Rex Allott, Principal Omanu School: Sabbatical report

There is a symbiotic link between schools and their communities - children. Schooling is a necessary, but not sufficient, component of education. The purpose of schools is to help families and communities educate young people. Schools need to be successful with their communities, not in spite of them.

Rex Allott, Principal Omanu School

In this sabbatical report Rex Allott, Principal Omanu School, investigates programmes and practices that enhance the relationship between families, communities, and schools - in particular those that improve the achievement of Māori children and their whānau.

Following on from a University of Waikato Leadership Centre course: “Building schools as places for learning: The role of trust, families and communities” Rex Allott was required to inquire into practices in our own schools with the aim of developing strategies to assist in the further development of his school and contribute to on-going self-review and professional development initiatives.

Questions/Things to think about

As a result of his investigation Rex developed a number of initiatives that will be contemplated/actioned to help progress “parent/whānau engagement” in his school to help enhance student achievement.

1. How does your school strategy for increasing Māori learner achievement compare to Rex’s initiatives?
2. Based on the evidence Rex presented are there any areas that you could include in your strategy?