"overflowing classrooms and timetable chaos"

February 12, 2010

Schools face overflowing classrooms and timetable chaos because of inaccurate roll predictions made by the Ministry of Education.

“The year has barely begun and many secondary schools are scrambling for teachers because the ministry underestimated the number of students returning to school,” PPTA president Kate Gainsford said.

“It is incredibly disruptive at a time of the year when students need to be quickly settling into their programmes of work,” she said.

Classes of 30 plus - with some closer to 40 - in NCEA subjects mean students have had a less than ideal start to their year.

More than 400 teachers were made redundant at the end of last year because schools’ predictions were ignored and replaced with inaccurate estimates by the ministry.

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Investment in education critical for economy

"Invest more in education, not less"

February 5, 2010

With unemployment statistics the highest they have been in a decade it is critical to invest more in education, not less, PPTA president Kate Gainsford says.

Gainsford was particularly disappointed in comments made that the 7.3% unemployment figure stemmed from poor teaching.

“If high unemployment was the result of poor teaching then why aren’t teachers given the credit when unemployment levels are down? There are many more factors in play here.

“This is not a proper position to take if there is a genuine interest to address underachievement or unemployment.

“More investment in education across all sectors of society is the only way to achieve sustainable economic growth,” she said.

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PPTA releases position on National Standards

“A child is more than a test score.”

January 28, 2010

PPTA is releasing a paper today in a bid to inform debate on National Standards and steer the country away from ‘assessment mania.’

The paper looks at the dangers of National’s standards in a country that “already over-assesses,” PPTA president Kate Gainsford said.

“Excessive monitoring does not improve teaching and learning,” she said.

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PPTA hopes reshuffle will lead to ACE rethink

Education portfolio reshuffle an opportunity for rethink on night class cuts

27 January 2010

PPTA president Kate Gainsford hopes National’s education portfolio reshuffle will signal a rethink on the poorly thought out adult community education (ACE) cuts.

Gainsford welcomed the decision to hand education minister Anne Tolley’s tertiary portfolio to transport minister Steven Joyce.

PPTA was encouraged by Joyce’s track record of problem solving, Gainsford said.

“We know that the tertiary portfolio will require a cool head and a steady hand.
“We are looking forward to having discussions with him about how community and adult education can assist with the government’s plans for economic growth and prosperity,” she said.

Gainsford also welcomed the prime minister’s decision to give Tolley more time to deal with her remaining portfolios.

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Students left carrying the can for ACE redundancies

"Schools should not be made to foot the bill because the minister has not done her homework"

11 December 2009

According to education minister Anne Tolley, students in some New Zealand secondary schools will have to make do with less to fund redundancies caused by night class cuts.

PPTA president Kate Gainsford was stunned to hear that Tolley is insisting schools use their operations grant to pay for Adult and community education (ACE) staff redundancies next year.The operations grant covers the day to day running of a school, paying for everything from toilet paper to computers.

“Is Tolley seriously suggesting boards and principals should have had a crystal ball to tell them community classes - that have been running for more than 100 years - would be slashed by 80%? Are students to put up with reduced services because the education minister could not figure out what her decisions would cost?” she said.

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Behaviour action plan disappoints

Little new to offer secondary students

8 December 2009

Details of the long-heralded Behaviour Action Plan were released last night, with little new to offer secondary students, says PPTA president, Kate Gainsford.

“While we knew it was always going to be difficult for the Ministry of Education (MOE) to shape something comprehensive out of a nil budget, it is disappointing that - having entered into the process in good faith - there is so little progress to report to our members.”

Special education funding is being reshuffled to fund the action plan initiatives – most of which will target early childhood and students in their first years of primary schooling, Kate said

“Early intervention is proven to be cost-effective, as is intervention early in the life of the problem, but some problems have their onset only with adolescence, she said.

“We are left wondering what might become of the students this plan seems to have left in the ‘too hard’ basket.”

In the same year that the MOE advised government to slash support for alternative education, there seemed to be nothing in the plan to target effective intervention for the most challenging five percent of teens in schools, she said.