurs in the absence of appropriate resourcing, support, counselling, and alternative schooling options.  The enrolling school, therefore, cannot ensure the child will receive the targeted support they need nor can it ensure the safety of those interacting with the child.

NZPF sought a legal opinion about the responsibility of the Ministry of Education to ensure appropriate risk mitigation when directing an enrolment.

NZPF has been concerned for some time that Boards are being directed to enrol highly complex young people with little provision of historical information, no provision of risk management planning, and insufficient resources to ensure the child’s therapeutic and support needs are met.

Such situations often lead to young people and their peers being damaged by further dysregulation and crisis causing cycles of suspension and exclusion.

NZPF is also concerned at the frequency of directives from Ministry of Education personnel in which the Ministry warn Boards of Trustees that raising an objection about a ‘directed enrolment’ may lead to a statutory intervention. It follows that if a Board contests a directed enrolment, their capacity to successfully discharge the totality of their governance role is called into question. Such a claim is patently inappropriate. It is a statutory obligation of a Board of Trustees to raise concerns about risk and health and safety, and consider whether the degree of resourcing, support and counselling available enables risk to be successfully managed.

Please read the legal opinion closely. You can find it here.

A copy of the legal opinion has been sent to the Secretary for Education and Ministers Hipkins and Tinetti. We await their response.

NZPF & Linewize Present: Students, Sex and the Internet

Please note this free panel discussion on pornography and the impact on students: Wed 16 June @ 3:45pm.

A panel of experts and principals will discuss the impact of the internet on Kiwi students and their attitudes, behaviours and beliefs towards sex and relationships. The aim of this digital roundtable is to highlight the issues staff and students presently face and to provide practical and actionable guidance for school communities.

Please join the conversation as we embark on a timely and poignant discussion no school leader should miss.

Discussion Panel:

Jo Robertson - Sex & Relationship Therapist and Research & Training Lead, The Light Project
Stephen Kendall-Jones - Principal, Albany Junior High School
Perry Rush - NZPF President and Principal, Hastings Intermediate
Pauline Spence - Community Engagement Specialist, Linewize

NZPF Conference

Thank you for an outstanding response to the NZPF Conference 2-4 August in Rotorua. The registrations over the past week have been flooding in. Standard registrations are now available up until conference.

The NZPF conference programme is offering an afternoon of hauora activities on Tuesday.  The cost is included in your conference registration fee, but your place on the activity of your choice will need to be booked in advance.  Note that some activities have limited places - so availability will be on a first in, first served basis.

Priority will be given to those delegates who have already booked by early-bird close off.  You have until Monday 31 May to take advantage of your priority status.  Please log in to the conference website and select your choice NOW.

Ngā manaakitanga

Perry Rush
perry@nzpf.ac.nz