Alwyn Poole
Alwyn Poole founded and was the head of Mt Hobson Middle School in Auckland for 18 years. MH Academy is now an in person private school for Year 11–13. There is now a nationwide online provision called Mt Hobson Academy Connected for Years 1–13.
In an article in the Press this week, the teacher unions began their nonsensical attacks against the return of Charter/Partnership Schools.
https://www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/350178695/failed-charter-schools-cost-125m-unions-warn
Neither Mark Potter (NZEI) or Chris Aberchrombie (PPTA) are the sharpest tools in the kit, but worse is that they take the public for fools and are always prepared to walk all over possibilities for the huge number of children being failed by State schools. They seem especially adept at trying to get in the way of success for Maori and provision by Maori.
Their main thrust seems to be that the $125m spent on the Partnership Schools model in five years (when approx $100b was allocated to “VOTE EDUCATION”) had gone to State schools all problems would be solved. Math is unlikely to be Potter or Aberchrombie’s strong point and if that money had been re-allocated to the 2,600 State Schools it would have been approx $9,600 per annum for each.
They also need to keep in mind that Partnership Schools were not allowed to grow bigger due to Ministry conditions – which would have quickly reduced their per student spend.
As for declaring the model a failure – they are simply telling porkies. This is what the independent review by Cognition Education stated about two schools I was involved in founding (South Auckland Middle School and Middle School West Auckland).
In summary we find and conclude that in both schools, the management and staff are actively involved in continuous development, and the delivery, of a unique programme of teaching and learning which is based on a comprehensive ‘local’ curriculum that is aligned with the New Zealand Curriculum, and which provides for the personalised needs of priority learners ‘many of whom have been failed by the current education system’.
Based on our findings and conclusions, and our experiences in a wide range of New Zealand State schools, Cognition has assessed the local curriculum, teaching and learning within both SAMS and MSWA as being unique and of a ‘special character’ when compared to that provided at ordinary state schools.
I certainly hope Associate Minister Seymour will bring great ambition to the model and also ensure that it is fully authorised and monitored outside of the Ministry of Education. They are an entirely unwieldy bureaucracy and completely unable to deal with effective innovation without crushing it.