From our Tumuaki / Principal

Ngā mihi nui kia koutou katoa, warm greetings to you all.

I was tremendously disappointed to read in the media yesterday that funding for school kaimahi (staff) to access the Ahu o te reo Māori programme has been revoked. Funding for this programme has meant that school kaimahi have been able to access fully funded te reo Māori classes for the past few years, upskilling our educators in te reo. In the past two years alone, 17 of our staff have been part of this programme, and the increase in confidence and knowledge of te Reo Māori has really shown across the school in the use of te reo on a daily basis. I completed the Level 3 course with Te Ahu last year, and the Level 4 course this year. Along with a number of staff, I was fully intending on continuing this mahi (work) next year with Te Ahu, as I have really enjoyed their approach to language learning.

As a bicultural nation, it is vital that we treasure and uplift knowledge and use of te reo Māori, and schools and places of learning play a pivotal part in this process. As a school, we will continue to seek ways to ensure all kaimahi have access to te reo Maōri learning, and that all kaiako (teachers) are continually upskilling and using te reo Māori in learning programmes, as called for in the teaching standards. 

As part of the education announcements made yesterday, Minister Seymour talked about further focus on school attendance. Schools learned in the media yesterday that a new attendance management plan will be required from the start of 2026, to ensure that schools are managing the issue of absenteeism. As a school, we take school attendance very seriously, and we have a process throughout each term of tracking attendance and communicating with families about attendance issues. We will continue with this process, working with individual families and students on a 1-1 basis to identify and address the barriers to regular attendance. These barriers are different for each student, and as such, the approach we take to support ākonga (students) and their whānau will also look different.

As part of the push on school attendance, Minister Seymour also announced a focus on teacher-only days within term time. To help with this messaging, it will be useful for me to clarify how teacher only days work, and how Amesbury School utilises them. There are two ways in which a school can take a teacher only day: 

1. Teacher only days can be authorised by the Minister of Education to ensure schools have dedicated time for teachers to understand, prepare and engage with changes across The New Zealand Curriculum refresh, the redesign of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, and shifts to strengthen NCEA. These teacher only days are part of the school term, and they do not lengthen the school term. 

2. Teacher only days can also be assigned by an individual school board, where a day is allocated to close for instruction, allowing staff to focus on specific school focused activities. These days do not form part of the school term, and for each school-appointed teacher only day, the school must lengthen its school year by one day. 

Schools are required to be open for a set number of days each year, and cannot simply close on an ad-hoc basis. If a school chooses to close for instruction on a given day, it must make up that time in order to ensure it is open for the required number of days. Amesbury School generally holds school-appointed planning or professional development days in the school holidays rather than in term time, with three planning days before school begins at the start of the year, and one teacher planning day in each term break. The other teacher only days held are usually Minister-appointed teacher only days. 

In 2025, we have one school-appointed teacher only day planned during term time, in Term 2 (added onto King’s Birthday weekend). This will be a kāhui day across our local cluster of ten schools, where educators across all schools will work together on shared goals and focus areas. This day is made up at the end of the school year, ensuring that school is open for the requisite number of days, as all schools must.

As we now head into the term break, it is a good time to slow down a little, experience life at a slightly slower pace, and take time to rest and recharge. Term 4 is always a busy and exciting one, with lots of different things going on. Have a wonderful break, and we’ll see you back ready for action in a couple of weeks. 

Kia pai tōu whakatā, enjoy your rest.

Ngā mihi nui,

Urs