Latest news with #ShirleyBoys'HighSchool
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
School Sport NZ proposes ban on Year 14 student athletes in competitions
The debate came to a head in high school rowing earlier this year when a group of high school principals banded together to force a vote on the eligibility rules for the Maadi Regatta. The schools overwhelmingly voted in favour of a rule change banning Year 14 rowers from competing in the prestigious event. The issue has also been fiercely debated in rugby circles this season after RNZ revealed Marlborough Boys' College, one of the top rugby schools in the South Island, had five Year 14s in its line-up this year. SSNZ chairperson and principal of Shirley Boys' High School Tim Grocott said it is hoped the proposed rule changes, which would also include new anti-poaching measures, would address many longstanding challenges in secondary school sport. 'What we're really saying is that we're wanting greater integrity, greater fairness, and greater consistency across competitions,' said Grocott. 'Where that integrity piece fits really clearly is at the championship level. So at that top tier of competition, we're wanting to see as best as possible a level playing field existing.' Tim Grocott, principal of Shirley Boys' High School, says other principals may have said "we don't think that's right" if they'd known earlier about the number of Year 14s in the Marlborough Boys' team Photo / RNZ Niva Chittock Grocott said after receiving a strong mandate from principals to change the eligibility for the Maadi Cup earlier this year, there was a push to ensure the rules were consistent across all sports. 'Really what we want to do is re-emphasise that educational piece. Students are at school for their education, and the sport is a byproduct of that. 'If people want to come back for Year 14, then that's fine if it's for an educational purpose. It isn't for a sporting purpose.' Marlborough Boys' College principal Jarrod Dunn told RNZ last month his school did not set out to stack its rugby team with Year 14s to gain a competitive advantage. He said in previous years the school may have had 'one or two' students return for Year 14, but this year is an 'anomaly' in that they had a large cohort of eight students return to school because of the current social climate making it difficult for young people to find employment in the region. Dunn said he did not think it was fair to deny the Year 14 boys the opportunity to participate in all areas of school life. As is the case with rowing, the proposed rules would allow schools to apply for a dispensation to field a Year 14 athlete where there were 'valid educational grounds for a student's continued enrolment in Year 14'. It's understood schools would need to meet a strict set of criteria before a dispensation could be granted. Three schools applied for an exemption to field a Year 14 student at this year's Maadi Regatta at Lake Kārapiro – all three were declined. 'Poaching' and home school competitor rules The proposed changes also include updated guidelines on student transfers, poaching, composite teams and dispensations. Under the new rules, the definition of poaching has been strengthened to 'include any act of influencing, encouraging or approaching a student to transfer to another school for the purposes of sport participation', whether directly or indirectly through a third party. Grocott said the 'new to school' rules have also been tightened to introduce a new transfer process. If a student wants to compete in a championship level event for a new school, statutory declarations must be signed by the transferring student, their caregivers and the principal of the new school. 'We're wanting to clamp down on those behaviours around influencing, encouraging, approaching, and providing inducements for students to move from one school to another,' he said. 'It flies in the face of that educational piece that we're wanting to see.' However, the summary document released to principals on Tuesday did not include proposed rules for home-school students. Currently, School Sport NZ rules allow students who are home-schooled to compete in secondary school events, but they are not eligible to win medals or titles. The issue was thrust into the spotlight in April this year when Tauranga mountain-biker Amelia Twiss placed second in the North Island Secondary Schools championships, but was denied a medal. 'The board is still considering how best to include [home school students], and once a recommended approach is confirmed, it will be consulted on separately and incorporated into the final draft where appropriate,' the document stated. The consultation period for the draft regulations closes on September 12. SSNZ chief executive Mike Summerell said input from schools would be critical in shaping the final version of the regulations. The new regulations would apply to all SSNZ-sanctioned events from January 1, 2026.
Otago Daily Times
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Erica Stanford pulls pin on open-plan classrooms
Education Minister Erica Stanford. Photo: RNZ The government will end the construction of open-plan classrooms in favour of a new "flexible" design. Education Minister Erica Stanford said open-plan designs were supposed to foster collaboration but created challenges around noise and managing student behaviour. "Overwhelming feedback I've received from schools across New Zealand is open-plan classrooms aren't meeting the needs of students," Stanford said. "This government is focused on raising achievement and closing the equity gap and an important part of our reform package is ensuring learning spaces are designed to improve student outcomes." New classrooms will be built using standard designs that prioritise flexibility, like the use of glass sliding doors that can open a class when it is time to collaborate and close it for focused learning. Shirley Boys' High School in Christchurch is spending $800,000 to convert their open plan classrooms, built in 2019, into single-cell rooms because to cut down on distractions. "In many cases, open-plan classrooms reduce flexibility, rather than enhance it. We have listened to the sector and new classrooms will no longer be open plan," Stanford said. She said the average cost of a classroom was coming down. "We've lowered the average cost of a classroom by 28 percent so we could deliver 30 percent more classrooms last year compared to 2023. We're continuing to drive down costs so more Kiwi kids can access them, faster. "In 2025, new classrooms cost on average $620,000 compared to $1.2 million at the end of 2023," Stanford said. The Wellington region will get $25 million of targeted investment in areas experiencing population growth. Newlands Intermediate will get 10 new classrooms, while Aotea College will get 16. Stanford said Aotea College was a prime example of where open-plan classrooms did not work. "The lack of functionality of the open design meant spaces could not be shared or multi-purpose due to disruption and noise. This investment will deliver new, standard teaching spaces that better meet the needs of both students and staff." Planning was already under way for these projects, with construction expected to begin within the next 12 months, Stanford said.
Otago Daily Times
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Govt pulls pin on open-plan classrooms in schools
Education Minister Erica Stanford. Photo: RNZ The government will end the construction of open-plan classrooms in favour of a new "flexible" design. Education Minister Erica Stanford said open-plan designs were supposed to foster collaboration but created challenges around noise and managing student behaviour. "Overwhelming feedback I've received from schools across New Zealand is open-plan classrooms aren't meeting the needs of students," Stanford said. "This government is focused on raising achievement and closing the equity gap and an important part of our reform package is ensuring learning spaces are designed to improve student outcomes." New classrooms will be built using standard designs that prioritise flexibility, like the use of glass sliding doors that can open a class when it is time to collaborate and close it for focused learning. Shirley Boys' High School in Christchurch is spending $800,000 to convert their open plan classrooms, built in 2019, into single-cell rooms because to cut down on distractions. "In many cases, open-plan classrooms reduce flexibility, rather than enhance it. We have listened to the sector and new classrooms will no longer be open plan," Stanford said. She said the average cost of a classroom was coming down. "We've lowered the average cost of a classroom by 28 percent so we could deliver 30 percent more classrooms last year compared to 2023. We're continuing to drive down costs so more Kiwi kids can access them, faster. "In 2025, new classrooms cost on average $620,000 compared to $1.2 million at the end of 2023," Stanford said. The Wellington region will get $25 million of targeted investment in areas experiencing population growth. Newlands Intermediate will get 10 new classrooms, while Aotea College will get 16. Stanford said Aotea College was a prime example of where open-plan classrooms did not work. "The lack of functionality of the open design meant spaces could not be shared or multi-purpose due to disruption and noise. This investment will deliver new, standard teaching spaces that better meet the needs of both students and staff." Planning was already under way for these projects, with construction expected to begin within the next 12 months, Stanford said.
