An interesting name

Elizabeth Binning in the Herald reports:

More than 200 schools are refusing to introduce part of the Government’s mandatory national standards next year after voting “no confidence” in the system.

Boards of trustees of at least 225 schools – out of a national total of 2018 – say it is time to take action against the standards, which they say are “flawed, confusing and unworkable” and need to be completely reviewed.

So around 10% of the schools boards have succumbed to the NZEI and NZPF campaign. And in fact they are not refusing to intrdouce national standards – they are just not going to tell the Ministry what targets they are setting.

Parents at those schools will it seems still get reporting against national standards in their reports. I imagine this is because parents overwhelmingly have said they do want this information.

Balmoral School, in Auckland, is one of the schools which says it will not implement any part of the standards.

Board chairman Simon Mitchell said the issue was not about having standards, as most schools already did, but that national standards would not help underachievers and would instead result in children who did not meet the required level being labelled failures.

Simon Mitchell. Hmmn, an interesting name. Is that the same Simon Mitchell who is a Labour Party activist, sought the Mt Albert nomination, and infamously known as the man who purchased the forged painting in Paintergate and got it destroyed. Mitchell is also the lawyer (if the same Mitchell) who told employees not to accept a job with a company of fewer than 20 employees due to the trial period law. Now that it being extended to all employers, will he advise employees to never seek a job with anyone?

What a coincidence.