What a wonderful year it has been at Nayland College. Our students constantly amaze me with their ideas, talents, achievements, social actions and support of their peers. This truly is a fantastic school to lead and I enjoy my job immensely.

It is now four years since I commenced as principal of Nayland College. While there have been changes over this time I do believe we have managed to keep what is important about the school at the forefront moving ahead. We are a school that puts the needs and interests of students at the heart of all decision making, we care about each and every student and have put a strong emphasis on creating individual learning pathways that meet the needs of a wide range of learners. Perhaps one aspect of our school that is not so obvious from the outside is our ongoing commitment to improving teaching and learning within the classroom. Working alongside Cognition Education and our Kahui Ako (Community of Learning) we have set up systems and procedures for guiding and supporting staff to reflect upon their teaching practices. Recently Nayland College was featured in the Education Gazette regarding this ‘Impact Coaching’ programme and you can read the full article here: https://gazette.education.govt.nz/articles/impact-coaching-improves-engagement-with-students-2/

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate staff members Maree Shalders, Manager of our Alternative Education Centre (run in conjunction with Nelson College and Nelson College for Girls) and our Head of Music, Nigel Weeks, for winning Local Hero awards last night for their ongoing commitment to the wider Nelson community.

Finally, thank you to all of you for your ongoing support of Nayland College. Have a very safe and enjoyable festive season and I look forward to working in partnership with all of you again in 2019.

Nga mihi nui

Daniel Wilson
Principal