Vanguard CEO Challenges Delahaunty

Vanguard CEO Challenges Delahaunty

Vanguard Military School’s CEO, Nick Hyde is happy to refute all claims made yesterday by Catherine Delahaunty and prove the school is going from strength to strength. “Partnership Schools have been created to use innovation and to try different methods in an attempt to assist any child who, if they continued in their current school environment, would fail. Vanguard has built its model around a military ethos and has a focus on producing productive citizens for New Zealand. We are new and different from State schools and unfortunately Ms Delahaunty has shown no grasp of the Partnership school model or our point of difference,” said Mr Hyde. The school uses a military ethos and to prove its success Mr Hyde has released the following results.

At the start of 2014 the school enrolled 45 Year 12 students, 41 of those students have already gained their NCEA Level 2 qualifications. Overall Vanguard’s Year 12's had a 91% success rate. These results have all been moderated by local schools, are prior to exam results and the students must take NCEA subjects with English, Maths and Physical Education compulsory. The school hopes to be able to release its Year 11 student results shortly.

The school understand that Ms Delahaunty is against Partnership Schools and the military ethos it uses. “As a school we are here to serve our students, their parents and the communities they come from. We provide a choice. When our school was first announced back in 2013 and right up until the election a wide range of politicians from all parties were invited to visit our school in the hope that we could answer any questions they may have and so that they could understand the differences we have with State schools. Ms Delahaunty has never visited the school or even spoken to anyone at our school so in that regard her attack yesterday was very disappointing” said Mr Hyde.

Vanguard Military School's priority is to get our students the NCEA qualification they enrol in and then assist them into apprenticeships, courses, jobs, the NZDF and next year when they enrol Level 3's they hope to send some to University. The school appreciate that they receive tax payers money and therefore will continue to strive for top results but are also entirely comfortable with the students graduating on their own terms and leaving to become the best they can be in their chosen field.

Mr Hyde provides the example of 2 students who gained their NCEA Level 2 qualifications during the year, sat and passed the New Zealand Army entrance test and were offered service in August. The school have assisted them to be productive citizens for our country and believes that holding them at school for a further 4 months is not in the student's best interest.

The school will in fact increase its roll next year with 127 of its anticipated 144 students already signed up. Using Ms Delahaunty’s own logic, Vanguard will be increasing its roll by 33% for 2015 going from strength to strength and becoming bigger and bigger.

“Vanguard is a new, different way of educating students. We have just produced an outstanding success rate in NCEA results and are increasing our roll next year. A number of students have achieved success for the first time and parents are delighted. This is a success story and it’s going to continue to grow” said Hyde.

Rather than allow Ms Delahaunty to cast stones from a far, Mr Hyde was happy to offer her one last chance to visit Vanguard. "Graduation is coming up and if you would like to look around, see the graduation, speak to students and their parents, meet with staff and really get to know us, then we will be happy to host you.”

ENDS

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