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\nAn open letter is expected to be delivered to Education Minister Erica Stanford at Parliament on Friday.
\nPhoto: Nick Monro\n<\/p>\n
Hundreds of primary school principals are urging the Education Minister to halt the new curriculum rollout, saying it’s too much, too fast, without enough support<\/a>.<\/p>\n The 650 principals from the NZEI union have signed an open letter which is also endorsed by the Principals’ Federation, representing 2000 principals, as well as the M\u0101ori principals’ association, Te Akatea.<\/p>\n The letter, which would be delivered to Education Minister Erica Stanford at Parliament on Friday, said various curriculum changes<\/a> – for example, maths and literacy – were “rushed” at an unmanageable pace without collaboration with schools.<\/p>\n The principals wanted to pause the changes until their extra workload was measured and mitigated, and there was adequate resourcing and professional development.<\/p>\n Stanford has been approached for comment.<\/p>\n Principal of Arakura School in Wainuiomata, Tute Mila, said principals were not against curriculum changes but the amount and pace of change had made them “extremely difficult” to implement.<\/p>\n “There is expectations for rollout of big changes in our curriculum without having the proper tools already ready, like the assessment tools, everything is being built while it’s being rolled out,” she said.<\/p>\n “There’s been no conversations about what works, what our children actually need, and so it’s just been left for schools, for school leaders, for principals in particular, to try and muddle through on top of usual business as usual.”<\/p>\n Principals would hear about announcements through the media – “And then there’s a big scurrying of trying to get information to us with the expectation that we will make the changes,” – but that was without adequate time and resourcing, said Mila.<\/p>\n For example, teachers were allocated three days’ professional development to learn structured literacy, she said.<\/p>\n “Three days PLD [professional learning and development] is woefully inadequate to create the kind of shifts in pedagogy.”<\/p>\n \nArakura School principal Tute Mila. There was also a “one size fits all” approach without any provision for students with additional learning needs, so schools were having to develop that themselves, Mila said.<\/p>\n NZEI said some curriculum design had been outsourced to overseas consultants, and te reo and m\u0101tauranga M\u0101ori were being eroded.<\/p>\n “We have expertise on our own doorstep, but we’re not being utilised to collaborate and develop this in a way that actually works, in a way that reflects who we are as Aotearoa New Zealand,” Mila said.<\/p>\n Earlier this week<\/a>, Stanford said double the number of students were exceeding literacy expectations, based on phonics tests. The next day, an ERO report said half of teachers reported their students had improved at English and maths<\/a> following the curriculum changes.<\/p>\n But Mila pointed to the hundreds of principals who had signed the open letter, and the endorsement of the Principals’ Federation representing 2000 principals.<\/p>\n “Their experience and their knowledge of what’s happening in their community is contrary to what the minister’s saying.<\/p>\n “All I can say to that is, who knows what’s happening at the chalkface better, school principals or the minister?”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nPhoto: RNZ \/ Angus Dreaver\n<\/p>\n