Source: Education Review Office
The Education Review Office (ERO) has today released a new Guide to Schools to help parents understand what makes a school good.
ERO Acting Chief Review Officer Tim Fowler says the research is clear: more informed and engaged parents help their children get more from their education and leads to better outcomes.
“ERO reviewers are in schools across the country every day and our researchers are analysing and reporting on what works and what doesn’t. We know that parent and whānau involvement in their children’s education makes a huge difference,” Mr Fowler says.
ERO’s new Guide to Schools provides practical advice on choosing a school, understanding school performance, asking questions and raising concerns.
“As we developed and tested our new school reports with parents and whānau across the country, they told us that they wanted to understand more about what makes a great school.”
The guide sets out the 14 key areas that matter most for education quality and features suggested questions for parents to ask, for example when they visit schools, as well as who and how they should ask.
“We know that many parents and whānau want to be engaged in their child’s learning – but that they face barriers. They told us that they are worried about asking questions and need clearer information about what they can ask and who they should ask.
“Equally, principals said they welcome parents being actively involved and interested and would like parents to be better informed on how they can approach schools constructively.
This parent guide has been designed to accompany ERO’s new School Review Reports. Announced in March, these new reports are designed with parents and whānau in mind – with clear, understandable and accessible information about schools.
“Parents’ decisions and involvement with their child’s school makes a big difference. This guide will help parents talk to their child’s school, about what matters most,” Mr Fowler says.
Notes
- The new guide for parents and whānau can be found on ERO’s Evidence website: https://evidence.ero.govt.nz/documents/guide-to-schools-for-parents-and-whanau
- ERO is the New Zealand government’s external evaluation agency for the education ERO carries out independent, in-depth reviews of different schools across New Zealand.
- ERO reports on schools approximately every three to four years. In 2024/25, ERO reported on 745 schools and kura (30% of all schools and kura).
- For more information about how ERO reviews, visit: https://www.ero.govt.nz/how-ero-reviews.
- For more examples of ERO’s new school reports visit https://www.ero.govt.nz/how-ero-reviews/how-ero-reviews-schoolskura-english-medium/reporting