Claire Amos

Source Yesterday I found myself having a rather visceral response to Christopher Luxon sharing his visit to Michaela School whilst he visited London. Whilst the school is not my cup of tea (in terms of educational philosophy) it wasn't actually the school that concerned me, it was more what the visit represented when combined with a visit to the rightwing think tank Policy Exchange. At just over a year out from election, now is the time for each of the parties to start circling the wagons and laying out what they will each offer should they get voted into government. Knowing that Luxon was actively seeking policy ideas when he visited what is known as " the strictest school in Britain " and that he then posted and raved about how great it was is more than a little concerning, particularly when schools in Aotearoa are working so hard to decolonise their contexts and develop a genuinely responsive "local curriculum".  As I sit here and ponder what National might b...

Today we have seen a number of news outlets reporting about Primary Principal's concern about NCEA literacy and numeracy potentially being assessed as early as Year Seven. I heartily agree that this is a very real concern. One of many. Earlier this year I pulled together what I see as a range of serious issues with the NCEA Change Package as it stands at the moment. I feel confident that the review of achievement standards taking place at the moment should and will address many, if not all, of these concerns. I do however think we all need to look closely at the recommended changes as there is a very real risk that not doing so might mean we don't respond to potential issues until it is too late. Ultimately, I am worried that our collective silence about these issues may in fact be mistaken for acceptance or even endorsement. If you haven't already, please do take the time to read up on the NCEA Change Package here: https://conversation.education.govt.nz/assets/...