A warm welcome to Term 2 and to the second edition of Board Matters for 2024.

Please note the Board Task Checklist included in this update which we hope is helpful you work through your Term 2 meetings and work programme.

We have a series of upcoming professional learning and development events, which you can register for now using the link below.
 
Also included are key updates relating to the prohibition of phones, suspensions, annual reports and more.

Wishing you the very best for the term.

Your mahi for Term 2 2024  

Download our Board Task Checklist, which covers the tasks you’ll need to undertake this term.

Workshops and webinars

• Requested by you and designed by us, The Board’s Role as a Good Employer explores what it means to be a good employer, your responsibilities, and the working relationship between your board and principal.
  Don’t miss out when the workshops start rolling out nationwide on 1 The webinar is locked in for 29 May.
• Keep the focus on the student with The Board’s Role in Student Suspension Meetings.
  These sessions explore how your board can respond with integrity, fairness, and care when it’s most needed.
  Secure your spot for the workshops that start on 22 May and the webinar booked for 26 June.
• Missed out on an event or need a refresh?
  The slide decks and videos of Leading an Effective Board and Board Monitoring and Reporting

are now in the Learning Library.

Phones away for the day

Your school is now required to have a set of rules or procedures in place that prohibit students use of mobile phones while at school. The board should now seek assurance from the principal that these are in place. Have a look at the Ministry of Education website for more information.

Suspension processes

We are hearing from an increased number of boards seeking support after being advised by their principal of a student suspension. There are rules that a board must follow in this process and we have plenty of support and guidance available for you. We will be running face-to-face workshops this term as well – make sure you register to attend.

• Student Behaviour Management articles
• The Board’s Role in Student Suspension Meetings - Workshops and Webinar

Policy review – addition to checklist

We have added a new area to our Board Task checklist this term. You will see that there is a new section that is focused on policy review. This will be a regular section each term where we will highlight an area for the board to focus on in policy review. Hopefully this will align with your review program – remember that although this may not align, there are still many areas of learning that you can connect with through our Resource Centre and Learning Centre.

Annual report due 31st May

A reminder that your first annual report under the new regulations is due on 31 May 2024. The Education (School planning and reporting) Regulations 2023 now require boards to provide statements on:

• progress against your 2023 annual plan targets,
• an evaluation of the progress and achievement of all your school’s students.
• How you have given effect to Te Tiriti of Waitangi, including progress you are making towards making instruction available in te reo Māori and tikanga Māori
• A statement of compliance with your employment policy
• Audited financial statements including use of any contestable funding and Kiwisport funding.

Refer to the MOE website and annual reporting template for more detail.

Board as Employer

Check in with your Principal about their Professional Growth Cycle (PGC). Your principal should now be fully engaged with their professional learning network and established their professional development plan for 2024, as well as shared goals with Presiding member. Te Whakarōputanga Kaitiaki Kura o Aotearoa recommends that boards discuss what this will involve this year with their principal and plan how they can support their principal to undertake this mahi successfully.

Safety checking

We all have the same goal – care and protection of children to enable them to achieve to their fullest potential. Proper safety checking is integral to this.  

Safety checking is more than just obtaining a police vet. There is concern across the sector around the number of instances where minimum safety checking requirements have not been met and the inevitable impact and issues this causes schools.  

With changes to immigration settings to address supply issues, your principal may be safety checking someone who is living, or has recently lived, overseas. It is important that police certificates are obtained from any country that person lived in for 12 months or more within the last ten years to supplement the New Zealand police vet you obtain as part of a safety check.  

For more information, see our article on safety checking and police vetting here.