PPTA

(April 2012) MP email contact details. (Ask about increased class sizes and cuts to teacher staffing Collective News request)

(17 February 2012) I received a letter from you on 19 January 2012 requesting the following information aboutthe charter schools initiative described in the 5 December 2011 Confidence and Supply Agreement between the ACT Party and the National Party:1. Research and background documents regarding charter schools used to inform the policy decision;2. Advice from ministry or parliamentary staff or external consultants relating to the development of charter schools policy;3. Correspondence, meeting minutes and discussion documents relating to the development of this policy;4. Impact statements and analysis of the effect of charter schools policy carried out by parliamentary or ministry staff; and5. Correspondence or meeting minutes with external organisations.

(16 February 2012) Thank you for your letter on December 8th sent to the Prime Minister and transferred to my office, regarding your concern about charter schools.While I would agree with the PPTA that for many students the New Zealand education system works well,far too many young people are failing to get the education they deserve. I am saddened that you don'tshare my enthusiasm for charter schools and the possibility they hold for so many of our young people.The ACT Party has stood for choice and innovation in education since its inception, and it was at oursuggestion that a trial of charter schools be included in the confidence and supply agreement. During the2011 election campaign, the then leader of the ACT Party advocated for charter schools in his majorspeech on education.

(16 February 2012) Hon Hekia Parata - In answer to a question from Catherine Delahunty MP regarding the advice given by Treasury in its Briefing to the Incoming Minister of Finance: Increasing Economic Growth and Resilience, you said that you would not rule out increases in class sizes. You explained, this was because: ‘… Treasury's independent observation was actually, quote, that "Student achievement can be raised by improving the quality of teaching, … Increasing student/teacher ratios, and consolidation of the school network, can free up funding that could be used to support initiatives to enhance the quality of teaching, …".’  ...  I have done you the courtesy of looking once more at Professor Hattie’s research on class size and the quality of teaching. This letter summarises my careful re-reading, which has resolved none of the errors in the Treasury’s briefing. Consequently, I then explain why other, directly relevant and more sophisticated research studies on class size effects on teaching, learning and achievement are more useful to schooling policy development in Aotearoa New Zealand.

(September 2011) Update from Careers New Zealand. Benchmarking career education in New Zealand.

(April 2011) The Ministry of Education provided the following table on school student management system (SMS) usage to the ICT advisory committee at their April 2011 meeting.

(25 March 2011)  Dear KevinI write belatedly on behalf of your colleague teacher unionists in the Australian Education Union-ACT Branch to extend to you and your members our heartfelt sympathy following the earthquake in Christchurch.    Along with the 3100 members of our Branch of the AEU, I have been stunned by the images of destruction we have seen in our media. The damage inflicted by the earthquake is significant, but we are also aware that there will be many issues for New Zealanders to address as the recovery effort proceeds. Not least of these issues will be faced by teachers as they deal with their own circumstances and seek to support their students as they return to school and try to pick up their lives again.

(26 November 2010) TeachNZ in the Ministry of Education (the Ministry) is seeking proposals from suitably qualified individuals or organisations with marketing, brand and contracting expertise to assist with a procurement process for promotional services.

(26 May 2010) Letter from Karen Poutasi, CEO of NZQA to Kate Gainsford PPTA President re changes to secondary moderation requirements arising from NZQA mistakes.

(April 2010)  This paper, obtained under the Official Information Act, approves a change of class for seven kura kaupapa Maori to become wharekura and thus offer education at secondary level.  It proposes a reduction to the standard area school property and funding formula for these schools which would then potentially  apply to all composite (and probably secondary) schools with roll numbers under 201. The paper also indicates a change to the staffing formula to reduce the staffing entitlement to these schools. The reasons the Ministry gives for making this change are:   The costs, particularly secondary school property costs, were prohibitive (over $100,000) which meant that the applications for change of class had been held up for over a year.   This is an interim solution for this year while the Ministry develops something more permanent.   It has been remiss in not planning for this sooner given that it was obvious secondary provision would be needed when kura students moved to year 9.

(9 October 2009) Letter from Ministry of Education in reply to Chris Hooker, NZAC, focusing on issues around student safety that Chris had raised.

(August 2009)  Presentation to the PPTA ICT taskforce.  Presenters: Howard Baldwin and Douglas Baldwin, Ministry of Education.