Karangahake School

My child and friends did not enjoy Karangahake School as seniors. No spelling was taught for over a year, very few literacy lessons, entries of maths in my child’s exercise books and worksheets average 5 per month (no online maths was completed except for the first couple of weeks in term 1). The lack of ability of the school to teach maths is evidenced in its report to the Ministry that barely above 50% of the children are achieving in maths. This is also a nationwide statistic so not just a Karangahake School issue. As a parent who could see where and how my child was struggling I could see how improvements could be made but schools aren’t open to suggestions. I suggested that they stop getting my child to teach children maths that were years behind her and instead teach her in a maths group of similar abilities but this idea was not taken positively and so her maths went backwards. The teacher didn’t guide or supervise assignments, nor mark them. I could see why the kids were bored at school and we’re not motivated to learn. All this was brought to the principals and Board’s attention and no changes were made. I was supplied with answers from the Principal like “I don’t micro manage my teachers (he only has 3), and the Board initially agreed with my concerns and said changes would be implemented (they weren’t) and in the end they advised me to talk to the teacher (I had done that previously). My child’s results in her reports went backwards. The science curriculum wasn’t taught to my child as it was an option during the week, where seniors would carry out science with the juniors. My child missed out on a lot of the curriculum partially because the turn over of teachers was high, this in itself is not a problem if the new teachers carry on where the last one left off but this also didn’t happen and curriculum was often repeated. My child did not go to the junior classroom but that class has a passionate teacher and they seem to thrive in it. The intermediate class last year also seemed to have very good teachers, but the senior class was a definite miss. My child has started high school this year and is totally unprepared, and is actually embarrassed at how far behind it is comparing itself to others (and my child was top in the class at Karangahake School). And nope covid did not have s massive impact on my child’s ability to learn, we only experienced the 1st long lockdown and thereafter did not lockdown for months like other schools throughout NZ. There is a new senior teacher at the school this year, hopefullly that teacher will cover the curriculum as there are no fail safe systems in place if the teacher doesn’t. As an aside the relief teacher is great. She was the one during the last year that taught my child very interesting things. I always knew when they had her as my child would come home telling me all about what they’d learnt that day.