Document 1
1982
Act
Information
Official
the
under
Released
Wellington Office | Legal House Level 1, 101 Lambton Quay, Wellington, 6011
--
Ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa | The child — the heart of the matter --
From: Andy Jackson <[email address]>
Sent: Monday, 17 March 2025 3:11 pm
To: Nicholas Pole <[email address]>
Subject: Appointment of LSM to Combined Board WRS HRC
Importance: High
Kia ora Nick
1982
In the interests of keeping you informed, I wanted to update you on the Ministry’s work with the
Combined Board of Westbridge Residential School and Halswell Residential College. As you know,
Act
the Ministry advised the Combined Board at the end of last year that we were requiring it to provide an
action plan in relation to concerns raised by ERO. We were not satisfied with the draft action plan and
have now moved to appoint a Limited Statutory Manager.
The LSM will have the functions, powers and duties of the Combined Board:
• as an employer (whether statutory or otherwise);
• to establish policies and procedures and monitor implementation (whether statutory or
otherwise);
• to review health and safety policies and procedures in both school and residential settings to
Information
provide assurance fit for purpose policies are in place (whether statutory or otherwise);
• to consolidate all new and improved systems into Board practice (whether statutory or
otherwise);
• in curriculum management including teaching and assessment practice, with a specific focus
on education and therapeutic outcomes for students (whether statutory or otherwise).
Official
The LSM may advise the Combined Board:
• on the management of financial operations (whether statutory or otherwise);
the
• on the management of communications (whether statutory or otherwise); and
• in the development and implementation of the current Action Plan (whether statutory or
otherwise).
The Board is supportive of this appointment, which is due to be Gazetted today.
under
You will also be aware that we have received correspondence from a parent of a former student at
Westbridge making a complaint in relation to their child. We are currently looking into the aspects of
this that relate to the Ministry in order to inform our response.
Ngā mihi
Andy Jackson
Released
Te Tumu Whakarae mō te Mātauranga | Secretary for Education (Acting)
Te Tari o te Tumu Whakarae mō te Mātauranga | Office of the Secretary for Education
National Office
education.govt.nz
He mea tārai e mātou te mātauranga kia rangatira ai, kia mana taurite ai ōna huanga
2
Document 2
NATIONAL OFFICE
LEVEL 1, 101 LAMBTON QUAY
PO BOX 2799
WELLINGTON 6140 SX10166
T 0-4-499 2489
F 0-4-499 2482
[ERO request email]
www.ero.govt.nz
4 June 2025
1982
Ellen MacGregor-Reid
Te Tumu Whakarae mō te Mātauranga
Act
Secretary for Education
Tēnā koe Ellen
Splitting the Combined Board for Halswel Residential Col ege and Westbridge Residential School
Thank you for consulting the Education Review Office about proposed changes to the governance
arrangements for Halswell and Westbridge. As previously conveyed in our discussions with the
Information
Ministry we maintain the position that there is a critical need for a comprehensive national strategy
for behaviour services, within which the role, function, and governance of the three residential
behaviour schools must be clearly articulated.
In this context, we consider it premature to implement or entrench alternative governance
arrangements, and consequently the school operating models, prior to the completion of this
Official
strategic work. Proceeding otherwise risks undermining the coherence, equity, and long-term
effectiveness of service delivery across the sector.
the
As a consequence, ERO can see no benefit from the formation of two separate localised school
boards with parent representation. Students’ enrolment pathway into each school is based on the
specific nature of the behavioural and/or associated intellectual difficulties when local intensive
learning support has been tried or considered and failed. The schools’ community is very much a
under
national model with some students travel ing long distances to attend these schools.
It is ERO’s view that a bolstered national governance structure for these two residential specialist
schools provides a greater opportunity for the Ministry of Education to appoint school board
members with targeted governance expertise, and to strengthen the interface and oversight of the
Ministry’s own behavioural services. It is ERO’s view that strategic alignment, and expertise is
essential to respond to the very smal pool of students who enrol with these schools. Our work in
Released
both schools has highlighted the need for greater consistency in policy and the delivery of high-
quality services that integrate both educational and therapeutic interventions. This involves highly
specialised services and responses, where maximising economies of scale is essential.
Ko te Tamaiti te Pūtake o te Kaupapa
The Child – the Heart of the Matter
It is ERO’s view that students in Westbridge and Halswel should be provided with consistent,
intensive wraparound support to address and manage their complex and chal enging behaviours
and/or intel ectual difficulties. This necessarily includes the provision of ongoing access to
appropriately integrated therapeutic services, such as educational psychologists, occupational
therapists, and other relevant specialists, as a foundational requirement for students to meaningfully
access and benefit from suitable educational programmes. We equal y would suggest that such
therapeutic programmes need not only focus on the individual learner but ensure that the young
person’s ecosystem on returning home reinforces newly acquired behaviours and coping strategies.
Given the level of per capita funding al ocated for these students, the central direction for enrolment
with these schools, there is a clear and pressing obligation to ensure that services provided are
evidence-based, fit for purpose, and capable of delivering measurable outcomes. The continued
delivery of inconsistent services fal s wel short of this benchmark and represents a failure to meet
both the intent and the requirements of equitable and effective educational provision.
We submit that only through the implementation of an enhanced national governance model can the
delivery of these critical services be effectively strengthened. Such a model would ensure proper
oversight, facilitate equitable and consistent service delivery, and better support the specialised
needs of learners across these educational settings, as well as support successful transition back to
each student’s local school as an end goal.
Nāku noa, nā
Nicholas Pole
Te Tumu Whakarae mō te Arotake Mātauranga / Chief Executive
Chief Review Officer
under the Official Information Act 1982
Released
Ko te Tamaiti te Pūtake o te Kaupapa
The Child – the Heart of the Matter
