The board of trustees and senior leadership team at Mount Aspiring College (MAC) have announced new initiatives in response to criticisms of the school by the Education Review Office (ERO) .

Principal Wayne Bosley and new board of trustees (BOT) chair Glenn Peat said the school’s board and senior leadership had been working on the issues identified since the ERO report was released in September last year.

“We’ve acknowledged that there are concerns and we’re taking ownership of it and putting things in place,” Glenn said. “It will take some time but I’m confident we’re heading in the right direction.”

The ERO report identified MAC overall as a “developing” school. (There are four levels: needs development, developing, well placed, and strong). The definition indicates variable conditions for student learning and variable outcomes for students.

The report also said priorities for further development at MAC were building professional relationships, developing consistent systems and procedures, and building evaluation capacity.

The Wanaka App has been contacted by a significant number of parents and MAC staff after publishing a story about the ERO review last month. The feedback raised concerns about the culture of the school’s senior leadership team, and about communication both within the school and with the wider school community.

Previous: Big challenges for MAC following ERO report

“I am relieved that the ERO report has found its way out into the wider community because now perhaps something will change,” one staff member told the Wanaka App.

Glenn said it was important to note the board and senior leadership had not “been sitting in silence” since the report was released.

“It’s been the focal point of the board and the senior leadership team.”

A senior educationalist from outside Wanaka said the ERO report identified issues with staff relationships, particularly around having a shared vision/direction and the ability to work together.

Principal Wayne Bosley

The issue is “not something we’re glossing over”, Glenn said. “The staff wellbeing and student wellbeing are of equal importance.”

Glenn met with the staff (there are more than 60 teachers within a total of 130 staff) on Monday (March 2) and plans to meet with them on “a regular basis”.

“I remain very optimistic about what we can achieve. The board is very aligned and wanting to effect change,” he said.

The culture of a school starts at “the top”, and is a difficult thing to change, Glenn said, but small steps can be taken.

The school sent a letter to all parents on Friday (February 28), outlining the school’s strategic goals for the year and the future. The letter, signed by both Wayne and Glenn, said: “The Senior Leadership Team and Board of Trustees acknowledge the shortcomings highlighted in the 2019 Education Review Office report and are actively working hard to develop productive and positive working relationships across the college and with the school community.”

The initiatives announced included information sessions to be held throughout the year for the school community to learn about “what's going on at MAC” and provide an opportunity for people to give feedback, as well as staff and student engagement surveys, and increased senior leadership team and board of trustees “visibility”.

The letter also said two key strategic goals have been prioritised since term four last year: improving the educational outcomes for all students and strengthening connections and relationships with staff, students, parents, whanau and community.

The letter noted the school’s rapid growth, and thanked the “talented team of teaching and support staff who have been instrumental in driving Mount Aspiring College's academic results”. 

Glenn told the Wanaka App the BOT also wants to engage with neighbouring BOTs to open lines of communication and look at best practice. He has already been in contact with the Wakatipu High School board and Cromwell College.

The Wanaka App asked whether the community engagement initiatives should have already been in place, and whether their absence indicated such processes had slipped during the past few years. For example, neighbouring Cromwell College holds community evenings once a term. The college also surveys two year levels of parents each year on how they feel the school is meeting the learning needs for their child.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily a slippage,” Wayne said, adding that the school has operated an open door policy and has had parents coming in “quite often”. 

“We’ve sought feedback regularly over time,” he said. “The ‘face to face’ thing is going back to the future a little bit.”

The first session of MAC’s community information series will be held on March 16, from 6-7pm at the MAC gym. The BOT and senior leadership team will attend to explain the school’s strategic plan, the developing school campus, school facilities, and provide an update on the new school uniform. 

PHOTOS: Wanaka App