Construction work has begun on a $4 million upgrade for Bayswater School on Auckland’s North Shore, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.

“This project will deliver two new buildings comprising a total of six new learning spaces, and is one of several upgrades and redevelopments either announced for or underway on the North Shore,” says Ms Kaye.

“In April, I unveiled a plaque to mark construction getting underway on a $26 million redevelopment at Takapuna Grammar School.

Education Minister Hekia Parata today officially launched a new resource, including an app, to strengthen teaching and learning in reading, writing and maths.

“Being able to effectively evaluate a child’s rate of progress is essential for teachers, so they can identify where more support is required,” says Ms Parata.

Education Minister Hekia Parata has welcomed the Education Legislation Bill passing its second reading in Parliament, including two amendments.

“After the Bill was introduced to the House, the Government became aware of the need for two more amendments”, says Ms Parata.

“The Education and Science Select Committee received further submissions on the amendments from a number of organisations, and recommended the amendments be included in the Bill.”

The Government will invest around $3.7 million towards the redevelopment of Te Atatu Intermediate School in Auckland, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.

“This redevelopment will see a new two-storey block built, containing six learning spaces,” says Ms Kaye.

Most of the new learning spaces are to address roll growth.

“Like schools in other parts of Auckland, Te Atatu Intermediate is experiencing growing rolls, with the number of students increasing from around 290 in 2012 to around 330 this year,” says Ms Kaye.

The Government will invest around $6.9 million to redevelop Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Taumarere in Northland, Education Minister Hekia Parata and Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.

“This redevelopment will include new buildings as well as building upgrades, and will provide the kura with fantastic new facilities,” says Ms Parata.

The redevelopment will see:

Education Minister Hekia Parata today announced five appointments to the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO.

Founded after the Second World War, UNESCO is the United Nations’ educational, scientific and cultural organisation.

 “I am delighted to appoint these five Commissioners. They are all respected experts in their fields and well positioned to advise and represent New Zealand on UNESCO matters”, says Ms Parata.

The Education Minister Hekia Parata has praised a programme that’s reducing challenging behaviour in ECEs and primary schools.

Speaking at the Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) School-Wide Conference in Wellington, Ms Parata released the results of an evaluation of the Incredible Years Teacher Programme.

“More than 12,000 teachers, who work with children aged 3-8 years old, have completed the Incredible Years Programme since it was introduced in 2011.

Education Minister Hekia Parata has today announced the extension and expansion of a ground-breaking teacher training programme to help strengthen and grow the teacher workforce.

Education Minister Hekia Parata has paid tribute to teachers, parents and students for the excellent rise in NCEA Level 2 achievement rates among 18-year-olds.

“The latest data shows that 51,299 18-year-olds (83.3 per cent) achieved NCEA Level 2 in 2015. That’s around 38,000 more young people achieving the minimum qualification for success than if the achievement rate had remained at the level it was when we came into Government in 2008,” says Ms Parata.

The information comes from 2015 Public Achievement Information (PAI) released today.

Education Minister Hekia Parata today opened one of two new learning hubs in the Whanganui region to inspire and enable young Māori to achieve their NCEA and plan for their future.

“This is an opportunity for Māori aged 16 to 18 years to get back on track, catch up or get ahead with their NCEA Level 2 qualification.

“I especially want to encourage young people who have already left school without NCEA level 2. It is not too late to access the support to enable you to achieve the skills and qualifications to succeed in life”.

The Government will invest around $5.7 million towards the redevelopment of Northcote Primary School on Auckland’s North Shore, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.

“This redevelopment will see the construction of a brand new, two-storey teaching block,” says Ms Kaye.

Minister Kaye made the announcement at the school this morning with local MP Dr Jonathan Coleman.

“Northcote Primary School has a number of old classrooms which are in poor condition and need replacing,” says Ms Kaye.

Education Minister Hekia Parata visited Waiheke Island today to announce just over $40 million for the rebuild and upgrade of Te Huruhi School and Waiheke High School.

“This announcement is the result of more than two years’ work and completes an important phase in what is one of our most complex redevelopments,” says Ms Parata.

Brand new buildings will be provided for Te Huruhi School in a new position on the school grounds. Most of the buildings at Waiheke High School will be upgraded, although some will need to be rebuilt.

Education Minister Hekia Parata has today released figures that show student stand-downs, suspensions and exclusions are at their lowest levels since records began 16 years ago. At the same time the number of students skipping school is also going down.

“These figures are really positive for our young people. They show that students are spending more time in class, which is vitally important for their future prospects,” says Ms Parata.

Education Minister Hekia Parata and Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye have welcomed today’s Supreme Court decision about the Ministry of Education’s case against Carter Holt Harvey over leaky school buildings.

In 2013, the Ministry started legal proceedings, on behalf of schools, against Carter Holt Harvey and others, alleging the supply of defective building products.

“Today’s judgement is a major victory for New Zealand taxpayers as it upholds the entirety of the Ministry’s position and awards legal costs,” says Ms Parata.

Education Minister Hekia Parata has announced that Halswell Residential College in Christchurch will become fully co-educational from next year.

Since 2014, the boys’ school has been able to take up to five girls, or 40 percent of its roll. The school has a waiting list of female students whose families wish them to attend a co-educational school.

“Making Halswell Residential College fully co-educational will make its services available to more of our young people with the highest needs,” says Ms Parata.

Education Minister Hekia Parata has today congratulated 30 highly-accomplished Māori and Pasifika student teachers who have been awarded Kupe Scholarships.

The prestigious scholarship aims to attract Māori and Pasifika high achievers to the teaching profession and support them to become inspiring teachers and role models in early childhood, primary and secondary education.

“I’m delighted by the outstanding calibre of scholars that the Kupe Scholarship continues to encourage into a teaching career,” says Ms Parata.

A Gisborne principal has today become acting principal of an Adelaide school as part of the first-ever South Australia/New Zealand Principal Exchange programme, says Education Minister Hekia Parata.

Steve Berezowski, Principal of Te Wharau School, has swapped places with Tracey Davies, Principal of Richmond Primary School, for the duration of term three.

At least $8.7 million will be invested in the redevelopment of Newmarket School in Auckland, a project that will involve building the first ever four-storey block in an Auckland state school, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.

“Like many schools in Auckland, Newmarket School needs more classrooms to accommodate a growing roll,” says Ms Kaye.

“This project will see the school provided with eleven extra teaching spaces. The school’s existing hall and administration facilities will also be replaced.”

Construction work is set to begin on the $19.2 million redevelopment of Auckland’s Freemans Bay School, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.

“Yesterday, local kaumatua buried a mauri stone and blessed the construction site, so construction workers can now pick up their tools and get cracking,” says Ms Kaye.

“This is a big milestone for the school, which needs a significant rebuild to accommodate roll growth and remediate leaky buildings.

Education Minister Hekia Parata has set aside her interim decision to close Redcliffs School and discussion has been initiated on relocating the school to an alternative site in Redcliffs.

Ms Parata says at the same time as that discussion is taking place further specialist advice will be sought about the possibility of negative psychosocial effects for children attending school on the original Main Road site.

Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye today announced that Lepperton School in North Taranaki will be entirely rebuilt in a different location on the existing school grounds.

“This represents a significant upscaling of the redevelopment project for the school which I announced last July,” says Ms Kaye.

“It was originally planned to replace a number of existing classrooms and remediate other buildings.

Construction work has begun on the $22 million redevelopment of The Gardens School in Manurewa, Auckland, Associate Education Minister Nikki Kaye announced today.

“This is an exciting project which will essentially see a new school constructed on the same site as the old school, which was demolished earlier this year,” says Ms Kaye.

“Many of the old teaching spaces were affected by structural and weather-tightness issues, so this is about creating a safer, modern and inspiring learning environment for students.