Freemans Bay School, which opened in 1888, will have capacity for 600 students following the rebuild. The new facilities will include a new learning block, library, administration building and Rumaki Whānau Ata, the school’s Maori Immersion Unit.

The new learning block will be an innovative learning environment, which will have flexible learning spaces.

The school's board of trustees is contributing $1.2 million towards a new multipurpose hall.

Work is expected to be complete by the end of 2017, ready for students to begin the 2018 school year in their new facilities.

State and state-integrated schools and kura involved in Communities of Learning | Kāhui Ako receive ongoing operational funding and staffing support. 

The Forum has met regularly since June 2012 to consider key issues in education. 

In 2016 the Forum will continue to bring together leaders from across the system to share and exchange information, and to advise on the education work programme which supports the Minister of Education’s priorities. It is intended that members will share this information with their community.

As in 2015 there will be both National and Regional Forums. This complementary focus will help to give effect to the Minister’s priorities and associated work programme in a wide range of settings.

In 2016 the National Forum will meet in Wellington on 11 March, 26 May, 19 August and on 18 November in Auckland. Attendees include national and regional representatives.

The Regional Forums will meet twice in each of the ten regions. An additional round of leadership forums will also be held.

In this section

• Ministerial Cross Sector Forum members 2017
• Ministerial Cross-Sector Forum members 2016
• Ministerial Cross-Sector Forum meetings 2015
• Ministerial Cross-Sector Forum meetings 2012-2014

Find out about the specific details of each of our study awards and scholarships, including:

• application dates
• what the scholarships and awards offer
• criteria for applying
• applying online.

You can apply for the awards and scholarships from from1 August 20172016 .

Study AwardsScholarships closing in February 2017

• Child and Family Psychology Internship Scholarship opens 1 August 2017 and closes 30 September 2017.
• Educational Psychology Internship Scholarship opens 1 August 2017 and closes 30 September 2017.
• New Zealand Sign Language Interpreting Scholarshipopens 1 October 2017 closes 30 January 2018.
•  
  opens 1 October 2016 closes 17 February 2017.
• Speech Language Therapy Scholarshipopens 1 October 2017 closes 30 January 2018.
• New Zealand Sign Language Tutor Scholarship opens 1 August 2017 closes 30 November 2017.
 
opens 1 October 2016 closes 28 February 2017.

Possible changes

We may change the eligibility criteria, dates and the terms and conditions for any award or scholarship at any stage to meet new and changing requirements.

Assistive technology application form

Transfer FormTransfer Form– for school teams to use when equipment is no longer required, if the student leaves schools or if the student changes schools.

Repair or Replacement form– for schools to use when they require  a repair or replacement

Management plan– for use by schools to care and manage the allocated technology

Variation form– to use if there is a change in cost from original application

Training plan form – to use for very specialised technology where external training is required

Review form– school to complete after AT has been allocated for 6 months or more

• Finding a job
• Getting into (or back into) teaching
• Employment agreements, pay, allowances and benefits
• Employment relationship problems
• South Australia and New Zealand Principal Exchange: applications closed 27 February 2017on 13 May 2016

Finding a job

Teachers, administrators and other support staff are directly employed by schools. Schools advertise vacancies and manage their own appointment processes. If you are looking for this type of role see the vacancies available in the Education Gazette .

Getting into (or back into) teaching

If you are interested in becoming a teacher or rejoining the profession after a break, the TeachNZ website has information about qualifying as a teacher, study grants for existing teachers, getting back into the profession and teachers with overseas qualifications. You can also find out about scholarships available for students studying to become a teacher.

Employment agreements, pay, allowances and benefits

Find out about your collective agreements, individual employment agreements, pay scales, increments, allowances and other benefits.

• Principals
• Teachers
• Other staff
• Collective agreements full list

Employment relationship problems

An employment relationship problem could be a personal grievance or a dispute about the meaning or application of any part of an individual employment agreement. There is a set process to follow to resolve employment relationship problems , including help and mediation through the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

South Australia and New Zealand Principal Exchange

Applications are now closed for the South Australia and New Zealand Principal Exchange 2017. are open until 27 February 2017.

Date 13 June 2013 | Circular 2013/06 | Category Finance Governance 

This circular is about requests for payments in schools.

This circular replaces Circular 1998/25 issued June 1998

The action needed is to ensure that current practice is consistent with the advice provided in this circular.

It is intended for Boards of Trustees and Principals of all state and state integrated schools, and Proprietors of all state-integrated schools.

For more information about this circular, direct any inquiries to the National Office of the Ministry of Education or your local Ministry of Education Senior Financial Advisor.

Introduction

This circular provides advice on the rights of Boards of Trustees, Proprietors, parents, and students in respect of requests for donations ¹ and other forms of payment in schools. The advice includes information about:

• section 3 of the Education Act 1989 relating to the right to free enrolment and free education
• attendance dues and donations paid to Proprietors at state-integrated schools
• the provision of information for parents

The previous circular on payments by parents (Circular 1998/25) has been refreshed, and includes reference to examples of a more contemporary nature. The substance of the advice contained in the previous circular has not changed – because the relevant law has not changed.

Terminology

This circular covers the three basic types of payments by parents ² to schools:

1. attendance dues - parents have no choice at all but to pay (state-integrated schools only). This is the only instance of a compulsory payment in schools.
2. charges– payment must be made for the purchase of goods or services, but only after a parent has freely chosen to make the purchase. Examples include food from the canteen, and a stationery pack bought from the school rather than from a downtown retailer.
3. donations– payment is entirely voluntary. Donations fall into two categories – general (for any unspecified purpose) and specified (for a particular purpose, such as library books or sports equipment).

Summary

School payment requests may vary from school to school. There is no charge for education at state and state-integrated schools for students aged 5-19 years who are domestic students ³ .

In state and state-integrated schools charges can apply where a student has chosen to buy and take home an item or chosen to participate in an activity additional to the delivery of the curriculum. As with the supply of any good or service, prior agreement is needed before any charge can be made. Boards of Trustees may also ask for, but cannot insist on, payment in advance for various goods or services it knows are likely to be provided during the year.

Proprietors of state-integrated schools may charge a compulsory levy called “attendance dues”. The level of attendance dues must not be greater than the amount approved by the Minister of Education and published in the New Zealand Gazette. There can be no interest charged for unpaid dues. Proprietors are also able to seek donations.

Other than attendance dues in state-integrated schools and charges for goods or services, all other requests for payment should indicate clearly that they are a request for a donation and accordingly are voluntary in nature. Boards of Trustees and Proprietors are able to request donations, and may suggest an amount for a general or specified donation. Where a donation is requested, payment can neither be insisted on nor enforced and interest should not be charged.

In prospectuses, website information, and notices to parents, Boards of Trustees must clearly distinguish between charges and donations. Further, in state-integrated schools, it must be made clear which payments are being sought by the Board of Trustees and which are being sought by the Proprietor.

Boards can demand payment only when there has been clear agreement to accept the good or service. Where there has been no acceptance, any demand for payment is unlawful. Unless parents agree to purchase goods and services they will not be liable for any payment.

Boards of Trustees may:

• ask for donations (either general or specified)
• sell goods or services to students or families.

Boards of Trustees should:

• clearly indicate to parents that payment of any requested donation is voluntary in nature
• ensure that prior agreement is sought before any charges are made for supplying goods or services
• inform parents that they may qualify for an income tax credit from Inland Revenue in relation to donations made to the school.

Boards of Trustees should not:

• describe voluntary contributions or donations as “fees”, “charges”, or “levies”
• charge parents for information about enrolment at the school
• demand any form of payment to confirm enrolment at the school
• demand payment of any bonds, insurance, membership fees or levies
• demand a fee to cover the cost of either tuition or materials used in the provision of the curriculum
• levy parents for any operational costs like heat, light and water charges
• exclude students from trips or activities that are part of curriculum delivery because of their parents’ inability or unwillingness to pay a requested donation
• charge parents for tuition costs. The notion of the "take-home component" (something the student or family can choose to purchase for their own use) remains the test as to whether charges can be made for materials
• charge for tertiary-level courses that are purchased by the school and then offered as part of the school programme for senior students
• mislead parents in any way as to the nature of amounts included in invoices or reminder notices
• invoice parents for donations in such a way that they appear to be owed
• withhold information or privileges because a parent has not paid a donation
• alienate students because parents have not paid a donation
• pressure parents into making a voluntary purchase or donation.

Legislative context

The right to free enrolment and free education

Section 3 of the Education Act 1989 states that every domestic student is entitled to free enrolment and free education at a state school from the person's 5th birthday until 1 January following the person's 19th birthday ⁴ . The right to free enrolment and free education means that Boards of Trustees may not charge a fee for enrolment or attendance of domestic students. The only exception to this rule is the provision for Proprietors of state-integrated schools to charge attendance dues.

Roles and responsibilities of Boards of Trustees

National Administration Guideline 4 (NAG 4) requires a Board of Trustees to:

• allocate funds to reflect the school’s priorities as stated in its Charter
• monitor and control school expenditure
• ensure that annual accounts are prepared and audited as required by the Public Finance Act 1989 and the Education Act 1989.

A Board of Trustees may delegate its day-to-day financial management responsibilities to the Principal.

Proprietors of state-integrated schools

Section 36 of the Private Schools Conditional Integration Act 1975 enables Proprietors to collect attendance dues once those dues have been approved by the Minister of Education and notified in the New Zealand Gazette. The attendance dues are compulsory. Non-payment may result in Court action, and the Principal of the school may suspend a student and remove that student’s name from the school register if the dues are not paid.

Section 36 also requires Proprietors to provide audited annual accounts of attendance dues income and expenditure to the Secretary for Education.

Section 37 makes provision for Proprietors to seek contributions (donations) for any purpose. Those contributions must be voluntary. Proprietors must make audited accounts of those contributions available on request to parents and to other contributors.

General

School fees or activity fees

The right to free education guaranteed by Section 3 of the Education Act 1989 means that there should be no charges associated with the delivery of the curriculum. There are no school fees or levies in state or state-integrated schools and the terms should not be used in communication to parents. The terms “fees” and “levies” should not be used to describe donations.

Donations

Many Boards of Trustees (and Proprietors) will ask parents to pay a specified sum of money to support the provision of additional services which benefit students. It is lawful to seek such donations (general or specified) – but they are voluntary. Parents have the right to pay donations in full, in part, or not at all.

Charges for Goods or Services

Schools do offer consumables (such as items from the canteen), take-home items (such as items made during technology classes), stationery, clothing, and activities (such as extra lunch time sports tuition, a trip to the theatre) that enhance but are not part of the delivery of the curriculum. Schools should provide students and parents with information on any charges before they agree to receive goods or services.

School policies and processes

Boards of Trustees should have policies and processes covering requests for and collection of payments, and should ensure that teachers and parents are aware of these policies.

Teachers in all subject areas use various materials to assist them deliver the curriculum. Some schools seek to recover the cost of these by attempting to charge parents for them. Only where there is a very clear take-home component (an item the student or family chooses to buy and take home) would a Board be able to charge for materials. A student is never obliged to buy any item produced at school.

Fundraising by Proprietors

Under the Private Schools Conditional Integration Act 1975, Proprietors may fundraise. This means Proprietors of state-integrated schools may request donations. Parents cannot be compelled, however, to pay donations or to become involved in fundraising activities.

Financial management of payments

Requests for payment must make a clear distinction between attendance dues, charges, and donations - and between Board of Trustees’ and Proprietors’ items.

Ideally, invoices should specify attendance dues (for state-integrated schools) and charges for agreed optional goods or services only. Strictly speaking, Boards of Trustees and Proprietors cannot “invoice” donations as non-payment of donations does not give rise to a debt that is owed. On the other hand, it can make practical sense to list all requests for payments in a single document. In such cases, it must be made very clear which payments are voluntary and which are not. It is misleading to include a donation within a total which is described as “owed” by a family.

Schools should not record unpaid donations in accounts receivable.

Attendance dues and donations to a Proprietor must be accounted for separately from Board of Trustees items, since they are the income of the Proprietor, and not of the Board. In particular, there must be no suggestion that attendance dues and donations are one and the same thing.

Notices or reminders which are poorly set out or where items are not correctly described can cause confusion. The terms “fee” and “levy” should not be used in relation to donations.

Donations become part of Board of Trustees’ funds once given to the school, and thus must be accounted for and spent by the Board in accordance with the Board's normal legal responsibilities.

Payroll giving

State and state-integrated schools or their Boards of Trustees automatically have approved Inland Revenue donee organisation status and so are eligible for payroll giving ⁵ .

Board action in cases of non-payment

At no time should students, or their families, be placed in a position to be embarrassed over non-payment of either a debt or a requested donation.

Where a family has agreed to buy a good or service then a normal debt has been incurred and may be collected if unpaid.

The public identification in any way, by inclusion or omission, of parents who have or have not made a donation is inappropriate and likely to breach the Privacy Act 1993. Similarly, any debt owed is a matter strictly between the school and the family concerned.

In encouraging payment of donations Boards of Trustees should remember that payment is a choice rather than an obligation.

Where parents are unable to meet the request for donations, pressure to make financial arrangements for payments should not be placed on the parents. No student should be harassed, or denied information or privileges because a parent has not paid a donation. Any action designed to pressure parents into making a donation could be seen as a contravention of the Education Act 1989.

Linking the provision of certain items or activities such as the school magazine, student identity cards, or subsidised travel for sports teams directly to the payment of the donation may affect the tax treatment of the payment. It indicates that the school donation is not a voluntary donation but is a payment for goods and services. This may mean that parents would be ineligible for an income tax credit, and that the Board would have to pay GST on the payment it receives.

Withholding an item can have other consequences – for example, if the student ID card is used as a swipe card to enable students to borrow library books, to withhold the card from students whose parents have not paid the school donation would have the effect of denying the student a privilege that is available to other students. It is also worth remembering that the library building will have been provided by the Government (or Proprietor) and most of the books will have been purchased with operational funding.

Boards should not withhold information ⁶ or items such as reports or certificates to encourage parents to pay a donation or to resolve unpaid debts. Boards are required by the National Education Guidelines to report on student progress and students have a right to access personal information held by the school without charge.

It is acceptable for Boards to remind parents (particularly at the end of a year) of amounts of any debt owed or a donation the board would like to receive. Boards should take care to differentiate between repeated requests for a donation and actual debts relating to items or activities for which a student or family agreed to pay or the non-payment of attendance dues.

There should be no attempts by Principals or Boards to use debt collection methods to attempt to receive donations. There should be no communication with students and/or their families suggesting there are consequences for non-payment of donations.

Provision of information for parents

All parents should be given clear information showing which payments are enforceable and which are voluntary. At the beginning of the school year, or on a student’s enrolment, parents should be made aware of the school’s policy regarding the request for donations and other forms of payment.

When referring to donations in the school prospectus and notices to parents, Boards of Trustees should not use the words “fee” or “levy” or any other term which implies that payment is compulsory. Similarly, Boards should not indicate that it is mandatory to buy goods and services.

When specifying and collecting donations, Boards of Trustees may find it useful to take the following steps:

• specify the amount of a donation in the school prospectus or in an information letter to parents
• state that the donation is voluntary
• describe the uses to which the donation(s) will be put
• state how and to whom payment is to be made
• state how and when a receipt will be provided
• advise how parents can pay for donations and charges – whether by cash, cheque, credit card, automatic payment, internet banking or eftpos; in lump sum or monthly, fortnightly or weekly payments, or via payroll giving.

Parents should be advised that donations may qualify for a tax credit.

Specific issues relating to payments in schools

Boards cannot charge for the following:

Boards can legally charge for:

Tertiary-level provision

Boards need to ensure that a very clear distinction is made between the two types of tertiary-level provision and that students understand the basis on which they are being enrolled in tertiary courses.

Boards can charge for:

Boards cannot charge for:

Further advice and guidance

If parents have concerns regarding payments sought by schools, the first approach should be to the Board of Trustees (and/or the Proprietor if in relation to attendance dues and donations sought by the Proprietor), as it is the governing body of the school and responsible for governance and management.

Parents can also seek advice from the Parent Legal Information Line on 0800 499 488. The Parent Legal Information Line is a free nationwide service that offers callers legal information and assistance on a wide range of issues including school payments.

Principals and Boards of Trustees can contact the New Zealand Schools Trustees Association helpdesk free of charge on 0800 stahelp, or their Ministry of Education Regional Senior Financial Advisor.

If it is brought to the attention of the Ministry of Education that a Board of Trustees or Proprietor may be acting unlawfully in respect of matters covered by this circular, the Ministry will seek compliance with legislation.

Issued by

Marilyn Scott, Group Manager, Education, Curriculum and Performance
Ministry of Education, National Office, 45 – 47 Pipitea Street, Thorndon, P O Box 1666, Wellington, New Zealand
Phone 04 463 8000, Fax 04 463 81001

Footnotes

¹ Please note that in this circular the guidance on donations for Boards of Trustees applies equally to Proprietors of state-integrated schools.
² Please note that in this circular, “parent” includes guardian or caregiver.
³ Circular 2012/01 – Eligibility to enrol in New Zealand Schools.
⁴ Students with a relevant Section 9 Agreement including those in the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) can stay at school to the age of 21.
⁵www.ird.govt.nz/income-tax-individual/tax-credits/payroll-giving/
⁶ In responding to requests under either the Official Information Act 1982 or the Privacy Act 1993 Boards should be aware that non-payment of a debt or a donation would not be regarded as sufficient reason to withhold information from a requester.

Students, teachers and the wider school community were joined by dignitaries, including the Prime Minister and Minister of Education, to mark the occasion.

Haeata Community Campus, a Year 1-13 school in Wainoni, is part of the Government’s $1.137 billion investment in greater Christchurch’s education network.

More than 900 students have started the year at the new school. Haeata Community Campus has flexible learning spaces, including large open spaces and smaller break out rooms, allowing students to learn in groups, work with their peers or learn independently.

Other facilities include a multipurpose theatre space, gymnasium, specialist learning facilities, a dance studio, music rehearsal and recording studio. Sports facilities include rugby and soccer fields, hard courts for netball and a running track.

Acoustics, lighting, heating and air quality are high quality, to help students concentrate. The facilities are equipped with technology infrastructure specifically designed to support digital learning.

Haeata has been built under the Ministry of Education’s second Public Private Partnership, along with Rolleston College, Wakatipu High School and Ormiston Junior College.

The new campus includes a satellite unit for Ferndale School, which is a special education school.

Haeata was the name given by Ngāi Tūāhuriri, and means new dawn.

So the government has set a Better Public Service goal to increase participation, and it’s set a target that "in 2016, 98% of children starting school will have participated in quality ECE".

To help achieve this target, the Ministry has several participation initiatives that make it easier for families to find an ECE service they like that meets their needs.

The Ministry is working with communities

The Ministry believes that each community knows what will work best. We support communities to put together local initiatives, innovation and actions that stimulate demand for early learning and increase participation by our youngest learners. 

Our approach has four strands.

1. To partner with Māori and Pasifika communities to understand and co-construct solutions and outcomes for their tamariki, looking for ways to address gaps in provision and improve the quality in early learning.
2. To seek support from the broad community, including churches, employers, sports clubs and social service groups.
3. To work with other agencies, including the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Health, Te Puni Kōkiri and the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs.
4. To work with low decile schools to identify families where children are not taking part in ECE and work with them to get higher participation.

Setting up community action groups

We have set up community action groups, which drive the delivery of action plans to raise the value of early learning. They are made up of people who have interest, connections, passion, drive and reach – the 'doers' in their communities – and they encourage early learning in ways that are meaningful for their communities.

They help create demand, fill available ECE places, and address supply issues. To date, more than 30 community action groups have been set up.

Promoting early learning

The Ministry also promotes early learning and ECE at places where families and children are likely to naturally come together, for example, at community festivals.

We support community events, such as play days and street parties, to promote early learning and raise awareness of its benefits. It’s this kind of innovation that reaches families who might not otherwise have access to information about the benefits of early learning. These events target families with children under 5 who are not currently in ECE.

Read four examples

Example 1

A shared space to play and learnA shared space to play and learn

Example 2

Weaving together as one Weaving together as one 

Example 3

Opening of Featherston Puna Kāinga - Ngā Manu Kākākura ō Te Ao Turoa

Example 4

Confident, connected whānau - Poipoia te Mokopuna

Making ECE participation easier

The Ministry of Education sets up participation initiatives in areas where many children aren’t going to ECE. A lot of its focus is on Māori and Pasifika children and those from low socio-economic backgrounds. The initiatives make it easier for families to find an ECE service that is affordable, is easy to get to, feels right for them and has suitable hours.

Two examples of participation initiatives are Engaging Priority Families (EPF) and Targeted Assistance for Provision (TAP).

Working through Engaging Priority Families (EPF)

EPF coordinators help 3 and 4 year old children to go to ECE. They support the hardest-to-reach families, helping them to find the right ECE for them, encouraging regular attendance, supporting learning at home and helping them with the transition to school. There are 29 EPF initiatives across the country, working in communities with the most need.

Working through Targeted Assistance for Provision (TAP)

TAP is to provide funding through grants, incentives and partnerships to provide new ECE places where they are needed most. Over the past 4 years, it’s made 166 grants and created over 6,200 new places.

By using partnership-based funding, it’s kept the average cost of each place at just over $10,300 – a huge improvement on previous schemes that created child places at an average cost of $25,000.

Progress towards the 98% target

The December 2016 ECE prior participation rates nationally and for priority groups are as follows:

The ECE prior participation rate for children starting school in the year to 31 December 2016 was 96.7%, up 0.3 percentage points on the year-ended December 2015 rate and up 0.1 percentage points from 96.6% for the year-ended June 2016.

The prior participation rate for Māori children increased 0.7 percentage points to 95.0%, up from 94.3% for the year-ended December 2015 and up 0.1 percentage points from 94.9% for the year-ended June 2016.

The prior participation rate for Pasifika children increased 1.1 percentage point to 92.9%, up from 91.8% for the year-ended December 2015 and up 0.2 percentage points from 92.7% for the year-ended June 2016.

The prior participation rate for low decile (1-3) schools increased 0.9 percentage points to 94.0%, up from 93.1% for the year-ended December 2015 and up 0.3 percentage points from 93.7% for the year-ended June 2016.

The number of children not attending an ECE service before they start school is now very small – 782 children short of the 98% target.

We have seen achievement of the target at a regional level, and the greatest gains being made by target groups. Weekly data indicates that we are closing the gap - the rate was over 97% in the starting weeks of terms 2, 3 and 4 for 2016.

The Ministry of Education will continue to connect with the hardest to reach children and their families, with a specific focus on raising ECE participation for Māori, Pasifika, and low socio-economic communities, particularly for three and four year old children.

• The ECE prior-participation national rate was 96.6% in the year to 30 June 2016. This is an increase of 2 percentage points since 30 June 2011.
• The prior-participation rate for Māori children was 94.9% for the year ending June 2016, up 0.9 percentage points on the June 2015 rate.
• The prior-participation rate for Pasifika children was 92.7% for the year ending June 2016, up 1.5 percentage points on the June 2015 rate.
• The prior-participation rate for children starting at a decile 1 to 3 school was 93.7% for the year ending June 2016, up 1.2 percentage points on the June 2015 rate.
• The annual growth for Māori children, Pasifika children, and children starting at low decile schools are all higher than the national growth rate. We are working closely with priority communities to raise their participation rates towards 98%.

Learn more

Find out more about the Better Public Services targets for education .

Within the banking staffing year, your board of trustees may choose to:

• anticipate up to 10% of your staffing entitlement — use it in advance (go into overdraft) 
• save up your staffing entitlement to use later in the year — under use or ‘bank’ it
• operate your staffing usage on a full-year basis — no saving and no overdraft in each pay period.

• Rules for banking staffing
• The banking staffing year
• Calculating banking staffing
• Monitoring your use of banking staffing
• Banking staffing adjustments
• Recoveries and reimbursements

Rules for banking staffing

Make sure you understand and follow the rules for banking staffing.

• Your board must monitor your use of banking staffing and keep within your overall staffing entitlement for the banking staffing year (The balancing period ).
• Your board can either anticipate up to 10% staffing above entitlement during the year or save up staffing entitlement to use later in the year.
• Your board needs to be aware that if, at the end of the banking staffing year, you have exceeded the 10% limit for staffing in advance, we can withhold permission for you to anticipate your staffing entitlement in the next banking staffing year.

The banking staffing year

When you need to balance your banking staffing usage

You should try to achieve a nil balance by pay period 22. Use the balancing period (pay periods 23 to 26) to help manage any outstanding under- or over use.

Calculating Banking Staffing

There are 2 simple calculations that decide the charge applied.

The main calculation covers teachers employed either permanently or fixed term. The other calculation relates specifically for day relief teachers and additional hours worked by permanent or fixed term teachers.

Main Calculation

It is important to note that with this calculation teacher salaries and banking staffing is calculated on a 14 days calendar. You will need to take this into account when calculating an employee’s usage. The easiest way to confirm the number of days paid is to check your Staff Usage and Expenditure (SUE) report.

[Days worked in a pay period] ÷ 14 × Employment %] = [Usage]

Note:

• If you are unsure what the employment percentage should be check out the FTTE Conversion Table which can be downloaded below.
• If the teacher is in a full time position you do not need to multiply by the employment percentage.

Examples

A full-time teacher (1.00 FTTE) is paid for 12 days in pay period 201610.

• 12 ÷ 14 × 1.00 = 0.86 FTTE

A new 0.6 part-time teacher is paid for 7 days in pay period 201523.

• 7 ÷ 14 × 0.60 = 0.30 FTTE

Short Term Relief / Additional Hours Calculation

For short term relief and additional hours 0.1368 FTTE applies for 5 hours of work.

[Hours worked in a PP] ÷ 5 × 0.1368 = [Usage]

Examples

A short term reliever works 13 hours in a pay period.

• 13 ÷ 5 × 0.1368 = 0.36 FTTE

A part time teacher works an additional 8 hours in a pay period.

• 8 ÷ 5 × 0.1368 = 0.22 FTTE

Note – you should calculate additional hours and day relief separately.

FTTE Conversion Table

Holiday Pay Capping

Permanent and fixed term teachers are entitled to 30% holiday pay based on their service in the current school year (excluding holiday periods). In order to ensure that schools are not disadvantaged by terminations during the year, holiday pay in the first 3 holiday periods is capped.

The table below details when holiday pay is capped and the maximum usage that can apply

If you believe that holiday pay has not been capped correctly you will need to notify the Ministry by completing the Request for Banking Staffing Adjustments application form.

Monitoring your use of banking staffing

Banking staffing, and staff usage and expenditure reports

Each fortnight, we produce your banking staffing report along with a staff usage and expenditure report to help you monitor your staffing usage. Read these reports alongside each other.

If you are an authorised user, you can download the reports from Novopay Online. To become an authorised user, complete the NOVO5 form . Go to NOVO forms to download it.

What you’ll see on your banking staffing report

For each pay period, your banking staffing report lists:

• the names of any teachers who were paid from teachers’ salaries (TS) 
• how many full-time teacher equivalents (FTTEs) each teacher has used.

This information is drawn directly from the teachers’ payroll system.

Banking staffing modelling spreadsheet

Use our modelling spreadsheet to project your banking staffing usage for the year and to model various scenarios.

Banking staffing modelling spreadsheetBanking staffing modelling spreadsheet

Banking Staffing Adjustments

Ministry adjustments

Ministry adjustments are manually entered changes to your banking staffing usage. Ministry adjustments will be processed in situations where usage has been incorrectly applied such as:

• overpayments and stop pays
• salary arrears wrongly generating usage
• holiday pay capping issues
• total usage for a position is greater than 26 FTTE

To apply for a ministry adjustment

Please submit:

1. the Request for Banking Staffing Adjustments
   
2. and copies of any relevant documentation e.g. copies of first overpayment letters.

We cannot change the values displaying on the report at an individual employee level. Therefore, if approved, the adjustment will show in “Ministry Adjustment for Period” row on the summary page of your banking staffing report.

Funding Code Changes (Costing Adjustments)

Schools wishing to change the funding code of a teacher can by either:

• Sending a NOVO21 application to the Novopay Service Centre
• Making the change directly through Novopay Online

To charge a relieving teacher to a study/sabbatical award code you will need to submit a NOVO21 application and a copy of the coding notice.

There are no limits on current or future dated changes, however the following limits apply for any retrospective changes:

• A payroll office made an error interpreting a board’s instruction
• A board identifies an error and requests an adjustment by the second pay period following the error.
• The change relates to a study award or sabbatical.

If you are having issue with processing a costing adjustment please submit a Request for Banking Staffing Adjustments form and supporting documents e.g. coding notice or NOVO21

Note: Retrospective adjustments will not be processed during the balancing period as this affects the compilation your board’s annual accounts.

All requests to the Ministry must be received no later than 1 November. Claims and adjustments received after 1 November cannot be processed. Boards may continue to request changes via the Novopay Service Centre directly until the end of PP 22.

Recoveries and reimbursements

Recovery - Overused

If your school remains in an overuse position at the end of the balancing period the overused staffing is recovered from your operational funding. The value associated is calculated at the banking staffing recovery rate. 

Boards will be advised in writing of any required repayment and when the deduction from a future operation funding instalment/s will be actioned.

Reimbursement - Underused

If your school remains in an underuse position at the end of the balancing period the underused staffing is paid to you in the July instalment of your operational funding. The maximum that can be reimbursed is 10% of your annual staffing entitlement and the value associated is calculated at the cash reimbursement for unused staffing rate.

Boards in receipt of special reasons staffing will have the balance of any underused staffing offset by the special reasons staffing before any reimbursement is made.

Rates

The banking staffing rates are used to calculate the dollar value of your banking staffing balance at the end of the year. The recovery rate applies to staffing usage that exceeds staffing entitlement. The reimbursement rate applies to staffing usage that is less than staffing entitlement. 

Banking Staffing Guide

For a quick overview of what banking staffing is about, how the balancing period works, and what your report is showing you download the guide below.

Your easy guide to banking staffing

The Mangere primary school is being completely rebuilt, and all the previous buildings are being replaced. But that is just part of a wider transformation.

Before the 2 stage project began, the school had significant property issues including old and leaky buildings, structural weaknesses and ageing temporary classrooms.

Stage 1 of the $20 million project is complete and the new 2 storey classroom block will be opened on March 21 after the 1 year build.

The dawn blessing on March 6 marks that milestone.

The school has a brand new 2 storey building with 31 new teaching spaces and modern, quality learning environments that are open plan, flexible and will encourage student achievement.

At the end of stage 2, next year, there will also be a new library, hall, administration building and 2 new netball courts, and all the temporary classrooms and other buildings will be gone.

The school’s roll is growing and expected to continue expanding. The new facilities will allow it to provide for a roll of 670, and up to 726 students in future.

The traditional self contained classrooms of the past will be gone, and teachers won’t have individual classrooms or classes for which they alone are responsible. These are innovative learning environments.

There will be no rows of individual desks, furniture is movable, and students of different age groups will be studying together in shared spaces.

Rows of coats hung on fixed coat racks will be a thing of the past too, as the innovations include movable options for storing coats and bags.

The flexible design approach also includes using some play areas on both floors of the building as breakout learning areas.

New block ‘a big step forward’

Principal Stan Whata says the new teaching block and facilities will have a huge impact, and moving out of the old buildings is a big step forward.

“The difference is chalk and cheese,” he says.

“We aim for accelerated learning and these new learning spaces are going to help us achieve that.”

Māori or Pasifika make up 84 per cent of the roll, and Mr Whata says the new approach reflects their cultural perspective and supports their preferred learning style.

“Māori and Pasifika students like to learn communally and help each other to achieve, rather than to learn individually, and the new design allows for that through collaborative teaching and shared responsibility.”

He says the changes are a move away from hierarchy and from cell classrooms, which is an improvement.

“Each cell was like its own kingdom, blocked off.”

He says the change in approach means a new mindset for teachers and parents, and requires a huge shift in thinking, but promises big gains.

“It will open up new opportunities for students in a way that will bring better results.”

On this page:

• Get access to ASA
• Help to learn and use ASA
• When to lodge an unjustified absence referral in ASA

Get access to ASA

School staff who need access to ASA must fill out the  ASA access request (school users) form and send it to: e.admin@education.govt.nz .

The form must be authorised by your school principal.

Also see the the Education Sector Conditions of Use andEducation Sector Evidence of Identity requirements.

Login to ASA

3 days after we receive your form, you will get an email with your ASA user name and password.

• Enter the following address in your internet browser: https://attendance.minedu.govt.nz/shared/applications/attendance/studentsearch.aspx
• Then enter you user name and password to login to ASA.

Help to learn and use ASA

For any help you need, including technical support, contact the E-Admin Contact Centre.

• Phone 04 463 8383
• Email  e.admin@education.govt.nz

ASA video and transcript

Download the transcript for the Using the Attendance Service Application (ASA) - how to lodge a referral

ASA user guide and quick reference card

Attendance Service Application School User Guide

Create an Unjustified Absence Referral

When to lodge an unjustified absence referral in ASA

If a student has been unjustifiably absent, without satisfactory explanation, and your school has been unable to return the student to school, then log on to ASA and lodge an unjustified absence referral.

Once lodged, the referral is sent directly to the Attendance service provider who will allocate the referral to the appropriate Attendance Advisor or Kaiāwhina for action. 

For more information, go to Guidelines on how to refer to your Attendance Service for additional support .

Using the Toilet Reference Design Guide

Use the Toilet Reference Design Guide when planning to build a new, or upgrade an existing, toilet area. Project managersblock. You can instruct your project manager or design teams canteam to use these plans, or adapt them for ato your specific school site.

We strongly recommend you comply with the toilet reference design for school projects that include new toilets.

The Toilet Reference Design Guide has 3 main parts:

1. The Ministry’s recommendations for items such as location, configuration, layout, and ventilation.
2. Guidance for the finishes, fittings and fixtures.
3. Drawings showing example layouts.

Features ofDownload the Toilet Reference Design Guide

The Toilet Reference Design Guide makes several design recommendations that depart from more traditional toilet design.

Some of the key new design features are:

• Toilets are evenly distributed around the school and located close to learning areas.
• They have internal and external access so that toilets can be accessed directly from the playground.
• During wet weather and lockdowns, toilets can be accessed without leaving the building.
• Toilets are self contained, including a hand basin. Self contained toilets create more visual and acoustic privacy.
• They also allow you to decide whether each toilet will be designated as unisex or single gender use.
• Toilet lobby areas are designed to balance privacy with passive surveillance. Passive surveillance reduces the opportunity for bullying and other antisocial behaviour. The passive surveillance features do not compromise privacy inside the cubicles.
• The entry door is glazed to allow passive surveillance from outside the building. The design allows passive surveillance from adjacent teaching spaces.

Give feedback

We are always looking to improve the content and usability of our documentation.Toilet Reference Design Guide .

Secretary for Education: Iona Holsted

Iona Holsted was appointed as Secretary for Education on 5 December 2016.

Prior to this, Iona was the Chief Review Officer and Chief Executive of the Education Review Office. She was appointed to this role in July 2014.

Between 2007 and 2014 Iona held 4 senior management roles at the Ministry of Social Development, most recently as Deputy Chief Executive, Students, Seniors and Integrity Services. In this role she was responsible for services to seniors (superannuation payments), Studylink, and the integrity of the benefit system.

Iona also spent 6 years as a Deputy Commissioner at the State Services Commission.

She started her career as a primary school teacher in Auckland, later becoming an advocate and researcher for the Public Service Association and then as General Manager of a community controlled primary health care organisation.

Iona has completed an executive leadership programme at the INSEAD Business School, and studied strategic leadership at Oxford University.

She has been a mentor with the New Zealand Institute of Management since 2007, a Member of the Executive Leadership Learning Network and has served on Barnardos and YMCA Greater Wellington Boards.

Iona has a Higher Diploma of Teaching from Victoria University of Wellington and trained as a teacher at Waikato College of Teacher Education.

Deputy Secretary, Sector Enablement and Support: Katrina Casey

Katrina is Deputy Secretary for Sector Enablement and Support at the Ministry, responsible for ensuring all support to the sector and operations and programmes provided directly to learners are focused on maximising learner achievement.

Katrina has extensive experience across a range of public sector settings. She was General Manager of Community Probation Services at the Department of Corrections, leading 2,500 staff across 220 locations to manage offenders serving community sentences and orders. Katrina joined Corrections as General Manager Strategic Development when it was formed as a new Department in 1995. She had previously worked in the Inland Revenue Department and the Ministry of Works and Development.

Katrina holds a Bachelor of Science from Canterbury University and a Masters in Regional and Resource Planning (with Distinction) from Otago University.

Deputy Secretary, Parent Information and Community Intelligence: Apryll Parata

In July 2013, Apryll was appointed to the role of Deputy Secretary Priority Education Assignments. This group has been established to respond to urgent projects identified by the Secretary for Education.

Apryll has previously held two other Deputy Secretary roles within the Ministry. Deputy Secretary Māori Education in late February 2007, bringing a wealth of experience in education to this position. Deputy Secretary Performance and Change in April 2012. This group was charged with organisation-wide performance measurement, monitoring and improvement.

She has taught and held management positions in a number of secondary schools on the East Coast and in the Wairarapa.

Apryll has a BA in Māori Studies from Waikato University and a Diploma of Secondary Teaching. As well as being a teacher she has been Principal of Ngata Memorial College in Ruatoria, a Private Secretary to a Minister of the Crown and has also been the Director Education Practice at Gardiner Parata Ltd since 1997.

Some of her work as a consultant has included working in the area of Māori medium education, and facilitating reviews of planning processes at Te Puni Kōkiri.

Apryll has tribal affiliations with Ngāti Porou and Ngāi Tahu.

Head of Education Infrastructure Service (EIS): Kim Shannon

Kim is a highly experienced operational and policy leader, who has been with the Ministry since 2000. She has led significant change in the Ministry, specialising in building value, driving good business practice and high standards of public service.

She has led programmes to unwind bulk funding, bring together multiple policy teams into one group, and managed major staffing reviews. As Programme Director for the Schools Plus initiative, she led a cross-government approach to lift achievement in education by developing pathways between secondary and tertiary education.

Kim was involved in the early part of Christchurch’s recovery, driving the business case for the capital works programme through to Cabinet’s approval. As Head of EIS, Kim introduced the first new schools PPP (public-private partnership) in education.

In Kim’s role of Head of Education Infrastructure Service (EIS), she is responsible for ensuring New Zealand’s schools are safe and inspiring learning environments, and oversees management of a $23.5 billion property portfolio, with a $600 million annual property spend.

EIS also delivers school transport assistance to more than 100,000 students in rural areas and students with special needs, drives better use of technology in schools through improved ICT infrastructure and the upgrades of all school IT networks, and ensures accurate, on-time payment for state education school employees.

Kim holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and English and a Diploma in Secondary Teaching from Canterbury University. Prior to joining the Ministry, Kim worked at the Department of Internal Affairs and the State Services Commission.

Deputy Secretary, Graduate Achievement, Vocations and Careers: Claire Douglas

Claire joined the Ministry on 1 May as Deputy Secretary Graduate Achievement, Vocations and Careers. Claire is from Wellington and has held a number of policy leadership roles in central government on education policy matters. Her most recent role was at the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Prior to that Claire worked in the Treasury from 2004 to 2010 and as a senior manager in the Ministry of Education from 1990 to 2004. An earlier role held by Claire was in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries as an Agricultural economist.

Claire has a Master's Degree in Public Policy from Victoria University and an undergraduate degree in Agricultural Science.

The Graduate Achievement, Vocations and Careers Group is responsible for tertiary education strategy, policy, sector performance analysis, youth guarantee and vocational pathways, and international education. We work in a variety of ways to ensure young people transition successfully into work or further study. We also help New Zealand compete internationally as a place to study.

Acting Deputy Secretary Early Learning and Student Achievement: Karl Le Quesne

Karl was seconded to the acting Deputy Secretary Early Learning and Student Achievement in October 2016.

His previous role was Associate Deputy Secretary Early Learning and Student Achievement. He has led a number of functions in the Ministry including policy, funding, regulatory, Better Public Services, and ICT programmes, covering special education, early childhood education and other areas.

Karl has been with the Ministry since 2000 and has held a number of significant roles within the organisation such as Group Manager, Education Work Programme, Group Manager, Early Childhood Education, Director, Christchurch Earthquake Recovery Programme, Senior Manager, Education Management Policy, among others.

Karl has an Honours Degree in Geography from Victoria University of Wellington, and was a Leadership Development Centre Fellow in 2014.

Deputy Secretary, Education System Policy: Dr Andrea Schöllmann

Andrea took on the role of Deputy Secretary, Education System Policy, in November 2013.  She joined the Ministry of Education in 2007, and since then has held a number of senior management roles, in the tertiary, international and system policy areas.  Prior to this, Andrea worked at the then Ministry of Economic Development, in regional and sector development roles, for 7 years.

The Education System Policy Group is responsible for strategic policy advice on education system settings, including advice on the system’s ability to deliver material improvements for learners at all levels.  The group provides policy advice on early childhood education and schooling, and on the performance of the education system for Māori and Pasifika learners.  It also has a focus on strengthening the medium to longer term strategic focus of the education system, and manages the Vote Education Budget.  The group is also leading the development of a social investment framework for education.

Andrea holds a PhD and a Masters degree from Lincoln University, where she lectured for some years in tourism geography.  She emigrated to New Zealand from Germany in 1990, so she also holds a number of German qualifications in the area of business management and administration, and she worked in the private sector in Germany.

Deputy Secretary Business EnablementPeople, Capability and Support:Resources: Zoe Griffiths

Zoe was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Business Enablementnew People, Capability and SupportResources group on 16 February 2015.

The role is responsible for the Ministry’s organisational capability ensuring the critical people, processes, systems and infrastructure is in place to achieve the business strategies of the Ministry. The functions within this group include: IT, Finance, People Capability, Business Services and Procurement.

Prior to working for the Ministry, Zoe was seconded from the Ministry of Social Development to work as Director of the Ministerial Inquiry into Novopay. She was appointed to the Ministry’s Leadership Team as the Director of the Secretary’s Office on 1 June 2014.

Prior to this Zoe has held a range of senior roles in the Ministry of Social Development, including General Manager – Care and Protection Support in the Child, Youth and Family Service and General Manager Strategy and Service Development in Work and Income.

Zoe has a Bachelor of Laws from Auckland University.

Deputy Secretary Strategy, Planning and Governance: Ellen MacGregor-Reid

Ellen started with the Ministry of Education as Deputy Secretary Strategy, Planning and Governance on 28 May 2015. In this role Ellen is responsible for business strategy, education system stewardship, planning and governance, risk and assurance, legal services, communications, ministerial services and support for the Chief Executive.

Ellen joined the Ministry from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC), where she was Deputy Director for the Policy Advisory Group and policy advisor to the Prime Minister on social sector issues. Prior to her 3 years with DPMC, Ellen had spent almost 5 years at the Ministry of Social Development (MSD).

At MSD Ellen held a variety of roles including General Manager Social Sector Strategy, General Manager Planning, Performance and Governance, and Deputy Director of the Chief Executive's Office.

Ellen began her public service career at the Treasury over 13 years ago. She holds a Master of Arts in Geography from the University of Auckland.

Raukura/Chief Advisor Te Ao Māori: Kingi Matutaera Ihaka (Matu)

Matu has been appointed to a senior leadership role which works across the Ministry to ensure all our work helps us to lift Māori achievement. Matu supports the Secretary for Education and the Leadership Team by providing advice on policy issues and the Ministry’s capability and performance in cultural contexts.

Matu has been part of the Te Ao Māori team supporting the previous Chief Advisor, Te Rau Kupenga, working across the Ministry to support Māori achievement. He was contracting at the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, where he supported the refresh of their Māori Strategy, Te Arataki, and engagement with iwi/Māori. He has also contracted to the Ministry of Health supporting Māori Health Providers from Te Hāpua to Awarua (Bluff) and was recently a member of the National Health Information Technology Health Board Consumer Panel and Patients First Steering Group. Currently a member of the Royal NZ College of General Practitioners Quality Advisory Committee, Matu was a member of the Steering Group for Aiming for Excellence, a quality improvement framework for GPs throughout New Zealand, released in August 2016.

Deputy Secretary Evidence, Data and Knowledge: Dr Craig Jones

Craig was appointed to the role of Deputy Secretary, Evidence, Data and Knowledge in May 2016.

Originally from Invercargill and a graduate of Otago University, Craig has been involved in the New South Wales public service for most of his career. All of his roles have had a strong focus on research and evaluation to inform policy decisions with evidence about ‘what works’, for whom and under what conditions. He has held leadership roles in Justice and in the NSW Treasury and, most recently, at the Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation within the New South Wales Department of Education. In his most recent role, Craig was overseeing the evaluation of major reform initiatives across the NSW education system and other strategic research projects to inform education policy decision-making. Craig holds a PhD in forensic psychology from the University of New South Wales.

The third round was announced in Budget 2015. Following developments to the funding model and contract approved by Cabinet on 3 August 2015, the Under-Secretary to the Minister of Education announced the opening of the third application round on 14 August 2015. The application period closed on 30 October 2015.

The sponsors selected to open the third round of two Partnership Schools were announced by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister of Education on 30 August 2016.

• Cabinet decisions on the third round, and funding model changes
• Application Phase
• Briefings and Advice

The two successful Partnership Schools and Sponsors were:

• Te Kōpuku High (Kia Ata Mai Educational Trust, Hamilton)
• Te Aratika Academy (Trustees of Te Aratika Charitable Trust, Hawke’s Bay)To Te Kura o te Aratika (Te Aratika Trust, Hawke’s Bay))

Calendar of key Ministry dates to December 2017

Click on each item to bring up additional details. As new events are added or changes made, these will be mentioned in the Bulletin.

View the key dates calendar here or to import events into your own calendar view the download instructions for Outlook, Google Calendar etc. If importing to Google Calendar all events will appear at a different time. We've been unable to resolve this to date. 

Note: New events or changes we make won’t automatically update in your calendar. You will need to either download the full calendar again.

Colour key: purple - key dates | light blue - public holidays | dark blue - education conferences and events

If you wish to contact the bulletin team email  bulletin@education.govt.nz and they will be happy to help you.

Current Ministry Bulletin for School Leaders

• Issue No 66 2017 March 6Issue No 65 2017 February 20

• Issue No 66 2017 March 6
• Issue No 65 2017 February 20
• Issue No 64 2017 February 7

Application phase documents

• Te Aratika Trust application

Contract documents

• Te Aratika Trust contract

PPTA contributes to secondary and technical education by supporting its members individually and collectively, and by affirming and advancing Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

• Expertise and support
• How to get support
• Key networks

Expertise and support

• Regional Field Officers specialise in employment issues but can also assist with other issues.
• National Office Advisory Officers have expertise in all facets of secondary education.
• Workshops in areas including: appraisal and attestation, health and safety, change management, EEO and human rights obligations, Treaty of Waitangi training, timetabling, teacher relationships with students, leadership training (courses for principals and staff trustees).
• Secondary Principals’ Council can provide confidential support to other principals and a committee of senior managers who can also support schools in difficulty .

How to get support

• Contact the regional field officesContact the regional field offices  
• For membership enquiries use the online form .use the online form

Key networks

• Te Huarahi (national body of Māori teachers)
• Komiti Pasifika
• ICT advisory committee
• Rainbow teachers
• Earthquake Recovery Taskforce
• Network of establishing teachers
• Senior positions advisory committee
• PPTA women’s network

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