Minister Hipkins, in speaking to the Principals' Federation Conference this week, said that the great challenges for the last thirty years have been the promotion of competition, and choice.

As someone whose educational career has spanned both the last thirty years and a considerable period before that, I can understand how he sees that these two elements have had more influence on the development of the network than was intended.

I can also see that choice is an important human right for parents seeking an education in a faith or special philosophy based school. Maintaining that choice while managing the state network is important.

Prior to 1989 and the implementation of Tomorrow’s Schools, pupil enrolments were contained within zoned areas around their local schools. Good schools were not magnets for enrolment and competition happened on the sports field.

The last thirty years has seen an increase in advertising, marketing and developing perceptions about the quality of schools which may not all have a basis in fact. Much of that activity has diverted schools from the key work of delivering quality teaching and learning.

Professor John Hattie says that the greatest difference in education outcomes occurs between classrooms and not between schools. It is time to put the focus on to what makes the greatest difference in outcomes and that is the quality of teaching and learning in each classroom.

The discussion on choice needs to note the way schools have been subject to decile flight and socio-economic weighting. That is the problem. What would be dangerous for state integrated schools would be for the discussion about choice to have a negative focus on the right of parents to choose a faith or special philosophy based education as part of the State’s provision for inclusion and diversity.

Ngā mihi nui,

Paul Ferris, CEO