What decisions have been announced on 29 May?

The Minister has announced the following decisions for nineteen schools on 29 May 2013:

• Two schools that had an interim decision for one school to relocate will stay open on their current sites
• One school that had an interim decision to merge will remain open on its current site
• Seven schools will close
• Six schools will merge to create three schools.

The Minister also announced:

Three schools, which are located in New Brighton, are now subject to two new proposals which will be consulted on.

In detail, the decisions announced on 29 May were:

1. Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Whānau Tahi and Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Waitaha will not merge and will be retained on their current sites
2. Central New Brighton will not merge with South New Brighton, and South New Brighton will remain open as a separate school on its current site. At this time the decision to merge Freeville and North New Brighton Schools will be deferred
3. Glenmoor School, Greenpark School, Kendal School and Richmond School, will close in January 2014
4. Branston Intermediate, Linwood Intermediate and Manning Intermediate will close in January 2014 and three nearby secondary schools, Hornby High School, Linwood College and Hillmorton High School, will provide year 7-13 schooling
5. Burwood school will merge with Windsor School and Phillipstown School will merge with Woolston School in January 2014
6. Lyttelton Main School and Lyttelton West School will merge initially at the later date of 5 May 2014 on the Lyttelton west and St Joseph sites, and then permanently on the Lyttelton main site when the new school is complete.

Central New Brighton, and the other two remaining schools, North New Brighton and Freeville, are now subject to two new proposals that will be consulted on concurrently.

The new proposals are to either merge Central New Brighton, Freeville School and North New Brighton School on the North New Brighton site, or to close Central New Brighton and finalise the interim decision to merge Freeville and North New Brighton.

Boards have until 10 July to provide feedback on these two proposals, and following the final decision on one of the proposals, it will be effective in May 2014.

Next steps

What happens now for the affected schools?

The Ministry will be working closely with each of the Boards in the weeks following the announcement to discuss what will happen next, and what support is available to them and their school communities.

My school has been advised that the Minister’s final decision is that the school will not be merged or closed. What does this mean?

The school will remain open and continue to operate as usual.

The Minister has put forward a new proposal for our school – what happens now?

The Minister has listened to parents and school communities and carefully reviewed the submissions received. As a result, the Freeville, North and Central New Brighton communities will now discuss two new proposals in order to understand the communities’ view.

Boards have until 10 July to provide feedback to the Minister on these two new proposals. Final decisions will be made after the Minister has received and considered this feedback.

The Boards of these schools can access a Ministry funded facilitator to support them to put together a submission.

The Ministry has staff to support your Board in its role, who will explain the process and seek answers to any questions your Board may have. The New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA) will also provide support for Boards.

My school has been advised that the Minister’s final decision is to merge.  What happens now?

A change manager and residual agent will be appointed and the decision to merge will be gazetted. The change manager will work with the Board to develop a timeline and approach for implementing the decision.

My school has been advised that the Minister’s final decision is that the school is to close.  What happens now?

A change manager and residual agent will be appointed and the decision to close will be gazetted. The change manager will work with the Board to develop a timeline and approach for implementing the decision.

What is the role of the change manager?

The change manager ensures that the closure or merger of the school is well managed operationally. They work with the Board and Ministry to plan and implement the process. This includes:

• supporting the Board with its role
• working with the community, in particular parents of children at the school to ensure they have enough information and support to make decisions about where their children will go to school and what help they will need
• ensuring that all employment documentation is up to date and accurate
• ensuring that the school’s asset register is up to date
• ensuring that the school’s resources are distributed to other schools in the network (or the continuing school)
• school buildings are left clean, tidy and secure and the keys handed over to the Ministry following a closure or merger.

What is the role of the residual agent?

The residual agent oversees the school’s finances before the date of closure or merger and then settles the school’s accounts (paying final invoices etc.) following the date of closure or merger. They also prepare draft financial statements for audit and present them to the Office of the Auditor General. The Board pays for the services of its residual agent.

What help will the new board of a merged school get with governance?

The Ministry will assist the appointed Board as will NZSTA. The Ministry also pays for a Governance Facilitator to be available to help the Board as it sets out to establish the newly merged school.

Wellbeing and transitions

What support will be available for students, parents, teachers and families?

The Ministry of Education will provide extensive support to parents and schools affected by decisions to close or merge to ensure a smooth transition for children, their families and staff.

Each school has been given a package that outlines the support that will be available and how to access that support.

The Ministry will work with every school to ensure education is not compromised throughout the process and that staff and families are well informed each step of the way.

Parents can contact the Ministry to find more information on 0800 746 338 or at  shaping.education@minedu.govt.nz

What support is there going to be to help children through this process?

Schools will develop a plan to ensure the transition for students is well managed.

When schools close or merge, EDI (Education Development Initiative) funding is available to support students with the transition to their next school.

This could be used to hold a pre-change ceremony for the school, school visits if a cohort of children are moving to a particular school, setting up buddy support for children at their next school who they could be in contact with before the change and parent meetings with the staff of the next school.

The change manager will support the implementation of the change, including advising on student and family support.

Why did my school have to go through this process?

The face and make-up of greater Christchurch has, and will continue to change dramatically due to the earthquakes, and the education sector must respond to those changes.

There were already around 5,000 places available in schools in greater Christchurch before the earthquakes, and 4,300 students have not re-enrolled, meaning there are now 9,300 places available – that’s roughly equivalent to the entire student population of Gisborne.

The aftermath of the earthquakes has required us to have a look at all the schools across greater Christchurch and see what we could do better.

We have looked at not only earthquake damage, but also roll size, population movement and projected growth, building issues, and what opportunities existed to create better, more modern schools.

We have consulted with parents, teachers and wider school communities throughout this process.

We made the consultation time frames nearly twice as long as is required and provided schools with extra support including: a Teachers Only Day, an independent facilitator to undertake consultation and prepare the submissions on behalf of the Board of Trustees and provision for a reliever teacher one day a week. We also set up an online community forum.

The Education Minister also visited the most affected schools and heard directly from parents, teachers, students and wider school communities.

We acknowledge this process has been unsettling for schools and their communities and appreciate the time and effort Boards, staff and school communities have put into considering proposals and providing feedback.

At the end of this process, greater Christchurch will have one of the best and most modern schooling networks in the country that will serve communities for many years to come.

Why are you building new schools when you are closing existing schools?

Proposals to close schools are based around issues with people movement and land and building damage where:

• the ground is prone to liquefaction or lateral spreading
• it’s not economic to repair or maintain the buildings
• rolls are low
• there isn’t likely to be future population growth.

Proposals to open new schools are made where additional schools are required.  This is in places where people are moving to, and where changes to schooling provision are needed. In addition a number of schools are being rebuilt and some relocated.

What does recapitation or a change of class mean?

A recapitation is when a year 1-6 school becomes a year 1-8 school.

A change of class is when a primary school is able to enrol secondary aged students or a secondary school is able to enrol primary or intermediate aged students.

 Governance

 What happens to 2013 Board of Trustee elections

The election process continues despite the final decision about the future of a school being that it should close or merge.

If a legally constituted Board cannot be formed, then a Commissioner will be appointed in place of the Board.

NZSTA will provide advice to any Board unsure of what they need to do.

What’s an Appointed Board?

The Minister has agreed that continuing schools in a merger will be governed by an Appointed Board of Trustees.

Expressions of interest for the Appointed Board will be sought from existing trustees from both/all merging schools in mid-June. If there is not enough interest, expressions of interest will be sought more widely.

The Appointed Board will have representation from all schools involved in the merger.

The Appointed Board will have an independent chair to ensure that the views of both/all communities involved in the merger are fairly represented in the decisions for the newly merged school.

The Appointed Board continues to govern the continuing school whilst making plans for the newly merged school, including appointing the principal and staff. Sometimes the Appointed Board will establish a subcommittee to help with governing the continuing school.

What’s the difference between an appointed and an establishment board?

An Appointed Board is put in place to govern the continuing school and the newly merged school until an elected board of trustees is in place which must be within three months of the date of merger.

Appointed Boards can have any number of members, although they usually have between 5-8 members as this is a good size for a working group.

An Establishment Board of Trustees is put in place to establish and govern a new school. Establishment Boards must have five members.

When will the Boards of the newly merged school have to submit their charter?

Each Board, with the support of the governance facilitator, will have responsibility for setting a realistic timeline for developing and submitting its ‘initial charter’ for the newly merged school to the Ministry. The ‘initial charter’ will provide guidance to the newly merged school in its first year of operation and would include an annual section outlining objectives and targets for student achievement in 2014.

Enrolment schemes and enrolling students

Why do schools have enrolment schemes?

Enrolment schemes (home zones) are established to ensure that all students have the right of access to a ‘reasonably convenient school’ in relation to where they live.

Special temporary enrolment schemes will be put in place for some schools following the announcement of the final decisions to ensure students in affected schools and their families have certainty about where students can enrol.

Copies of the special temporary enrolment schemes can be found on your specifc learning cluster page through Find my School.

Enrolment schemes are likely to be reviewed in 2014. The Ministry will work with the Boards of schools where enrolment schemes are required to change so that these are implemented in a timely way.

What is a special temporary enrolment scheme?

A special temporary enrolment is an enrolment scheme implemented by the Ministry of Education under the Canterbury Earthquake (Education Act) Order 2011.

How long will the Special Temporary Enrolment scheme be in place?

Special temporary enrolment schemes implemented because of schools closing at the end of 2013 will be replaced by a normal enrolment scheme during 2014. These normal enrolment schemes will be developed by the board of trustees which will consult with neighbouring schools and community.

What if the normal enrolment scheme that replaces the special temporary enrolment scheme in 2014 is different? Will my child have to change schools again if they are no longer in zone?

No – once you are enrolled at the school you can remain at the school until you choose to enrol elsewhere.

How do I find out which school I can enrol my child at?

You can find schools close to where you live by searching on the TKI website using the following link: www.nzschools.tki.org.nz. Or if you would prefer, you can phone the Ministry of Education contact centre on 0800 746 338 where someone will be able to help you with your query.

My child is enrolled at a school that closes at the end of 2013 – can I move schools now?

Yes. Special temporary provisions have been made for current students and siblings of current students. These provisions start from the date of the Minister’s announcements and enable you to enrol your child (and siblings not yet at school) at a school that is near to the closing school. The specific options are:

NOTE: You can enrol your child at any state school that does not have an enrolment scheme. Copies of the special temporary enrolment schemes can be found on your specifc learning cluster page through Find my School.

My local school is closing and my child starts school next year. How do I find out about which school I can enrol my child at?

See answer above.

My child turns five this year but I don’t want to enrol at the closing school for a few months and then have to change to another school next year – what are my options?

See answer above.

I’ve just moved into the area near a closing school, but I don’t want to enrol my child at the closing school for a few months and then have to change to another school next year – what are my options?

See answer above.

My local schools are merging and my child starts school next year. How do I find out about which school I can enrol my child at?

The special temporary enrolment schemes take effect from the date of the Minister’s announcements.  This gives you options about where you can enrol your child.  For example, if you live in an area previously covered by a merging school, you have alternative options available. Of the following list, it will be either one school with a special temporary enrolment scheme, or any school without an enrolment scheme.

 

Merging Schools	Type of enrolment scheme
Windsor School and Burwood School	Special temporary scheme
	Special temporary scheme
Lyttelton Main School and Lyttelton West School	Special temporary scheme
	Special temporary scheme
Woolston School and Phillipstown School	No enrolment scheme
Discovery One and Unlimited Paenga Tawhiti	Enrolment scheme – to be amended using normal consultation process

NOTE: You can enrol your child at any state school that does not have an enrolment scheme.

You can find schools close to where you live by searching on the TKI website using the following link www.nzschools.tki.org.nz. Or if you would prefer, you can phone the Ministry of Education contact centre on 0800 746 338 where someone will be able to help you with your query.

If a school does not have an enrolment scheme, you may enrol your child at that school, regardless of where you live.

During 2014, the Boards of newly merged schools will consult with its community to develop a normal enrolment scheme.

My child turns five this year.  The local school I would have enrolled my child at is merging – I don’t know which school I should enrol my child at?

See answer above.

 I’ve just moved into the area near a closing school, but I don’t want to enrol my child at the closing school for a few months and then have to change to another school next year – what are my options?

See answer above.

I have a child enrolled at a merging school and another child yet to start school.  We currently live out of zone, will my second child be able to enrol at the newly merged school?

The special temporary enrolment schemes take effect from the date of the Minister’s announcements. These special temporary enrolment schemes have a provision that ensures siblings (not yet at school) are able to enrol at the newly merged school when they turn five. Copies of the special temporary enrolment schemes can be found on your specifc learning cluster page through Find my School.

What if the children all enrol at different schools?

Parents are free to enrol their child at any school where they meet the eligibility requirements of the enrolment zone, special character and/or maximum roll. Parents can enrol their child in any school that does not have an enrolment scheme in place.

Staffing

When can permanent staff be appointed?

The Appointed Board will be appointing permanent staff for the newly merged school. There are clear processes the Appointed Board must follow. The process is in the relevant Collective Employment Agreements and individual employment agreements. The change manager will support the Boards involved with this process.

No other permanent appointments can be made at schools that are closing or merging.

When am I going to know if my position is safe?

There are clear processes for school mergers and closures and school staff have clear rights and obligations. These rights are detailed in the relevant Collective Employment Agreements.

I am a teacher at a satellite unit but on a school site marked for closure. What does that mean for me?

You will need to work with your Principal and the Board regarding your employment.

What support is available to staff during this time?

Staff can get support from their Board of Trustees, and (if they are members) from their union (NZEI, PPTA, SFWU, AWU, PSA, SPANZ).  The Ministry will be able to provide information about further support that may be available.

What happens when teachers from schools that are closing or merging, need to have their registration signed off in 2014 or later, but they are in a different school, or are not currently employed?

There are a number of ways that the situation can be dealt with depending on the specifics of the teacher.

• Some teachers will be employed as a teacher in another school (or centre) when their practising certificate is due to expire and the endorser will then be the teacher’s current professional leader.
• The Council can process applications for practising certificates up to 6 months before the practising certificate expiry date.
• Teachers who want further information should contact the Teachers’ Council on:

Phone: 04 471 0852
Email: inquiries@teacherscouncil.govt.nz

Property

What’s happening with the building programme?

The Ministry is developing a work programme that will prioritise and sequence building renewal and is confident this can be managed within the required timeframes. It has already prioritised rebuilding and repair work for over 30 schools over the next four years.

What happens to the land and buildings after a school is closed or merged with another school on another site?

When a school is closed or merged with another school on another site, the Ministry must decide whether it needs the land for another education based purpose.  If it is surplus to education requirements it is entered into the disposal process.

What happens to the property while it is in the disposal process?

The agency who owns the land continues to be responsible for it until it is disposed of.

 

Leasing of surplus school sites by community groups and other parties as a caretaking arrangement pending disposal is encouraged for security reasons and to offset operating costs.

Community groups and other parties must use the property for the purposes of education or fostering of community and social services.

The Ministry’s lease has standard terms and conditions that include that the group must maintain the property, buy public liability insurance, insure the buildings, and agree to remove themselves on three months notice.

Community groups are required to take over the sites as is and pay all operating costs (i.e. rates, look after the grounds, maintenance etc).  In return a nominal rental is charged.

If the Ministry of Education allows its surplus sites to be used by community groups while the site is in disposal, why are there run down school sites around attracting vandalism?

Buildings that are not used by third parties are maintained by the Ministry. An independent organisation is employed to manage the upkeep of the property until it is disposed of. The Ministry ensures the buildings are secured, maintained in a usable state and any vandalism is fixed promptly. Derelict schools sites only arise when the Ministry has disposed of the land to another party and that party stops maintaining the property and allows it to deteriorate.

Why doesn’t the Ministry keep hold of its land “just in case”?

In some cases closed schools do not enter the disposal process following closure because the Ministry wishes to retain the property for another education use.

Where this occurs the Ministry encourages community groups or other interested parties to lease these sites in the interim period between school closure and the establishment of future education provision.

If the Ministry no longer needs the land for educational purposes, then under the Public Works Act 1981, the Ministry has no option but to enter it into a disposal process

What happens when land owned by government departments is disposed of?

Once a Crown-owned property is declared surplus, the disposal process is largely determined by the requirements of the Public Works Act 1981. There are four sequential steps in this process.

1. If required for another public work the property is transferred to another government department or territorial local authority. If not, then
2. If the land was gifted, then it must be offered to the previous owner(s) at nil value but they must pay for any Ministry-funded improvements (buildings).
3. If not gifted it may have to be offered back at current market value for sale to the previous owner (or their beneficial successors).
4. Under the Ngāti Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998, Ngāti Tahu has a right of first refusal over all surplus Crown land within their area of interest. This includes any surplus Christchurch/Canterbury schools. If Ngāti Tahu does not elect to purchase a surplus school, then the property would be placed on the open market.

Does the Ministry get any money for selling its land?

Yes.  Regardless of who the land is transferred to, it is transferred at current market value, meaning that the value of the land is established by a valuation and it transfers at that price.

However, if the land was gifted to the Crown then it must be offered to the previous owner(s) at nil value but they must pay for any Ministry-funded improvements (buildings).

How long does that process take?

Disposals usually fall into two categories. The category determines the length of the sale process.

• Straightforward disposals: If the property was acquired recently, former owners may be easy to locate and the offer-back process may be resolved quite quickly. Properties with no complications usually take about 24 months to sell.
• Complex disposals: If the acquisition occurred many years ago, there are likely to be problems identifying and locating former owners and/or their successors. Difficulties include land subdivision, multiple titles (requiring amalgamation or separate offer-backs) and Māori land claims involving disputed or collective ownership, often needing Māori Land Court decisions. Gifted land can also prolong the process. These properties can take up to 45 months to sell.

If the disposal process takes so long and is so complex why have such a process and why not just sell the land to the highest bidder?

Disposal of Crown land must follow the requirements of the Public Works Act 1981.

Finance and assets

What is EDI funding?

When schools close or merge, additional resourcing called Education Development Initiative (EDI), paid from the savings created by the reorganisation, is available for projects to strengthen students’ achievement.

In both closure and mergers, the school where the student next enrols is eligible to access EDI funding. The receiving school must sign a Memorandum of Agreement with the Ministry about accepting the funding and then submit a plan to their local Ministry for how the EDI funding will be used to enhance student achievement. The receiving school has 6 years in which to use this funding.

A decision has been made to retain EDI funding to the greater Christchurch schools with students enrolled in announced closures or mergers. This means that if students leave greater Christchurch to go to school elsewhere, their new school does not receive EDI funding.

What happens to our assets?

When a school closes its assets and debts are transferred to the Crown. If a school is closing, it is usual for the physical assets to be distributed among the schools in the local area. If a school is merging, the physical assets of the school go to the continuing school. Note that assets must remain within the state education system as they are Crown assets – they cannot be ‘given’ to individuals.

Assets that have been gifted or are community-owned are returned, where possible, to the community which provided them.

Any funds the PTA has are considered part of the Board’s assets.

The change manager will help the Boards of closing and merging schools to work through all this process.

What will happen to the artefacts that are so special to our school community?

Some schools have artefacts, such as memorial gates, cups or awards that have special significance to the school and its community. The Ministry and change manager will work with schools to identify these artefacts, discuss what options there are and what the school/community preference is, working to ensure where possible that happens.

What about our Trust?

A Board that has received and holds in a Trust any property (gifts for funding scholarships, or for other education purposes) may apply to the Public Trustee to devise a scheme to modify the Trust in light of the closure or merger. The change manager will help Boards work through this.

What happens to the banked staffing in a closure or merger?

In a merger, banked staffing from the merging school will be credited or debited as appropriate to the continuing schools banked staffing.

In a closure, banked staffing whether in credit or debit, will be returned to the Crown.

What roll will the newly merged school be staffed on?

The provisional staffing roll for the first year of operation for the newly merged schools will be based on the rolls of the merging schools less any information change managers have about numbers of students intending to enrol in schools other than the newly merged schools.

Special Education

I am a parent of a child attending a satellite provision at a school marked for closure. What does this mean for me?

Only one school which has satellite provision for children enrolled at a special school is affected by the proposals – Glenmoor School, which currently hosts seven children enrolled at Ferndale Special School.

We will work with the schools to develop individual transition plans ensure that these children continue to have suitable provision after Glenmoor School closes in January 2014.

The Principal of the special school your child is enrolled at will keep you informed.

My child attends a satellite provision under a Section 9 agreement at a school marked for closure. What does that mean for me?

The Section 9 agreements are with a special school, not the satellite class or host school, and will continue if your child’s education needs are unchanged. These agreements will be reviewed according to the agreed timeframes. The Principal of the special school your child is enrolled at will keep you informed

If your child is enrolled or planning to enrol at a special school that option is still available to you. Whether or not a satellite placement is possible is a discussion between yourself and the special school Principal.

Planning for my child includes transition to a satellite provision on a school site now marked for closure – will this still be possible?

This may depend in part on the timeframe identified for closure. The Principal of the special school will be able to give advice on the most suitable learning pathway for your child.

If your child currently attends their local school you may choose to continue there.

My child attends a satellite provision at a school which enables me to transport them to school each day. When this school closes and he/she has to change schools, will the Ministry arrange and pay for his/her transport?

The Special Education Transport Guidelines provide clarification around this and other special education transport queries.  The school will work with the Ministry regarding special education transport requirements and specific requests will be treated on a case by case basis. These guidelines can be found on the Ministry of Education website.

Can my child still go to a special school/satellite provision of a special school?

If your child is enrolled or planning to enrol at a special school, that option is still available to you. Whether or not a satellite placement is possible is a discussion between yourself and the special school Principal.

Will there still be special schools?

There is no plan for special schools to close. The Ministry acknowledges that in the Special Education Review in 2010 parents indicated they wanted the whole continuum of provision retained. This included special school provision.

My child receives an Outreach Service from a special school. Will this continue?

Yes it will continue. No change to delivery of this service is anticipated.

My child has been receiving lots of support from teacher aides. How do I know that support will still be there if I have to change schools?

In many cases teacher aide support is provided as part of the special education programme for students who are eligible for specialist support programmes, including those students accessing Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) funding. The support programme would be retained according to your child’s needs regardless of the school they attend.

Teacher aides are also funded by individual schools to provide support for a wider group of students. If that is the case for your child, you should talk with the Principals of the present and future schools about whether that support is likely to continue for your child after the change.

Will my child have access to the same specialist services, such as Resource Teacher Learning Behaviour (RTLB), if they have to change schools?

RTLB support will continue to be available for a child who moves to a new school.

Specialist programmes

How is students’ access to technology education being factored into this renewal programme?

In the short to medium term, plans have been developed to ensure continued access to technology for schools that are proposed to close or merge and currently offer a technology provision.

Four schools currently providing technology provisions for year 7 and 8 students are affected by the final decisions: Phillipstown School, Branston Intermediate, Linwood Intermediate and Manning Intermediate. These schools offer technology provisions for their own students as well as students from other schools.

It is proposed that provision will be maintained on the Phillipstown site and be managed by the Board and Principal of the newly merged  School, and the Branston Intermediate provision be maintained on the Branston site but managed by the Board and Principal of Hornby High School. All of these are short-term arrangements, whilst local schools work with the Ministry to develop longer-term plans for future technology provision. This will include considering alternative patterns of provision across greater Christchurch.

Technology provision currently offered at Linwood Intermediate School and Manning Intermediate School will be offered at Linwood College and Hillmorton High School, respectively, from the first term 2014.

Temporary classrooms will be provided where necessary to ensure appropriate classroom space is available.

Current provider	Provider following closures / mergers
Phillipstown School	Phillipstown School site (managed by the newly merged Phillipstown / Woolston School)
Branston Intermediate School	Branston Intermediate School site (managed by Hornby High School)
Linwood Intermediate	Linwood College
Manning Intermediate	Hillmorton High School

In the longer term, learning community clusters have been developed across greater Christchurch. These clusters consist of schools and early childhood providers in a geographical area. Clusters schools and ECE providers have been asked to work together, and with other education providers in their learning community cluster to develop provision that best meets the needs of the learners in the cluster. This may mean that the location of technology provision changes in the future.

How is students’ access to te reo Māori programmes being factored into this renewal programme?

The Ministry is already working on a longer-term strategy for Māori medium education across greater Christchurch.

The Ministry has developed plans to ensure that children in the five schools which offer provision of Māori medium education (Freeville and Woolston schools, and Branston, Linwood and Manning Intermediates) are able to continue enjoying this opportunity after changes.

The Waitaha Advisory Board-Mātauraka Mahaanui, the Māori medium cluster and Māori medium providers are considering how to expand the quality and quantity of Māori medium education and student’s access to te Reo Māori programmes across greater Christchurch and will be developing a greater Christchurch te reo Māori strategy.

What about Pasifika language programmes?

Where schools that currently offer Pasifika language programmes are affected by the final decisions the Ministry will work with the Pasifika Advisory Board, Boards of newly merged schools, other receiving schools, and learning community clusters in order to ensure current provision can be maintained and hopefully grown.

I enrolled my child at this school because it has such a good music programme.  How do I find another school that offers a similar programme?

Talk with the principal at your child’s school. They may be able to identify other schools with good music programmes where you could enrol your child (depending on eligibility). You could also ask other parents, inquire of other schools, check individual school’s websites, or look through various schools’ ERO reports which may refer to a school’s curriculum strengths.

International Students

What will happen to international students that are enrolled in one of the schools that are due to close or merge?

The Ministry will work with schools that have international students currently enrolled to ensure students and parents are made aware of the decision and the implications for students, the available options and what decisions they need to make. Ministry will support students that transition to a new school.

What do Boards need to do to maintain or extend their signatory to the Code of Practice for Pastoral Care of International Students status?

Appointed boards and elected boards will need to work with the Code office to ensure they have the appropriate documentation approvals in place prior to enrolling international students. Contact Sean Wheeler who will put you in touch with Code office person with responsibility to support this work.

Other

If my ECE service is on a school site that will close or merge, when will we know what will happen to our service?

The Ministry has worked with five affected ECE providers to develop plans for continuation of their services.

The Ministry has agreed that the services on the Glenmoor, North New Brighton and Phillipstown sites will remain where they are.

The service on the Lyttelton West site will remain where it is if the site area permits.

The service on the Kendal School site only has a temporary lease, and Ministry officials are exploring long-term options for this service.

My children have to go to another school, how will they get to their new school?

School transport provision will be provided for children that meet the eligibility requirements.  These requirements will be discussed as part of the merger or closure process so that all parents are clear about what they are eligible to receive and any changes to the current school bus routes as a result of the closure of the school.

If students are not eligible for school transport assistance, then parents need to ensure that they get safely to their new school. Further information about school transport is available at the Ministry website.

My school provides a very successful breakfast club programme run by caregiver volunteers. When the school closes, how do I know there will be something similar in my child’s new school?

You should talk with the Principal at your child’s new school – they may already have a programme or be planning to introduce one. You could also talk with the parent volunteers in the closing school about the possibility of developing a similar programme in the child’s new school.

What about the Kiwi Can programme which has been a big success in my child’s school. Will it exist in a new school?

You could talk with the Principals at your child’s current and future school about their plans to make this programme available.

What will happen to the school’s sports team if the school has to close?

Talk to the principal of your child’s new school about sports and how newly enrolled children can participate.

My child has had access to after school activities and/or after school care? What will happen to this programme if this school closes?

You should talk to the principal or Board members of your child’s new school – if there is demand, the Board may be interested in establishing an out of school programme. Alternatively there may be community run programmes operating in your area – check with other parents.

We bought new school uniforms for our children last year and now their school is closing. We can’t afford to replace them.

No school is closing or merging until 2014 at the earliest. If you need to enrol your child in a different school, you should talk with the Principal and see what may be available to help families in your situation.