PM Launches Study Support Centre
PM Launches Study Support Centre At Christchurch School
Prime Minister Helen Clark said today that the
establishment of government-funded study support centres
throughout New Zealand would help to lift the educational
achievement of thousands of primary school students.
Helen Clark was speaking at Wainoni School, in the Christchurch suburb of Aranui, where this afternoon she officially launched New Zealand's first government-funded study support centre.
Study support centres help senior primary students at risk of under-achievement to develop good study habits within a supportive, well-resourced environment.
"Study support centres are an excellent example of the type of proven, locally-driven initiative which the coalition is keen to support. In our first Budget we allocated $7.5 million for study support centres, which up until now have tended to be operated on a somewhat ad hoc basis.
”Wainoni School in Christchurch will receive $12,000 to run its study support centre for a year. It will cater for about thirty children – twenty per cent of the school's roll.
"I congratulate the efforts of Wainoni School principal Jack Morris QSM in setting up a homework centre at the school three years ago.
"These centres can make a big difference to the educational achievement of children attending low decile schools. Even by providing children with something to eat and drink after school, these centres can make all the difference to children's study habits.
"Government funding provides centres, like the one at Wainoni School, with more certainty, pays for qualified staff supervision, and will increase the information technology available to the students.
"The government is committed to resourcing study support centres throughout New Zealand.
"The Ministry of Education is currently in the process of working through more than 50 proposals for study support centres. Several hundred other schools and organisations are known to be considering applications," Helen Clark said.
Questions
and Answers About Study Support Centres
What is the study support centre initiative?
It is a way in which the Government can financially support schools and community groups to establish study support centres, also known as homework centres, which will provide additional educational support to senior primary school students who are at-risk of under-achievement.
What is a study support
centre?
Study support centres will provide after-school
educational support for students. They will do this by
helping students develop study habits that will assist their
learning and achievement. This could involve helping with
homework, helping students to catch up work missed through
illness, or helping them adjust if they have recently
changed schools. Study support centres will provide
students with additional learning resources.
What sort of
resources will study support centres have?
The most
important resource will be a registered teacher, but there
may also be other supportive adults. All study support
centres will have access to computers, the internet and
other suitable resource material such as reference
books.
Who can set up a study support centre?
Schools
or community groups with an interest in assisting students
from disadvantaged areas to achieve their potential.
Preference will be given to joint applications from
community groups and schools, or to groups of schools that
work co-operatively to meet community needs. Schools that
apply, need to be those that teach senior primary school
students (this will normally mean year 5 to 8 students).
They will also need to be decile 1, 2 or 3 schools, and have
a roll size over 100 students.
Does this mean that small
schools cannot get financial support for study support
centres?
No, provided the small school makes a joint
application with another school, or schools, its application
will be considered.
What about isolated and rural
schools?
The Ministry will work with interested groups of
schools to investigate how ICT technology can be used to
provide study support centres to students in isolated
areas.
How does a school or community group go about
setting up a study support centre?
To be eligible for
Government funding assistance, the school or community group
must apply to the Ministry of Education using the attached
application form. Your application needs to explain how the
study support centre's programme will operate to meet the
needs of students at-risk of under-achievement. This
includes hours of opening (which must be regular and for a
minimum of six hours a week), supervision arrangements, and
an assurance that the study support centre will meet minimum
requirements. Further information is available from the
local offices of the Ministry in Auckland, Hamilton,
Wanganui, Lower Hutt, Christchurch or Dunedin.
(Alternatively, you can phone the Ministry’s National
Office, 0-4-463 8000 and ask for National Operations Student
Support.)
Why does a community group or non-school
provider need incorporated society status?
If the funding
under this initiative is not going to a school, then the
Ministry of Education is required to recognise the
body/provider being funded under Section 321 of the
Education Act. This means that body corporate status is
required before approval to fund a study support centre can
be given.
What are the minimum requirements for
funding?
The minimum requirements are: a supervisor who
is a registered teacher; suitable facilities for students to
study which are comfortable and welcoming; adequate
computers and internet access; suitable learning resources;
and food and drink that students of this age normally need
to provide an energy boost after school. Schools
establishing study support centres need to show they could
cater for at least 10% of their senior primary aged
students.
How much money will a study support centre
get?
This depends on the nature of the application.
Applications need to be reasonable, but study support
centres that operate for longer hours or for larger numbers
of students can expect more financial assistance than other
applicants. The Government expects to provide assistance to
over 150 study support centres throughout the country. The
decision on the level of funding provided will be made by
the local Ministry of Education office.
What can the money
be spent on?
The Government's contribution can only be
spent on running costs such as staffing or day-to-day
expenditure. It cannot be spent on capital items such as
buildings or computers.
Why can't study support centre
funding be spent on buildings?
The Government wants this
funding to be spent in ways that help students learn. Most
areas have spare buildings somewhere in the community, or in
schools themselves, that can be used. Study support centre
funding could be used to rent a building, if this was
necessary.
Do students have to spend their whole time
studying?
No. The aim of this initiative is to foster
study skills and habits, however, study support centres will
be encouraged to assist students to access other activities
that broaden their horizons and increase their potential.
Why can't secondary schools get the benefit of study
support centre assistance?
Secondary schools will
indirectly benefit from study support centres. The purpose
of the initiative is to help students establish good
patterns of learning at a young age. Good learning habits,
if established early in life, will carry over into secondary
school. Study support centres are about establishing sound
foundations.