Nanaia
MAHUTA
Education Spokesperson

3 July 2012 MEDIA STATEMENT
League tables a blunt tool

The Government’s mooted plan to introduce league tables to rank schools is a blunt instrument that would have no impact on educational achievement and could leave parents with a blurred picture says Labour’s Education Spokesperson Nanaia Mahuta.

“League tables, drawn from National Standards, publically rank schools on a few select criteria, but don’t give the full story. Without proper context and moderation some schools may be unfairly labelled as underachieving and parents will be fed misleading information.

"The Government’s aim to implement league tables is not about learning outcomes for children, it's about National ranking 'good' schools and 'bad' school, 'good' and 'bad' teachers.

“When I visit schools and speak to parents of primary school children they want to know whether their children enjoy school, how they are going and what they can do to help that learning.

"Simply ranking schools won’t improve student achievement. This is just another distraction from a Government which has proved that it sees education as a cost rather than an investment in our future.

"Education is a priority for Labour. New Zealand has a great education system that is delivering to the majority of young people- but there are serious challenges.

"Labour believes that investment in public education is fundamental to the health, wellbeing and success of our children and it is a key driver in creating a prosperous and growing economy that benefits us all,” Nanaia Mahuta said.

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