ERO says it has the same high expectations of every school. Photo: RNZ/Sally Round
Principals say the Education Review Office isn't giving schools in poor communities enough credit for the challenges they face.
They say the review office makes no allowances for the fact many of their students come from disadvantaged backgrounds and start school performing at levels several years behind that expected of their age group.
Leaders at one school, which RNZ agreed not to name, said ERO reviewers told them they had witnessed excellent teaching but could not say that in the school's report because its attendance and achievement rates needed to improve.
ERO said it has the same high expectations of every school.
Earlier this year the Principals Federation warned the review office was being too hard on under-performing schools and the office's most recent annual report called for stronger consequences for schools that did not improve.
Secondary Principals Association president Louise Anaru said some of its members felt ERO reports had become more punitive and the situation was creating anxiety.
Anaru said the principals believed ERO did not give sufficient attention to their school's context or to students' progress.
"Many young people may be progressing more than a year in any given year, however may still be behind the expected level or outcome, so some of the concerns are around that schools are able to show accelerated progress and significant improvements however the review focus has just been on outcomes or the expected levels where students should be at," she said.
Anaru said that resulted in schools getting a negative ERO report that did not reflect their hard work.
She said potential consequences included more frequent reviews, requiring schools to seek support for aspects of their work, or statutory intervention such as limited statutory managers or commissioners.
Anaru said it might take a school two or three years to accelerate a student's achievement to the point where they were achieving at the expected level and ERO should acknowledge that progress and support.
"The focus now is more around outcomes than the progress that's been made and it's important to look at both," she said.
Principals' Federation president Leanne Otene said schools should not be held accountable for wider social problems that were the government's responsibility.
She said schools in poor communities kept records of student progress so they had hard evidence of the difference they made for children.
Otene said some schools also recorded the achievement of students who remained with them for three or more years because transient pupils often had poor results that dragged down average achievement but were not a fair reflection of the school's work.
Asked if it was taking a less forgiving line on socioeconomic disadvantage as a reason for under-achievement, the Education Review Office said it took schools' contexts into consideration.
"However, we deliberately have the same high expectations for every school in every community. Every learner has the right to a great education that sets them up for success. It shouldn't matter where in New Zealand you grow up, you should have access to the same high-quality education," it said.
"Our school reports detail a bespoke action plan for every school. These are all focused on the things that matter most for learners - attendance, achievement, the quality of teaching and learning, leadership capability - but the plan is designed for that individual school and the areas we have identified that need immediate attention."
Principals' Federation vice president Jason Miles told Morning Report ERO's focus on achievement and attendance did not account for schools supporting students with very high needs.
"We're wanting to see ERO reviewers coming into schools and looking at things like effort and support given to students to raise engagement, cultural inclusiveness effort - that all leads to academic achievement - if there is a sole focus on looking at academic data, those things ... can get lost."
He said there was not enough consideration of the socio-economic situation of communities schools served.
"Principals and teachers support children to belong in the classroom, to engage in learning, to be able to focus on their basic human needs such as having food in their tummies, to feel safe and ready to learn.
"Some schools are working really hard to get children ready and support them so they're ready to learn and not be hungry, cold or dysregulated."
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