24 Aug 2011

School trustee resigns over national standards

10:11 pm on 24 August 2011

The chair of a school board has resigned to avoid introducing the national standards in reading, writing and maths at his children's school.

Steve Neary resigned from the board of Valley School in Pukekohe because he expects it will give in to Ministry of Education demands that it use the standards.

"It looks like we're probably going to have to tow the line and go with the national standards, but I don't want anything to do with that. I do not want our primary school to go down the track of national standards because it's not required at our school."

Principal Roger Goulstone is not sure what the board of trustees will decide to do, but says the standards are no use to his school.

Other rebel schools have already given in, but opponents of the standards hope most of the several hundred schools will stand firm.