8. Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Labour—Hutt South) Link to this
to the Minister of Education
Is she satisfied that the quality of reporting to parents of primary school children is better than it was last year?
Hon ANNE TOLLEY (Minister of Education) Link to this
I have had feedback from parents that indicates that many schools are providing reports to parents that are clearer, contain much information, and are in plain language. Not all schools are meeting the expectations of all parents yet, but it is early days and one would expect this in a bedding-in year.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
Does she stand by her statement with regard to numeracy that one in five school-leavers is in the bottom 20 percent and that that is a disgrace?
First of all, that statement is not contained in any report around the national standards that goes home to parents. I am not sure exactly where the member got that quote from; I would have to see it. He tends to selectively quote.
Colin KingWhat reports has she received that suggest parents are receiving higher-quality reports as a result of national standards?
My office has received a number of emails from parents and teachers thanking the Government for the reports they have received as a result of national standards. One parent stated: “The national standards reports were clear and understandable. They helped us choose parenting strategies that best suit our child. National standards and compassionate treatment of children are not mutually exclusive concepts.”
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
Does she stand by her comments, including those in this weekend’s papers, that she is disappointed that schools were only reporting on reading, writing, and mathematics in the new interim reports; if so, why?
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
Why, then, did she issue schools with a template interim progress report to parents that showed reporting in reading, writing, and mathematics only?
Te Ururoa Flavell Link to this
Tēnā koe, Mr Speaker. Is there scope in the reporting framework to parents to embrace academic achievement other than in literacy and numeracy, or that might, for example, respond to Education Review Office reports on Māori underachievement?
Yes, absolutely. We encourage schools to have those wider conversations with parents. Parents have made it clear that they want to know all about how their children are doing at school—the good, the bad, and the ugly—and we encourage parents who are not satisfied with their reports to go back to the schools and talk to the teachers about getting that information.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
Did she personally approve the template interim report issued in her name, which reports on reading, writing, and mathematics only?
I saw it, and I have discussed it with quite a wide number of principals, who asked for some assistance and some ideas about how they might present the information.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
Why, then, did she indicate that she is disappointed when principals and teachers use the report she supplied to them?
One of the most important things about the reporting of information from schools and teachers to parents is the rich conversations that they have together about the children. So it is not for me as Minister to get in between those conversations. But schools asked for help; we provided a template, and we will provide any information that we can to help schools with those conversations with parents.
Hon Trevor Mallard Link to this
I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. It was a pretty straight and simple question that asked the Minister why she was disappointed with schools that use the template she supplied. Further to the point of order I am taking, I seek leave to table the template supplied by the Minister to schools.
Mr SPEAKERLet me deal with the last part first. Leave is sought to table that document. Is there any objection? There is no objection.
In terms of the first part, I say to the honourable member that he asked the Minister why she was disappointed. I think the Minister gave an explanation of what she expected in reporting, and I presume she was disappointed if that were not what was going on. She did not believe that she should be interposing herself in that, all the time. That might not perhaps be exactly the answer that the member sought. I thought he might have been more concerned about the previous answer than that one, but I feel that on that particular occasion the answer was not unreasonable.