Schools Denied Support by Government Decile System

New Zealand First Deputy leader and Education Spokesperson Tracey Martin has no confidence in Education Minister Hekia Parata and her promised review of school deciles.

“New Zealand First backs a full review by education professionals not one done behind the walls of the Minister’s office,” says Mrs Martin.

“The decile review should be based on the needs of individual schools, rather than a system that uses a blunt tool to calculate levels of support.
“There has been a significant number of schools that have protested and put in an appeal over the new decile ratings. This should be a massive hint to the government that the decile ratings are not acceptable.

“It shows that too many schools are struggling financially and the calculation of the decile ratings is faulty.

“Decile ratings are based on the socio-economic circumstances of a school’s population. This disadvantages many children who need extra help.

“For example, if students go from a decile two primary school to a decile five intermediate school, it implies that they don't require as much educational support in their new school.

“How does a student needing extra help suddenly become less of a priority, just because they changed schools? How does this help them transition at a crucial point in their education?

“New Zealand First believes a better way to provide funding for schools is to examine costs of delivering the curriculum, using school entry data to identify and support students who need extra help at the earliest opportunity,” says Mrs Martin.

ENDS

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