3. MOANA MACKEY (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister of Education
How are New Zealand schools accountable to their local communities?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY (Minister of Education) Link to this
Schools are accountable to their communities through their elected boards of trustees, and to the Government for their public funding via the regular finance audit and the reporting requirements of section 87 of the Education Act. Schools are also subject to regular review by the Education Review Office as well as having to provide regular data returns to the Ministry of Education.
What is the appropriate procedure for a member of Parliament to raise issues about a local school’s performance?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
In the first instance they should raise their concerns with the relevant Minister and seek further information. It is not appropriate for a member of this House to threaten the principal of a school by saying that he has a knife in the principal’s back so the principal should be careful, to ask parliamentary questions and focus official information requests on one school while ignoring the other 26 in his electorate, to send his staff to report on this one school’s board of trustees meetings, and to write to the school demanding it report to him on its performance. Unfortunately, this unacceptable behaviour comes from one Allan Peachey, who is running a campaign that amounts to victimisation of the school concerned, and his senior colleagues should ask him to stop.
Hon Bill EnglishWhy does the Minister continue to refuse to allow access to the SchoolSmart website, which would show every parent in the catchment of that school that its National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) results are not up to the average for similar schools, and what is wrong with the local member pointing that out when the Ministry of Education publishes exactly that comparison?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
I am advised that Selwyn College’s NCEA results are very close to the average for schools of similar decile. In fact, the information released to Mr Peachey shows that Selwyn College is ahead of the national average for schools of similar deciles in two out of three NCEA levels. If the member wants more information about the school, he should do what any other MP does and work directly through the Minister rather than running a campaign of intimidation against the single school he has focused on.
Hon Brian Donnelly Link to this
How likely is it that public condemnation by an elected MP, based on incorrect or invalid information of the performance of a school, will lead to its becoming a first-choice school for the community; if it is highly unlikely, does he view Mr Peachey’s behaviour as either a personal vendetta or simple stupidity?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
I repeat that the usual thing for a local MP to do is to support his or her local schools, not run a campaign of victimisation that amounts to a personal vendetta against a school. I give advice to anyone in the House working with their local schools that their first point of contact for information is here, and if there are members on the other side who are senior to Mr Peachey, they may like to teach him that.
Gordon CopelandDoes the Minister consider that limiting the sale of junk food and drinks in schools is the responsibility of legislators or the responsibility of the schools and the communities, and to send the right signal in that regard what will he do to offset the thousands of dollars in revenue that the schools stand to lose by reducing the sale of junk food and fizzy drinks?
Hon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
At the present time, of course, it is the responsibility of schools to look after what occurs in the schools. I certainly hope that what they do at the present time is voluntarily look at the kinds of food available to students on their campuses. I seek leave to table one letter and one email. The letter is from Mr Allan Peachey to Selwyn College, demanding that it reports to him on its performance.
Madam SPEAKERHon STEVE MAHAREY Link to this
I seek leave to table an email from a member of the school and community, asking whether there are any National Party leaders who are in Parliament today who might stop the lamentable behaviour of Mr Peachey.