Source: Radio New Zealand
The Education Review Office has released a new guide to help parents understand what makes a good school. 123RF
The Education Review Office [ERO] has released a new guide to help parents understand what makes a good school.
The Guide to Schools provides practical advice on choosing a school and understanding performance, asking questions and raising concerns.
ERO acting chief review officer Tim Fowler said more informed and engaged parents help their children get more from their education, which leads to better outcomes.
ERO acting chief review officer Tim Fowler. Supplied / ERO
“ERO reviewers are in schools across the country every day and our researchers are analysing and reporting on what works and what doesn’t.
“We know that parent and whānau involvement in their children’s education makes a huge difference,” Fowler said.
“As we developed and tested our new school reports with parents and whānau across the country, they told us that they wanted to understand more about what makes a great school.”
The guide sets out 14 key areas that matter most for education quality and features suggested questions for parents to ask, for example when they visit schools, as well as who and how they should ask.
The 14 key areas are:
- Student achievement
- Student progress
- Reading and writing and foundational literacy
- Mathematics and foundational literacy
- Attendance
- Engagement and belonging
- Equity
- Leadership
- Teaching
- Curriculum
- Assessment
- Provision for students with additional needs
- School improvement
- Governance and the school board
“We know that many parents and whānau want to be engaged in their child’s learning – but that they face barriers. They told us that they are worried about asking questions and need clearer information about what they can ask and who they should ask.
“Equally, principals said they welcome parents being actively involved and interested and would like parents to be better informed on how they can approach schools constructively,” Fowler said.
The guide also has information on where to find ERO’s schol reports and other resources that are helpful for whānau and has been designed to accompany ERO’s new School Review Reports.
“Parents’ decisions and involvement with their child’s school makes a big difference. This guide will help parents talk to their child’s school, about what matters most,” Fowler said.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand