Podcasts about education review office

Schools and alternative education experts agree thousands of the most vulnerable - and sometimes most difficult - students need a lot more support than they are getting. A new Education Review Office report says most teens enrolled in various forms of alternative education leave without any qualifications and too many go on to benefits or crime. Education correspondent John Gerritsen reports.

A new report from the Education Review Office has found that the number of students leaving mainstream schooling to learn in alternative settings has doubled over the past decade. ERO Senior Manager Rebecca Bjarnesen spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Reviews and reports aren't enough to keep the early childhood sector up to scratch. The Education Review Office has found almost half of ECE services don't meet the quality threshold, down from 64% a year earlier. Advocates for Early Learning Excellence Chair Kelly Seaburg told Mike Hosking although the results are better, it also highlights things to work on. She says there needs to be a stronger systemic approach to lifting professional development and leadership. Seaburg also says there needs to be more than just reviews to better the sector. She says at the end of the day, there's no real teeth to these reports, and we can't leave children's education to chance. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Early childhood centres are lifting their game, with fewer falling below quality standards. Education Review Office monitoring shows 47% of standalone services didn't meet the quality threshold, down from 64% a year earlier. Early Childhood Council Chief Executive Simon Laube says the reviews are just snapshots and even the best centres go through staff changes and have to rebuild quality. He told Ryan Bridge that the reviews are sensitive, so anything that's slightly out of place will appear on the review, and pretty much everyone will have something. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A push for tougher consequences, as concerns grow over compliance with the Government's school cellphone ban. The Ministry of Education says only about half of secondary students are following the rules. The Education Review Office is calling for phones to be confiscated more often, and for parents to contact students through school offices instead. Chief Review Officer, Ruth Shinoda, says the ban is working far better in primary schools. "It's because most primary schools just take the phone off the kids when they walk in, so kids just stopped taking their phone to school. And then, encouragingly, they say kids just stop asking their parents for phones." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Education Review Office has said schools need to get tougher on enforcing phone bans. Research found that only 50% of students are following the rules, a number it says is not good enough. Mount Albert Grammar Headmaster Patrick Drumm told Mike Hosking that the study needs to be unpacked further, as it's likely that students are using their phones outside of lessons instead of in a learning environment. He said that it's been a 'successful initiative' so far, but says it's an ongoing process to reduce numbers further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions to Ministers CHLÖE SWARBRICK to the Prime Minister: E tautoko ana ia i nga korero me nga mahi katoa a tona Kawanatanga? Does he stand by all of his Government's statements and actions? DAN BIDOIS to the Minister of Finance: What recent reports has she seen on New Zealand's fiscal position? Rt Hon CHRIS HIPKINS to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions? RYAN HAMILTON to the Minister for Infrastructure: What updates has he seen on the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024? Dr PARMJEET PARMAR to the Associate Minister of Justice: What recent announcements has she made regarding alcohol law reform? Hon Dr MEGAN WOODS to the Associate Minister for Energy: Does he stand by his answers to oral question No. 7 on 24 March 2026? RAWIRI WAITITI to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by all his Government's statements and actions? Hon GINNY ANDERSEN to the Minister of Education: How many times has she used Government resources to direct people to party political sites? Dr VANESSA WEENINK to the Minister of Health: What recent progress has been made against the Government's health targets? RICARDO MENÉNDEZ MARCH to the Minister for Child Poverty Reduction: How many parents, if any, of the 169,300 children living in material hardship will receive the full $50 increase to the in-work tax credit? GREG FLEMING to the Minister of Education: What changes has she announced to the Education Review Office's school reports? REUBEN DAVIDSON to the Minister for Economic Growth: Do the 350 job losses at Heinz Wattie's and the closure of the McCain factory in Hastings contribute to economic growth; if not, why not?

Back in 2020, two new guidelines were introduced to support schools in teaching Relationships and Sexuality Education. The guidelines were introduced by the then Associate Education Minister and New Zealand First MP, Tracey Martin, after reports from the Education Review Office showed inconsistencies in how schools taught this subject - alongside significant gaps. The new guidelines brought greater emphasis to sexuality and gender diversity, Māori and Pacific views of sexuality, the use of digital technologies, and information about relationships and sexuality education for disabled learners. However, the current government scrapped these guidelines as part of a coalition agreement with New Zealand First, who campaigned on removing the guidelines, which they called ‘woke gender ideology.' The new proposed guidelines for relationships and sex education are significantly different to those introduced back in 2020. For this week's Get Action, Producer Theo spoke to Leonie Morris from Te Wāhi Wāhine o Tāmaki Makaurau - the Auckland Women's centre - on their petition to bring back Te Tiriti-based, inclusive relationships and Sexuality education in schools. If you'd like to sign this petition, you can find it here.

The Education Review Office is introducing a colour-coded, four-point scale for rating schools' performance, which the government says will be easier for parents to understand. Chief review officer Ruth Shinoda spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Chris Hipkins made it clear he wouldn't be talking about his private life, especially his children, and has neither confirmed nor denied the claims made against him by his ex-wife on Facebook, Where does that leave us now?Nicola Willis appeared on HeraldNOW this morning not answering questions about how "targeted help" would work. She was also very keen to make sure host Ryan Bridge and the audience that this government has no control over international issues...kind of like COVID where they didn't offer Labour that same grace.The Education Review Office is introducing a colour-coded, four-point scale for rating schools' performance. It said the new system would apply to ERO review reports for schools visited from term two and would be easier for families to understand.++++++++++++++++++++Like us on Facebook.com/BigHairyNetwork Follow us on Twitter.com/@bighairynetworkFollowing us on TikTok.com/@bighairynetworkSupport us on Patreon www.patreon.com/c/BigHairyNewsCheck out our merch https://bhn.nz/shop/Donate to our work https://bhn.nz/shop/donation/

Isn't David Seymour the guy who got himself into government at the last election and then went and set up a new government department? But, despite the irony, I agree with him that we need fewer government departments and fewer Cabinet ministers. Previously, the ACT leader has described the public sector as "a big, complicated bureaucratic beast". There are the numbers to back that up. We have 82 cabinet portfolios, 28 ministers and 41 separate government departments and agencies. David Seymour thinks that's crazy and says ACT will campaign in this year's election on changing that. And, instead of having 41 government departments and agencies, he wants us to have no more than 30. As for cabinet ministers - at the moment there are 28, David Seymour thinks we need no more than 20. I remember Oliver Hartwich from the NZ Initiative think tank saying last year that we could get away with having as few as 15 cabinet ministers, instead of the 28 we have at the moment. But he thought that 20 was more realistic. As for government departments, they are monsters. They operate in silos. They compete with each other for funding. They don't talk to each other. That's why there's so much duplication. For example, do we need a Ministry of Education and an Education Review Office? I don't think so. Do we need a Ministry of Justice and a Department of Corrections? Possibly not. As for cabinet positions, do we need a mental health minister? Could that all be part of the health minister's job? And don't get me started on things like the Minister for the South Island or the Minister for Auckland that Labour brought in. So, I'm with David Seymour and I think we could do with fewer government departments and agencies. But it will never happen. Talking about having less government departments and less cabinet ministers is easy and politicians talk about it because they know it tends to go down well with people. But it will never happen. Because, whether people admit it or not, they still expect the government and its departments to fix everything. And, unless that changes, the government isn't going to get any smaller. And its list of departments isn't going to get any shorter. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some principals say the Education Review Office isn't giving schools in poor communities enough credit for the challenges they face. Jason Miles, Vice President of the New Zealand Principals' Federation spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Gloriavale's private school has been ordered to close its doors, leaving a lawyer wondering how it ever managed to exist. The Education Review Office highlighted ongoing safety concerns in July, and the Ministry put the school on notice in October. The Ministry's confirmed it's cancelling the school's registration. Gloriavale leavers' lawyer, Brian Henry, says he doesn't understand how the school stayed open until now, but he's crediting officials for shutting it down. "This school is the enabler of basically enslaving young children born in the community. It keeps them ignorant." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does a ‘good day' look like for you? Researchers are using wearable sensors and wellbeing surveys to understand how lifestyle patterns impact life satisfaction. Perhaps this can help us plan for more ‘good days'. Plus, with the help of an EEG study, one neuroscientist graduate considers how social media use might be impacting his brain. Sign up to the Our Changing World monthly newsletter for episode backstories, science analysis and more.Learn more:Sleep is a fundamental process for us humans, we just don't function well without enough of it. But what if your job requires long working hours across time zones?Exercise is good for our bodies and mental health and, research suggests, can also help our brains maintain and grow nerve cells.Recently, a report by the Education Review Office suggested the mobile phone ban in New Zealand schools is working, and that social media should be banned next.Australia's social media ban for those under 16 comes into effect on the 10th of December, while debate continues here as to whether New Zealand should follow.Guests:Professor Scott Duncan, Auckland University of TechnologyDr Anantha Narayanan, Auckland University of TechnologyTom Bolus, University of OtagoGo to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

The Education Minister's not ruling out banning other digital distractions in schools. An Education Review Office report shows three-quarters of secondary school teachers believe student behaviour's improved since cellphones were outlawed in class. It's also recommending considering also excluding smart watches and social media. Education Minister Erica Stanford says she's open to the ideas. "We're certainly going to take ERO's recommendations into account and I'll get the Ministry to give me some advice, but I certainly think we probably do need to go further. But that'll obviously be a decision I need to take to Cabinet." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Banning mobile phones in school has led to improved learning and behaviour - and the Education Review Office says social media should be next. Ruth Shinoda, Head of ERO's Education Evaluation Centre spoke to Corin Dann.

Schools need more support from parents to get the most out a student phone ban. A "phones away for the day" policy's been in place since Term Two last year. An Education Review Office report shows two thirds of teachers saw a rise in student achievement, but only half of students are following the rules. Head of ERO Education Evaluation Centre Ruth Shinoda told Mike Hosking the number one reason students contravene the ban is to contact family. She says parents should phone the school office instead of their child, and shouldn't answer if their child calls. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Students getting around a school phone ban could be chatting with family members. An Education Review Office report shows three-quarters of secondary school teachers believe the ban has improved student behaviour. But nearly half of students admit to using their phones in class, likely because family members were getting in touch. Whangaparāoa College Principal Steve McCracken told Ryan Bridge most schools have other systems in place for families to contact students during the day. He says the report shows parents want to connect with their kids, but they're setting them up to fail if they contravene the ban. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new independent report from the Education Review Office says primary and intermediate students are doing better in English and maths, but there is more to do. Ruth Shinoda ERO's Head of Education Evaluation Centre spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Promising signs of improvement across the primary education sector. The Education Review Office has found teachers are seeing more engaged students, and three-quarters of parents report progress since the start of the year. It follows new data showing more new entrants exceeding phonics expectations. President of Auckland Primary Principals' Association Lucy Naylor told Mike Hosking they're also noticing changes in the engagement and attention of children. She says although the curriculum is still new, these are good signs. Naylor told Hosking the new English and maths curriculum is like a springboard for the next round of subject improvements. She says the slower roll out in other areas has been useful for teachers, so they can focus on core subjects first and feel prepared for more changes to come. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Early Edition with Ryan Bridge Full Show Podcast Wednesday 15th of October 2025, The speaker's set out plans to crack down on standards after Oriini Kaipara's maiden speech, political commentator, Liam Hehir shares his thoughts. The hospitality sector's hit record sales of $15.9 billion, Franchise NZ Chairperson and Coffee Club co-owner Brad Jacobs tells Ryan revenue doesn't always mean profit. A report by the Education Review Office shows primary-aged kids are not only getting better at English and Maths, but they're more excited about doing it, Kaitao Intermediate School Principal Phil Palfrey tells Ryan how big of a change he's seen in his school. Plus, UK/ Europe Correspondent Gavin Grey has the latest on an Afghan man who came to the UK on a small boat and threatened to kill Nigel Farage, being jailed for five years. Get the Early Edition Full Show Podcast every weekday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight, on The Panel, Wallace Chapman is joined by panellists Cindy Mitchener and David Downs. First up, the horrific death of a toddler in an above ground temporary pool in 2023 has led water safety advocates to call for a ban on the pools. Then, School attendance is a hot button issue and the Education Review Office is suggesting staggering school term dates by region. This, it says, will fix kids skipping school around holiday time in favour of cheaper flights for family holidays.

A new report from the Education Review Office says school attendance has returned to pre-Covid levels but there is still a long way to go. ERO deputy chief executive Ruth Shinoda spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

The Education Review Office which say school attendance is bouncing back, with a change in both parents' and students' attitudes. Porirua College Principal Ragne Maxwell spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

In today's episode, a new Education Review Office report recommends considering a move to regional school holiday dates to reduce the cost of travelling in the school holidays; National's Nicola Willis and Labour's Megan Woods join us for our weekly political panel; Why 3000 people across New Zealand are receiving NZ Super who are not yet 65; Four-thousand senior doctors and dentists have voted to join a mega strike action later this month.

Students' attitudes towards truancy are said to be turning around. A new Education Review Office report has found six out of ten students attend regularly – back to pre-Covid levels, but still down on 2015. It also found 80% think education is important for their futures, and 75% think attending every day is important. Deputy Chief Executive Ruth Shinoda told Mike Hosking there's still more work to do. She says seven in ten children went to school regularly in 2015 and the government wants to increase that to eight in ten by 2030. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's optimism over the future of professional development training for teachers. A new report from the Education Review Office has found half of teachers don't know how to use what they've learned in their classroom. It highlights training as one of the biggest drivers of success. Deputy chief executive Ruth Shinoda told Mike Hosking new development for English in primary schools this year is doing the things shown to work. She says three quarters of teachers are using what they learnt in that development every day. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gloriavale is all over the news again, and for the wrong reasons. This week our hosts talk about the recent Education Review Office report which revealed that the Gloriavale School has failed yet again to meet the basic requirements expected to function as an education provider. Liz explains the background to this report and asks the question, at what point is there enough evidence that this school cannot provide the necessary ingredients to educate children well and safely?

A primary school near Wairoa that was ruined in Cyclone Gabrielle, and has been operating out of temporary classrooms is furious with the Education Review Office over the timing of its evaluation. Alexa Cook reports.

A commissioner will be appointed to run Northland's Dargaville High School after a damning assessment by the Education Review Office found fewer than half of its students are regularly attending school, with the same number failing NCEA level one. RNZ's Troy Matich has more.

Primary principals are worried new-look Education Review Office reports are too tough on under-performing schools. Education correspondent John Gerritsen reports.

Northland MP Grant McCallum said local GPs have told him they see children as young as eleven pregnant. The revelation came during the Education Review Office's appearance before the Education and Workforce Select Committee. As well as how sexuality and relationship education is taught, the select committee also looked at chronic absenteeism. Education correspondent John Gerritsen spoke to Lisa Owen.

There's support for teaching Kiwi students about healthy relationships and consent as part of a refresh of school sex education standards. Gender and sexuality guidelines are being removed - and an expert group will rewrite the curriculum. An Education Review Office report has found too much inconsistency in what's taught. Advocacy group Rape Prevention Education's Debbi Tohill says young people need to really understand what consent means. "We can't begin early enough, I don't think, to be talking to our children about consent." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Education Review Office says schools should not be required to consult parents about the content of relationships and sexuality lessons. ERO Education Evaluation Centre head Ruth Shinoda spoke to Corin Dann.

On today's episode, the government is promising a swathe of changes to bolster Kiwibank and bring about more competition in the banking sector, emergency teams have been sent to Saydnaya prison, searching for survivors potentially detained in its notorious hidden underground cells, a man is in police custody in relation to the killing of a health insurance boss in New York last week, the Commerce Commission has announced it will be filing criminal charges against Woolworths New Zealand, Pak'nSave Silverdale, and Pak'nSave Mill Street, and the Education Review Office says schools should not be required to consult parents about the content of relationships and sexuality lessons.

There's a recommendation schools put clearer relationship and sexuality education in place. An Education Review Office report has found too much inconsistency in what students are learning. It calls on secondary schools to increase sex-ed teaching and tell parents what will be taught, rather than consulting them. It also found young people are being exposed to risks, particularly online. Education evaluation centre lead Ruth Shinoda says the curriculum should be revised. She told Heather du Plessis-Allan that schools should be required to inform and explain to parents what they're going to teach, as they found that parents are more comfortable with the curriculum when they're better informed. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it time to get rid of NCEA Level One? That's the question raised by a damning Education Review Office report on the newly-revised first year of the national school qualification. Education correspondent John Gerritsen reports.

The Education Review Office says it is time to consider dumping level one of the NCEA or overhauling it - again. Secondary Principals Association president Vaughan Couillault spoke to Corin Dann.

On today's episode, the ACT party is claiming to wield "disproportionate" influence at the decision-making table, the Education Review Office has said the NCEA level one qualification is not a reliable measure of teenagers' knowledge and skills and confuses parents, Auckland Police say a new 24/7 station in the city centre will help to ramp up crime response in the area, it's been a tough few years for the property market but there are increasing signs that activity is picking up, and Auckland batter Bevon-John Jacobs has become a shock signing on the second day of the Indian Premier League auction.

The Education Review Office says the newly overhauled level one of the NCEA, the national school qualification, is not working and may need to be ditched altogether. The Review office's evaluation centre head Ruth Shinoda spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

The Education Review Office has said the NCEA level one qualification is not a reliable measure of teenagers' knowledge and skills and confuses parents. Education Minister Erica Stanford spoke to Corin Dann.

More schools are dropping NCEA Level 1. An Education Review Office review has found it's not a fair or reliable measure of knowledge and skills, and needs substantial change. Less than three-quarters of schools plan to offer NCEA Level 1 next year. ERO's Ruth Shinoda told Mike Hosking that in more affluent communities, it's less than half. She says three quarters of school leaders say the credits students receive don't reflect an equal amount of work or degree of difficulty. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Screaming, tears, vomiting from anxiety and kicking holes in the wall, some parents say that's the reality of trying to get their neurodivergent kids to go to school. School attendance has become a worldwide issue since the Covid pandemic, and the Education Review Office said it's reached crisis levels. But a UK study found over 90 percent of students with significant school absence problems had neurodiversities like autism or dyslexia. An advocate here's also calling on the government to invest more in learning support because their needs are not being met. Luka Forman reports.

School leaders say punishing families of truant kids won't fix the reasons why they're bunking off school in record numbers. A new report by the Education Review Office shows close to 80,000 kids were chronically absent in Term Two, more than twice what it was 10 years ago. Mary Argue reports.

A staggering 80,000 school students were MIA for more than three weeks of Term 2 this year. That's like waking up one morning and the entire population of Palmerston North city just disappeared. A new report from the Education Review Office said chronic student absences have doubled in the last decade and things are at crisis point. It said intervention is often too late, with attendance services overwhelmed and kids falling through the gaps. Auckland City Education Services Manager Karyl Puklowski spoke to Lisa Owen.

The Education Review Office says there's a chronic absence crisis. This Term 2, one in ten students were chronically absent. Chronic absence has doubled in secondary schools since 2015, and almost tripling in primary schools. By age 20, chronically absent students can cost the state three times more than a student who went to school. ERO Ruth Shinoda told Mike Hosking the education they're missing out on damages their life chances. She says less than half get NCEA level two, and by age 25 almost half are receiving a benefit rather than working. Shinoda told Hosking the contributing factors are long-standing. She says half of schools don't refer to attendance services because they're often not effective as they're overwhelmed, with some having 500 students to one worker. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New research from the Education Review Office has found that primary school students are facing more mental health challenges which are getting in the way of learning. ERO's Education Evaluation Centre head Ruth Shinoda spoke to Corin Dann.

A speech therapist said research which found too many children are starting school unable to speak coherently highlights how difficult it is for parents to access support. Research released from the Education Review Office shows teachers are seeing more new entrants starting school who are only able to speak in sentences of about four or five words. Teachers say Covid-19 and excessive screen time are to blame, but speech therapists say a lack of help is the real problem, Melanie Earley reports.

Too many five-year-olds are starting school unable to speak coherently with some unable to speak in sentences of more than four or five words. The Education Review Office did the research, Ruth Shinoda is from its Education Evaluation Centre and she spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

A recent report by the Education Review Office painted a grim picture of student behaviour - saying violent and disruptive behaviour in schools has reached critical levels. Half the teachers surveyed said the problem has become worse in the past two years, and half say they are spending nearly an hour a day dealing with bad behaviour. The Education Review Office says the trend is harming children's learning, and schools need to take a nationally consistent approach to addressing it. The approach it favours is called PB4L, which stands for Positive Behavior for Learning. But a group of teachers in Porirua East who work with students with high levels of dysregulated behaviour say ERO is promoting ineffective, outdated practices. They say teachers need to understand the neuroscience that underpins behavior and stress, and its programme 'Hauora' is working. Lynda Knight principal at Glenview School in Cannons Creek, and founder of the Hauora programme.