Understandin

g Governance
and
Management
of Schools

By Kim, Kodie, Alana, Emily, and Rosie.

Whakatauki
Ki te kahore he whakakitenga ka ngaro te iwi
Without foresight or vision the people will be lost
Said by Kingi Tawhiao Potatau te Wherwhero (Emilys greatx5 Grandfather; The second Maori king).

What is
Governance?

Governance refers to the

arrangements by which decisions,
rules and policies are made. (Ministry
of Education, 2000).
Where decision rights rest.
Planning the framework for work, and
ensuring that it is done.

Providing leadership and strategy, and

must focus on the big picture.

What is
Management?

Management refers activities such as the day to day

decision-making structure within a school. (Ministry
of Education, 2000).
Organising the work.
Getting the work done.
Includes:
The subject specialisations of teachers
Resource management
Professional development programmes
Personnel management
(leadership processes which support teachers and
classroom teaching).

Who has
Governance?
Due to having an applied form of political decentralisation
here in New Zealand, authority has been delegated from
the government to boards of trustees.
All schools are effectively governed by a board of trustees
whose primary focus is every student achieving their
highest possible educational potential. (NZSTA).
The relationship between the government and board of
trustees is presented as that of a partnership.

Who
Manages a
School?
The Principal
Making things happen and
getting things done.

Reading Governance in a
school

This article talks about the concept of tomorrows school, which was about bringing the community into the
school, by allowing parents being the majority in the board of trustees. It was a great idea that was suppose
to bring relationships and student achievement upwards. It brought huge benefits into the school such as
schools can cater for their communities, able to set priorities for their own budgets and making their own
decisions. This meant that the New Zealand government is able to take a step back and is only seen as a
funder and provider. However there were issues that came to everyones attention with having parents as
being a majority in running a school, is the lack of knowledge parents have when it is comes to running a
school. What this means for beginning teachers is that it is a good idea to try and get involved with the
Board of Trustees.
Wylie, C (2007)

Delegation of
responsibilitie
s

New Zealand schools have an applied form of political

decentralisation.
Authority is delegated to them from the higher levels of authority
rather than autonomy being given to them.
The relationship between the government and board of trustees is
presented as that of a partnership - government was not handing
over authority.
The partnership between government and boards is worked through
contractual means, which requires ex ante specification, monitoring
and ex post enforcement.
Retention of control at the centre may arise because the ultimate
risk-holder for the cost of resources and for ensuring adequate
schooling provision. The government owns the problem of schooling
in New Zealand.
In making schools compulsory from age 6 to 16, the Crown assumes
responsibility for ensuring access for all but those in the remote
locations.
Politically, the government is held responsibility for making broadly
acceptable schooling available throughout the country.

Board of
trustees
The Education Act 1989 established boards of trustees. All state and state integrated
schools in new zealand have a board. The board of trustee have an active role with the
governance of the school and the strategic planning.
How to get onto the Board?
Who makes up the board?
A board of trustees should inform parents of planned meetings and welcome parents to
those meetings.
Boards often meet every

Responsibilities of the
board

The board of trustees are responsible for:

-

The school performance

Students performance and achievement

Curriculum, long term planning

Employment and management of all staff

Finance

The board of trustee is also responsible for ensuring that the school has a written charter, the above is
included in the charter.
If you have an issue you want to take to the board...

School Funding
and Teacher
Salaries
School Funding
:

Operational Funding

Staffing allowance
http://mrs.sog.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/School-Funding.jpg

Teacher Salaries:
Most of us who fall under the Bachelor of Teaching category, salary group 3, will have a
starting salary of $47,039 and a maximum salary of $70,481
These salaries differ pending on your degree/salary group.
For further information on what YOUR salary could look like when teaching in New
Zealand, visit
http://www.education.govt.nz/school/working-in-a-school/teachers/primary-teachers/

Reading -Managing
finances.
In this reading it discusses how important finance is to run a school. The School board of Trustees works
together and alongside other professionals to establish plans and do monthly reports on where and how
much money they have left because schools require money to run and are only given a certain amount to
meet their school character needs. The article talks about where and how the school will get the money
and the aspects that contribute to how much money the schools get. To be an effective school you have to
be careful with the money you spend and conservative.What this means as a beginning teacher is that you
will have to be really conservative about what you are spending your class money on at the start of the
year so you can afford to buy important classroom essentials throughout the year using the money the
school has gave you. Once your class budget has gone, you will have to start using your own money.
King J, Wylie C (2004).

Types of
schools

There is a choice of three types of schooling in New Zealand which our Government manage,
these are:
1. State schools
Choice of the vast majority
Schooling is free, but parents are asked for contribution to cover costs for
activities.
2.

State integrated schools

Special character (e.g. particular religion or specialist education).
Funded by government but may charge fees.

3.

Private schools.
Under 5% of children attend private schools.
Usually charge around $20,000 in fees per year.

Enrolment
Schemes

The Board of Trustees are responsible for the enrolment scheme, which every school must have. The
enrolment schemes purpose is to:
Avoid overcrowding the school, or the likelihood of it happening
Make sure that the selection process of all applicants enrolling in the school is fair
Ensure that no local students are excluded
Have the secretary make the best use of the existing networks

Zoning
What is Zoning?
If a school has a zone that means that all students in the school area/zone can attend that school. State
schools do not have a cap so they have to accommodate for all students in zone who apply to the school.
State integrated schools have a maximum roll cap so they can only cater to that limit. If they have not filled
all spaces with in-zone students, then they will look at applications from out of zone. To meet the roll cap
they will have a ballot from the out of zone applicants to fill the spaces. My last school was a Catholic school
and they do not have a zone, as is the case for most religious schools.

Zoning
Continued...

If students are out of zone of a school, they can still submit an application to the school. There are six
priority stages for acceptance into a school:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Applicants are first selected for enrolment if they are to be in a special programme run by the
school.
Second priority is given to applicants who are a sibling of a current student.
Then to siblings of former students of the school.
Fourth priority is given to applicants who are children of former students of the school.
Next, priority is given to applicants who are a child of an employee of the board of the school or a
child of a member of the board of the school.
Lastly, all other applicants are selected.

Incorrect
address
information
6.

You must state the address that the children attending the school live at. If an incorrect address is given
then the school may cancel your childs enrolment. If a school has a zone and families are out of zone,
there can be issues with incorrect addresses to try and get students into that school. Some families may go
to extremes such as giving the address of other family members or friends as their own address or buying
rental properties to claim as their home address. If there are any concerns about incorrect addresses from
schools, there are instances where the principal or a teacher may need to visit the home to verify the
address.

ReadingZoning
This article talks about how zoning is a framework of the concept of Tomorrows school. The article goes into
depth about how the idea of zoning has affected the way the community of the school is, for example, if you
live next to a good school, the houses in that area will be more expensive, meaning that that community of
the school, will more than likely be more willing to become involved in the school and help out when
needed, most students will be coming from homes where they get a good lunch from and are more
privileged. The aim of zoning schools was to stop the overcrowding and by putting a zone in place, meant
that everyone was able to go to school that was close by as for transport shouldnt be an issue. The article
takes an indepth look into if really zoning is that great. What this means for us as beginning teachers, is
having a look into your community the school is a part of and finding ways to get the community involved.
However it is still important to know about your students family and where they come from because you can
never assume that since a child goes to a good school in a good area that they live in that area or have
the same benefits as the other students.
PPTA Annual Conference Papers (2014)

Reading- ero annual

report 2014
This report talks about what is ERO and what ERO has to do with managing and governing a school. Ero is
very important and sets high expectations of what schools and early childhood sectors should aim for every
student to have (which is everyone having knowledge and skills for the 21st century). ERO has set goals
which they aim for every school to meet and expectations of what they want students to be, each school
must prove to ero how they are meeting those expectations.Ero not only looks after the students
achievement, but they look at issues, such as students wellbeing, Mori and Pasifika success, issues
regarding the New Zealand Teachers Council (NZTC) and the New Zealand School Trustees Association
(NZTA), such as schools/board of trustees confusion in reporting issues to the NZTC. Ero also looks at the
teachers, their professional development, equality and diversity in the teachers. Ero also does audits on the
school to see what they have been spending money on. Over all Ero works closely with the Ministry of
Education to make sure that our schools are up to standard and are making sure we are giving the children
of New Zealand a great head start into the 21st century. What this means for us as beginning teachers, is
that we have to make sure we are showing assessment evidence that we are meeting the goals of what ERO
expects us to be doing and we keep on top of assessments.

ERO - Education Review

Office
What is ERO? What do they do?
ERO reviews Early Childhood centers and schools throughout New Zealand. They are ensuring all schools
and centers upholds positive learning outcomes, knowledge, skills, attitude and habits for all students.
ERO is interested in what is working well and what improvement can be made to the school/center.
ERO Visit all schools and centers in New Zealand every 3-4 years. Schools and centers must publically
display their ERO reports, and all reports are displayed on ero.govt.nz.
During EROs time in a school they spend time talking with the board, staff, parents, students and the wider
community.
After the visit a review team presents its initial findings to the school, and community. This gives everyone
an opportunity to have a conversation about the findings and what they mean.
Ministry Inspections

Emergencies
All schools should have emergency plans in place that are site-specific. The Ministry of Education has
produced guidelines on civil defence planning for schools. The board of trustees can close a school at any
time if an epidemic, flood, fire, or other emergency occurs. For example, when the Christchurch earthquake
happened, the Board of Trustees played a large role in coordinating the schools and kept parents informed
on the changes happening with their school as time went on.
The government has various teams of people in the education sector that can support schools in dealing
with emergencies. Traumatic Incident teams are based all around New Zealand in Special Education offices
and can be contacted anytime for support in dealing with emergencies in schools. There is also an
Emergency Management team that can be contacted to help with schools planning for emergency
situations.
An example of a school emergency program:
Emergency information displayed on walls and a teacher folder in every classroom
Whole school practice drills
Yellow emergency packs
Designated first aider
RAMs forms for off-site activities
Playground book and accident register

Child and
Teacher
Concerns

If a teacher has any concerns at all about the wellbeing of a child then they will not do anything about it
themselves. They need to consult the principal who will address the situation. If the concern is about the
home life or wellbeing, the family may be rung for a chat or a meeting about minor incidents. If a child
discloses the information or if the concern is of a serious nature, then the principal will call the Department
of Vulnerable Children or Child, Youth and Family services (CYFs) and they would investigate the issue. There
is also an 0800 number for mandatory reporting that you can ring. You dont say who you are but can share
the issue or concern.
If there is concern about the behaviour or competency of a teacher, this needs to be reported to the
principal. The process the principal of my focus school followed was to then look at the issues with the staff
member in question. They would inform the board of the situation but manage it themselves. The principal
would put measures in place to assist the staff member to meet the competencies. Failure to meet them
would mean a review of the teacher and possible termination of employment.

Statutory
intervention
s

A statutory intervention is when the ministry or secretary thinks that there is a risk in the
management and operation of the school. Some types of interventions are
- a requirement to provide information
- a requirement to engage specialist help
- a requirement to develop, present, and implement an action plan
- the appointment of a limited statutory manager to the board of a school
- the dissolution of the board of trustees, and appointment of a commissioner
New Zealand government (2005)

Counselling
provision
This is quite new to our schools because in 2012 the government announced how they wanted to improve
the mental health of our students because many of our children will suffer from mental health issues before
they become an adult. Many schools provide agencies that help students who are suffering with mental
health problems to promote student well-being or Haoura, which is linked to students learning. However
counselling is also incorporated into our New Zealand curriculum, through key competencies (such as
managing self, relating to others, participating and contributing) also there is a section in the health and
physical education section of the New Zealand curriculum that talks about emotions and ways of coping. It is
not compulsory to have guidance counselors in our primary schools but as a child goes to High School it is
compulsory for them there.
New Zealand Government (2016)
It is the school principals job to make sure that, if they are aware of any students in need, those students
receive guidance or counselling. They also need to inform the parents of the events. The privacy of students
is very complex, due to the potential clash of obligations of pastoral care and privacy. School councillors are
generally required to protect the privacy of all information that is shared. They also have professional
obligations of confidentiality. The main reasons information would be disclosed is if the child in question has
given permission or if there is a possible serious threat to anyones life or health.

Treaty of Waitangi
Treaty of Waitangi Principles (The three Ps)
Partnership
Participation
Protection
There are two main resources for schools which our government has
constructed to help Mori learners succeed. These are:
Tataiako
Focuses on the cultural competencies for teachers with Mori learners.

https://nzlab.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/current-coat-of-arms.png?
w=679

Ka Hikitia
The Government strategy for accelerating Mori achievement.
Key focuses within Ka Hikitia

stronger leadership

increasing the confidence people have to work with Mori,

accountability for outcomes through performance management

using and acting on evidence about what works for Mori.

The Treaty of Waitangi principle puts students at the centre of teaching and learning, asserting that they should experience a
curriculum that engages and challenges them, is forward-looking and inclusive, and affirms New Zealands unique identity.
Te Kiti Ipurangi 2012

So what does this mean

for us as beginning
teachers???
We are not alone on this journey. We have a lot of support behind us.

Its handy to know who is paying us. Good to know what support is provided for you if you have a problem.
Whether it be financial problems, or behavioural problems.
When you begin at your new school as a teacher, find out the programmes in place.
Potential implications
Assessment data.
Watching what you spend your class budget, syndicate budget etc on.
Getting to know who is in your board of trustees and getting involved.
Knowing where to go if your students are struggling and need help outside of school.
Knowing the Treaty Of Waitangi and the 3 Ps (participation, protection and partnership.
Getting involved with the community.

refer
ence
s

Ministry of Education. (2000). The effect of school governance, ownership, organisation and management on educational outcomes. ISBN 0-477-05181-2
Smelt, S. (1998). Todays schools: Governance and Quality. Wellington, New Zealand: The Printing Press.
New Zealand Schools Trustees Association. (2015). NZSTA. Retrieved from http://www.nzsta.org.nz/
Ministry of Education (2011). Ttaiako: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Mori Learners. Ministry of Education. Wellington.
Ministry of Education. (2012). Treaty of Waitangi. Retrieved from http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Principles/Treaty-of-Waitangi
Ministry of Education (2016). Understanding School Finances. Retrieved from:
http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Managing-your-school/Guides-for-managing-your-school/Understanding-school-finances
Education Government. (2016). Primary Teachers. Retrieved from
http://www.education.govt.nz/school/working-in-a-school/teachers/primary-teachers/
Education Government. (2015). Five guiding principles steer Ka Hikitia Accelerating Success. Retrieved from:
http://www.education.govt.nz/quick-links/maori/

http://images.clipartpanda.com/reference-clipart-reference-guide-clipart1.jpg

Darlow, N (2011) Schools and the RIght to Discipline. A Guide for Parents and Caregivers. Retrieved from:
http://communitylaw.org.nz/wp-content/uploads//2015/06/Schools-and-the-Right-to-Discipline-20111.pdf?utm_source=newzealandnow.govt.nz
Ministry of Education. (n.d.) Education in New Zelanad. Retrieved from:
http://www.education.govt.nz/home/education-in-nz/
Ministry of Education. (2016). Educational Leaders. Retrieved from:
http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Problem-solving/Education-and-the-law/Governance-and-management/Enrolment-records

New Zealand Government (2016) Education Review Office; National Summary Report Improving guidance and counselling for students in secondary
schools retrieved from
http://www.ero.govt.nz/publications/improving-guidance-and-counselling-for-students-in-secondary-schools/national-summary-report-improving-guida
nce-and-counselling-for-students-in-secondary-schools/
New Zealand government (2005) Ministry of Education; Governance and management: various retrieved from
http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Problem-solving/Education-and-the-law/Governance-and-management/Statutory-interventions

Readings
King J, Wylie C (2004). How do effective schools manage their finances? Retrieved from
http://www.nzcer.org.nz/system/files/13385.pd
F
Wylie C (2007) School governance in New Zealand - how is it working (pp 1-70) retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Cathy_Wylie/publication/242632582_School_governance_in_New_Zealand_-_how_is_i
t_working/links/53fd40de0cf22f21c2f7e140.pdf
New Zealand Government (2013/2014) Education review office, Annual report for the year ended 30th June 2014.
Education review office, Wellington. New Zealand.
PPTA Annual Conference Papers (2014) Zoning, Enrolment Schemes and Choice- Educational Apartheid? Retrieved from
http://www.ppta.org.nz/events-info-forms/doc_view/1779-zoning-enrolment-schemes-and-school-choice-educational-aparth
eid