Richard Dykes

Figures from the Qualifications Authority show students went into exams with fewer credits to their name than in any of the previous three years. 

NCEA and Scholarship exams finish this morning and… Audio

Principals have dismissed proposals for offering eighty NCEA tests online during the year.

They say the concept presented earlier this year would be a disaster, forcing schools to rearrange… Audio

It was back to school around the country yesterday with students and staff hoping the holidays had acted as a circuit breaker for the rampant Covid and flu outbreaks. It comes after the leaders of ten… Audio

The combined impact of Covid-19 and winter illnesses is expected to continue to put pressure on schools, as the third term begins today.

Sickness forced widespread school and class closures last… Audio

Schools reopen for the third term today and principals are worried staff shortages and winter illnesses will be every bit as bad as last term.

They warn some teachers and students were at breaking… Audio

The Government is ploughing money into a bid to stop students skipping class.

The latest truancy figures paint a grim picture - 60,000 students are missing at least three days of school each… Audio

The government's decision to keep the oldest secondary students home from school when Alert Level 3 begins has some secondary principals worrying about their most vulnerable students.

They warn that… Audio

Principals are warning the government's plans to partially reopen schools at Alert Level 3 could be a shambles.

Early childhood centres and schools will reopen for children up to Year 10 whose… Audio

All schools will be closed from today except for the children of essential workers such as doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers and police.

From Thursday they will be closed full stop.

Some schools… Audio

Parents are refusing to send their children to school and creche because of fears they will catch Covid-19.

The Health Ministry has not reported any children with the virus, though some have been… Audio

Schools are cancelling class trips overseas because of travel restrictions and insurance problems related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Many schools have been trying to decide what to do about trips that… Audio

Schools are struggling to decide if they should proceed with overseas trips in the next couple of months.

The Covid-19 coronavirus has prompted travel restrictions in several countries, as well as… Audio

Auckland secondary schools are reviewing their pandemic preparedness after two teens were put in isolation after a woman they knew tested positive for the covid-19 outbreak.

The students, who went to… Audio

The number of teachers working past retirement age has more than doubled in the past ten years, and there are hundreds over the age of 75.

Education Ministry records show there were about 7000… Audio

Schools are exmploying thousands more teachers over retirement age and hundreds who are 75 or over.

Education Ministry figures show there were 7000 such teachers in 2018, double the number a decade… Audio

Auckland Principals remain concerned about vaping use amongst students, despite new research that daily use remains low among 14 to 15 years olds.

The study - funded by the Ministry of Health -… Audio

Principals say more schools are banning or restricting mobile phones over fears the devices are stopping teens from playing and making friends.

Among them is Glendowie College in Auckland which… Audio

Principals across the country are pleased with a surprise cash-injection from the Government - but say the allocation of funding has been a bit random.

Yesterday the Government announced a $400… Audio

Auckland's high-decile state schools are topping up their government funding with millions of dollars more than similar schools in other parts of the country thanks to international students and, for… Audio

The government's policy to fund schools based on their students, rather than ask families for donations, counterintuitively means some schools will have to make some tough choices. Audio