Primary and Secondary Education

Description

Background and history

258. Primary and secondary education services are supported by not only teaching and teaching support services but also the physical school facilities (which are the primary focus of this section).

259. The last major education reform was “Tomorrow’s Schools” introduced in the late 1980s. This moved the administration and management of schools and their property from the then Department of Education and its Education Boards to Boards of Trustees to enable schools to become self-managing. From a school property perspective, schools became custodians of their property responsible for operational decision-making, while the Ministry of Education (Ministry) remained the steward, policy setter and funder of school property.

260. From 1999 to 2004, the number of students increased considerably. However, there has been a decline since:

Total Student Numbers 1999-2008 (July figures)

Source: http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz

261. In July 2008, actual enrolment was 758,094, which was 0.2 per cent less than in 2007. Primary and intermediate school rolls accounted for most of this decrease (0.6 per cent reduction), while there were roll increases for the Correspondence School (up 4.1 per cent), composite schools (up 1.5 per cent), and special schools (up 0.5 per cent).[67]

Assets

262. At 1 July 2009, there were 2,178 state, 327 state integrated and 96 private schools in New Zealand.[68] These are located throughout New Zealand, with schools varying in age and condition.[69]

Institutional arrangements

263. The Ministry is responsible for the regulatory arrangements for the education system as a whole, the provision of public schooling, and for over $10 billion of Crown assets.

264. Under the Education Act 1989, New Zealanders aged between 5 and 20 have the right to a school-based education, and the Ministry has the power to set:

• National education goals (reflecting government policy objectives for the school system);
• Administrative guidelines for schools (set out in codes and principles of conduct); and
• Terms and conditions for land and buildings occupied by school boards (including standards of maintenance, capital works, and minimum health and safety requirements). In addition, all school property must comply with the building code at the time of its construction, and with legislation related to the use of public buildings.

265. Each state school has a school board, which reports a Ten-Year Property Plan (TYPP) to the Ministry. School boards are responsible for the planning and day-to-day management of school property, including maintenance and project management of property projects.

Funding and pricing

266. The Vote Education operating budget is $10.8 billion for 2009/10 (with similar levels in future years), a large component of which is for non-property costs such as teacher salaries and school operational grants.[70] The capital charge is levied on school land and buildings through the Ministry.

267. Funding is provided to schools in five-year increments (through the Five-Year Agreement process) in line with their priorities set out in the TYPP.

268. The property funding provided to each state school is largely determined by the number of children attending it and the condition of the property. The majority of capital funding is allocated on formula-based budgets through a school's Five-Year Agreement, with additional funding available in exceptional circumstances. Schools have discretion around the priorities for spending property capital and operating funding (subject to some considerations, such as prioritising health and safety and building within space entitlements).

269. New school site purchases and construction are managed directly by the Ministry, which sets up the Establishment Board of Trustees and provides a Governance Facilitator to work with the Board to develop the school’s education programme. For the construction, the Ministry has an approved budget which provides the design/build tender contract. Other procurement options are also being investigated. The Ministry employs a Client Representative to ensure construction is within Budget, and to work with the Board and Contractor to ensure that the educational design features desired by the Board are, where possible, included within the design and construction.

Planning

270. The Ministry prepares 10-year capital asset management (CAM) plans for Core Crown CAM purposes, and will prepare these with a 20-year horizon. In addition, the Ministry annually develops its School Property Capital Plan, which looks ahead 3-5 years.