Director of education for T\u0101maki Makaurau South and Southwest, Deidre Alderson, said the Government steps in when a school\u2019s operational team \u201cdevelop areas of concern that they cannot resolve without outside help\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn these situations, we are available to step in with the appropriate support and expertise, allowing the school to focus on teaching and learning. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn this instance, Isabel Dixon has been appointed as Commissioner to South Auckland Middle School, with the aim of returning the school to full and effective self-management as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
A message on the school\u2019s website from Dixon said the appointment is intended to strengthen governance arrangements.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ministry has confirmed full confidence in the leadership and management of the school, and that does not change with this appointment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dixon said the commissioner\u2019s role was to \u201cstrengthen governance settings so the school could continue to operate with stability and confidence\u201d, with the goal of eventually returning the school to a properly constituted board.<\/p>\n
The school was one of the first five partnership schools, or charter schools, approved by the National Government in 2013.<\/p>\n
It opened in 2014 and was sponsored by the Villa Education Trust. <\/p>\n
When charter schools were abolished by Labour in 2017, South Auckland Middle School negotiated a transition into the state system. <\/p>\n
Then-Education Minister Chris Hipkins formally classified South Auckland Middle School as a designated character school in August 2018, allowing it to retain its \u201ceducational philosophy\u201d and Christian-based teachings while becoming a state school. <\/p>\n
The new state school officially opened in 2019.<\/p>\n