Kia ora koutou katoa
I have stepped into the role of Acting Secretary for Ellen this month. It’s been a pleasure to get to meet and work with more of you while I’m in this role.
As you know, last Friday we sent a Special Bulletin relating to the Hīkoi including some reminders for schools about the need to stay open for instruction and guidance around the treatment of student absences.
Special Bulletin – 15 November
The week before that, we sent a letter to the boards of secondary schools reminding them of the requirement to stay open for instruction during Paid Union Meetings.
The communications you have seen from us in response to these very different events are part of our shift to make sure that, while the rules around these things have not changed, our guidance and expectations are really clear about what they mean for schools.
As part of this, we’re engaging with a targeted group of stakeholders on providing greater clarity on what is meant by 'open for instruction' and the expectations and limitations around when schools can close. We are working on clearer guidance in relation to attendance codes and how to use them. And we’ll continue to provide reminders about the obligations and expectations for schools.
The focus in all of this is on taking every opportunity that we, collectively, have to lift student attendance and achievement.
Thank you all for the great work that you’re doing to support these priorities.
Ngā mihi nui
Andy Jackson – Acting Secretary for Education
Attendance, achievement and assessment
Requests for maths PLD now open
Schools and Kāhui Ako can now request four days of in-person or online PLD for the updated mathematics and statistics (Years 0 to 8) curriculum, which facilitators will deliver in 2025 and 2026.
A minimum of 20 participants is required to request the PLD, so we encourage schools to apply as a cluster or Kāhui Ako. Schools unable to reach that minimum number can still apply, and we will be in touch to discuss those applications directly.
Find out more and submit a request here:
Maths Professional Learning and Development – Professional Learning and Development
More resources for beginning principals available 20 November
New self-directed eLearn modules are being released on 20 November – these are the latest resources available to support beginning and aspiring principals and tumuaki. These modules focus on strategically improving learning for ākonga and are supported by our new weekly podcast series, The Principals.
You can find the modules on the Education Learning Management System:
Login – Learning Management System
‘The Principals’ is available on all major podcast networks:
The Principals (Aotearoa | New Zealand) – Podbean
Years 0 to 8 maths resources still available to order
A reminder that Years 0 to 8 schools using The New Zealand Curriculum can still order Ministry-funded resources to support the implementation of the revised mathematics and statistics learning area. Follow the instructions here to place your order before they close on December 13:
Ordering Ministry-funded maths resources – Tāhūrangi
Due to demand, some Numicon resources are on back order, meaning schools that ordered Numicon will receive their resources later in Term 1.
Additional resources will be available to order from Down the Back of the Chair Term 1 next year.
Workforce and resourcing
Collective agreement variation
The Secretary for Education and the Primary Principals’ Collective Bargaining Union have agreed to vary the terms and conditions of the current Collective Agreement.
The variation includes two increases to the base per annum payment for Leadership in Literacy and Numeracy and introduces the Cultural Leadership Allowance for eligible principals who lead schools and kura that have offered Level 1 or Level 2 te reo Māori or Pacific language immersion programmes since 1 November.
The variation will be implemented by EPL in pay period 21 on 7 January 2025.
Details are in Appendix 9 of the Primary Principals’ (PPCBU) Collective Agreement, found here:
Primary principals' collective and individual employment agreements – Ministry of Education
Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement closedown for annual holidays
The Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement expressly provides for a 4-week long closedown (excluding public holidays), during which teachers will take their annual leave. This is in keeping with the requirements of the Holidays Act 2003. Schools must provide at least 14 days’ notice for the closedown.
For guidance on our recommended closedown dates (18 December 2024 to 20 January 2025) and compliance with the agreement, refer to the full guidance:
Changes to the Secondary Teachers' Collective Agreement 2022-2025 – Ministry of Education
Introduction to changes for part-time secondary teachers
From 28 January 2025, there will be several changes for part-time secondary teachers in secondary and area schools. The changes are that:
- 11% salary loading will cease
- teachers employed from 2024 through 2025 will have their FTTE increased by 11%
- teachers must have 20% pro-rated non-contact time
- schools will receive additional staffing, called a Part-time Teacher (including ITM) Allowance.
We recommend reviewing the guidance for these changes as you plan your staffing arrangements for 2025.
The changes are part of the 2023 settlements of the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement (STCA) and the Area School Teachers’ Collective Agreement (ASTCA) and affect all teachers bound by those collectives or their corresponding Individual Employment Agreements.
Read the guidance document on our website to understand the changes and what you need to do.
Changes to the Secondary Teachers' Collective Agreement 2022-25 – Ministry of Education
Changes to the Area School Teachers' Collective Agreement 2023-25 – Ministry of Education
Contact the Ohumahi Support team if you have any questions about the changes at [email protected] or on 0800 114 117 (option 2).
Q1 2025 operational funding dates
On 6 December 2024, Q1 2025 operational funding information for schools and kura will be available to view in Pourato. Payments will be made 3 January 2025.
The annual adjustment for 2024 is published at the same time. This is so that accurate entitlements have been provided and may result in a payment, a recovery or zero adjustment made alongside Q1.
Any questions should be sent to [email protected].
Banking staffing reminder
The deadline for submitting any funding code change requests for the 2024 banking staffing year is 5pm, 29 November.
Secondary principals’ annual holiday records request
Our request to school boards for secondary principals’ annual holiday records closed on 25 October. We had sought records because we do not hold these records and neither does the payroll system. The response has helped build our understanding of secondary principals’ holiday records and will feed into our work to pay school employees any amounts owed due to non-compliance with the Holidays Act (2003).
Employment Based Initial Teacher Education programme funding award application extension
The application period for a new funding award that supports te reo speaking Limited Authority to Teach (LAT) teachers to become a qualified kaiako | teacher has been extended.
The extension will allow schools | kura and LATs more time to consider submitting an application, and we welcome applications into the new year.
Up to 65 funding awards are available in this round for teacher training starting in 2025.
To learn more about how to apply, click below:
Kaupapa Māori | Māori Medium EBITE Programme Funding Award – Education Workforce
The funding award webpage will be updated regularly with the status of available awards.
Teachers’ pay equity claim consultation now closed
The validation consultation on the Teachers’ Pay Equity Claim interview findings is now closed. The consultation ran from 9 September to 1 November 2024.
Thank you to teachers who participated, your insights and feedback have been invaluable. Thank you also to school, kura and early learning leaders who encouraged participation in the consultation.
Microsoft and Google licensing: Information update
We have renewed Google and Microsoft licensing for kura and schools through to 2027. Please note that you do not need to respond to the automated ‘Microsoft Campus 3 Anniversary’ reminder emails you may receive about this.
So that we only pay software vendors for what we collectively use, we are asking schools to only order the Google or Microsoft licences they are actively using at any point. Additional licences can be quickly and easily ordered in future as required if volumes or requirements change so there is no need to keep a per-school buffer of unused licences.
Over the longer term, we encourage schools and IT service providers to use either Google or Microsoft software and not both wherever possible. To assist with understanding the utilisation of licences, we will be looking at how we can best collect data relating to product usage. More information will be provided on this in 2025.
More information:
Google software licences for schools – Ministry of Education
Microsoft software licences for schools – Ministry of Education
School software: Renewed Google and Microsoft licensing – Education Gazette
Any pātai: [email protected].
Governance, planning and infrastructure
End-of-year withdrawals in ENROL
You can schedule your 2024 end-of-year batch withdrawals in ENROL a month in advance of the end of term. We encourage you to complete withdrawals in ENROL by the end of December as it is difficult for other schools to enrol students for the next year if they have not been withdrawn from the previous school.
Take care to:
- Let the Attendance Service (AS) know you are withdrawing a student you have referred to them for unjustified absence, if they are still working with that student. The AS can then close that case with your school.
- Tick the teaching and learning notes in ENROL or in your SMS if you want to communicate notes about a student to their future school.
- Enter the correct intended last day of attendance and select the actual leaving year level.
Here are the instructions to perform a Batch Withdrawal in ENROL:
Withdrawing students – Applications and online systems
Unlocking benefits for schools through All-of-Government contracts
Schools can use All-of-Government contracts to purchase a range of goods and services. These contracts provide significant cost savings and favourable terms and conditions to schools.
New Zealand Government Procurement (NZGP) can help you evaluate your current print contract (for photocopiers and/or printers) and to determine if transitioning to the Print contract would benefit your school.
Find out more about this and other contracts available to schools by emailing [email protected] or going to:
In this issue
Workforce and resourcing
- Collective agreement variation
- Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement closedown for annual holidays
- Introduction to changes for part-time secondary teachers
- Q1 2025 operational funding dates
- Banking staffing reminder
- Secondary principals’ annual holiday records request
- Employment Based Initial Teacher Education programme funding award application extension
- Teachers’ pay equity claim consultation now closed
- Microsoft and Google licensing: Information update
