A Third of Primary Schools Set to Defy Government

A survey of primary and intermediate schools by the Boards Taking Action Coalition (BTAC) has found almost one third of survey respondents say they refuse to compromise quality learning for children by setting achievement targets for National Standards in their school charters.

The Government passed the National Standards legislation under urgency in 2008. It requires schools to set achievement targets against National Standards in their charters from this year.

Boards of Trustees planning to defy this first major requirement of the legislation make up 29.7% of respondents to the survey. A further 26.4% of respondents said they would take a position of "minimal compliance". 43.9% stated they would submit standards targets.

Boards Taking Action Coalition spokesperson Perry Rush said the survey gave a clear indication of the continued strong opposition to National Standards. Instead of the Standards, BTAC recommends submitting charters on 1 July, using trusted and reliable data to set high expectations for children.

In November, schools were asked by the Secretary of Education to submit their charters with National Standards targets by the end of January this year. The Ministry has since backed down over the January deadline, and acknowledged schools can submit charters at any time during the year.

BTAC was launched last November with 225 Boards and quickly grew to 300. A growing number of schools not in the original BTAC group are now backing BTAC's proposed action of collectively submitting charters without National Standards on 1 July.

“This snapshot a year after the National Standards were introduced shows the resolve of many school communities has strengthened," says BTAC spokesperson Perry Rush. “While BTAC currently has 340 member Boards, this survey indicates the number of schools planning to take a principled stand as part of the Coalition may now be nearer 600.”

ENDS

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