ERO Consideration of School Trespass Decisions Affecting Parents of Enrolled Students
SPENCER JONES made this Official Information request to Education Review Office
Education Review Office did not have the information requested.
From: SPENCER JONES
Dear Education Review Office,
Tēnā koutou,
I am making the following request under the Official Information Act 1982.
I am seeking information relating to whether, and if so how, the Education Review Office (ERO) considers school governance, wellbeing, educational participation, or family engagement issues where a school Board or Principal issues a trespass notice against the parent(s) of an enrolled student.
This request is intended as a governance and evaluation clarification request. I am not asking ERO to investigate an individual school or complaint through this correspondence.
Requested information
Please provide copies of any:
1. Guidance, internal practice material, evaluation indicators, frameworks, policy documents, reviewer guidance, aide memoires, manuals, or training material held by ERO relating to:
• school use of trespass notices involving parents or caregivers of enrolled students;
• parent exclusion from school grounds;
• restrictions on parent participation or engagement;
• family-school relationship breakdowns where they may affect an enrolled child;
• impacts on student wellbeing, belonging, attendance, educational participation, or pastoral support arising from parent access restrictions.
2. Any ERO evaluation indicators, review criteria, internal guidance, exemplars, or examples of good practice relevant to:
• maintaining student wellbeing and belonging where a parent is excluded from school grounds;
• preserving constructive family-school relationships during conflict;
• communication arrangements where ordinary parent-school access is restricted;
• Board governance and proportionality considerations where restrictions involving parents may affect an enrolled child.
3. Any reports, discussion papers, internal briefings, governance papers, internal correspondence, or other material held by ERO since 1 January 2015 concerning:
• school trespass notices involving current parents of enrolled students;
• parent exclusion and educational participation impacts;
• concerns regarding student wellbeing, attendance, belonging, or family engagement associated with such restrictions;
• whether ERO should consider or evaluate these matters as part of school review activity.
4. Any publicly available or releasable material identifying ERO’s position regarding whether school-parent relationship breakdowns may be relevant to:
• student educational participation;
• child wellbeing and belonging;
• school culture;
• family and community engagement;
• effective school governance.
Clarification requested
If no specific records exist, please advise:
1. Whether ERO considers the effects of parent exclusion or trespass decisions on:
• child belonging;
• attendance;
• wellbeing;
• educational participation;
• family-school partnership;
• communication arrangements affecting ordinary school life.
2. Whether ERO regards such matters as potentially relevant to its evaluation of school culture, governance, student wellbeing, or educational engagement.
3. Whether ERO holds any expectation, evaluative lens, or good practice understanding relating to how schools should maintain student wellbeing and family engagement where restrictions on parent access are in place.
If any part of this request is considered too broad, I would be grateful if ERO could contact me to refine scope under section 13 of the Official Information Act before refusing the request.
I would appreciate the information electronically where possible.
Kind regards,
Spencer Jones
From: Ministerials
Education Review Office
Dear Spencer,
Please find attached our response to your request for information
Yours sincerely,
Governance and Accountability
Education Review Office | Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga
National Office | Tari Matua | [1][email address]
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Response received from ERO – request completed
ERO has confirmed that it does not hold the information requested and has refused the request under section 18(g)(i) of the Official Information Act on the basis that the information is not held.
While ERO did not provide substantive records, the response is still informative and helps clarify the current governance landscape relating to school trespass notices affecting parents of enrolled students.
Key points arising from ERO’s response include:
* ERO’s primary role is evaluating and reporting on the quality of education and student wellbeing within schools.
* ERO does not review or determine the appropriateness of individual school trespass notices.
* Decisions regarding trespass notices are generally matters for individual school boards and, where relevant, Police.
* ERO does not maintain system-wide information, guidance, reviews, or monitoring specifically relating to the use of trespass notices against parents of enrolled students.
* ERO therefore holds no information capable of answering the broader questions raised in this request.
From a public-interest perspective, the response is notable because it appears to identify a potential accountability gap.
The request sought to understand whether any education-sector agency reviews, monitors, evaluates, or collects information about the use of trespass powers by state schools against parents of enrolled students. ERO’s response indicates that ERO does not perform that role.
As a result, researchers, parents, school boards, policy makers, and oversight bodies may wish to consider:
* what oversight exists for school trespass decisions affecting parent participation;
* whether any agency collects information about the frequency or use of such notices;
* whether procedural fairness expectations are monitored at a system level;
* how child wellbeing and parent-school engagement are considered when access restrictions are imposed on parents of enrolled students.
This response does not comment on the merits of any individual school’s actions. However, it provides useful clarification that ERO does not currently appear to have a review, monitoring, investigative, or data-collection function in relation to school trespass decisions involving parents.
For those examining governance, procedural fairness, parent participation, and student wellbeing issues, this response may assist in identifying where responsibility for such decisions currently sits and where further enquiries may need to be directed.
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