Nelson schools showcase collaboration

Several Nelson schools and early childhood services have been showcasing home-grown innovation and collaboration to help Nelson children succeed at school.

Nayland Primary School last week hosted a team of educators that is visiting different parts of the country looking at the best examples of collaboration in teaching and learning in schools.

“But this wasn’t just about our school,” Nayland Primary School Principal, Janice Gulbransen said.

“This has been about showing how a number of our local schools and early childhood services have come together to work collaboratively to ensure that all our children have the best opportunity to succeed in education.”

The visiting group was part of an NZEI – Ministry of Education Joint Initiative, which was formed late last year after teachers and principals overwhelmingly rejected the government’s $359-m ‘Investing in Educational Success’ scheme.

“Instead, we’re really excited about the Joint Initiative because real and authentic collaboration begins at the grassroots and teachers and principals need the flexibility that allows them to respond to their local needs,” working group member Deidre Alderson said.

“All around the country there are groups of schools and early childhood centres working together on innovative ways to improve learning for children. The Nelson cluster of schools was a great example and we saw clear evidence of collegial practice that was working well to address identified needs.”

The Joint Initiative group was particularly interested in how transition between early childhood and schools was managed and how school clusters promoted the professional development of teachers. The information from the visit will feed into the report of the group to influence future education policy.

Other schools and early childhood services taking part were Nayland Kindergarten, Tasman School, Enner Glynn School, Victory Square Kindergarten.

See the NZEI-MoE Terms of Reference http://www.nzei.org.nz/documents/SCS/NZEI-MOE-ToR.pdf