Today we’re talking about the unique opportunities and challenges rural principals  face leading a country school.

My guests are:

• Andrew King, NZRASLA president, tumuaki of Oropi School - Bay of Plenty


• Pete Wilkinson, principal of Northern Southland College and Southland Secondary Schools Chair


• Erin Browne, tumuaki of Upokongaro School, Whanganui.

This podcast was produced for the Ministry of Education as part of Te Ara Tīmatanga mō ngā Tumuaki - The Beginning Pathway for Principals.

You can learn more about this topic by accessing Te Ara Tīmatanga mō ngā Tumuaki - The Beginning Pathway for Principals e-learning modules on the Education LMS: https://training.education.govt.nz

Show notes

Episode themes:

• Differences between working in or being tumuaki of a rural school versus an urban centre


• The importance of rural schools in a rural community – they're the lifeblood of a rural community and school events are really important


• The importance of being visible and actively engaging with the community when you first start as tumuaki – the expectation is that you are visible and present at all community events


• Rural schools face some unique issues urban schools are unlikely to face, like costs and availability of contractors when things break, and the need to repair things yourself when no one else is available.


• The need to be a strong advocate for your ākonga when it comes to getting learning and behaviour support, and to think creatively around resourcing because the isolation of the school may make it challenging to find someone to work 2 hours a day when they have to drive 50 kms to get there.


• A big challenge is that the roll drives operational funding and staffing, and this creates challenges.


• There are some great things about being a rural school principal, including the connection with the community, the fresh air and beauty of locations, and the ability to tailor the curriculum to suit the location and the children.


• It’s important to connect with other rural principals for support and advice. The New Zealand Rural Schools Leadership Association (NZRSLA) can offer professional learning and development support by principals for principals.


• Becoming a rural school principal gives you a great grounding for moving to a bigger school because you understand every intricacy of a school's operation.

This podcast was produced for the Ministry of Education as part of Te Ara Tīmatanga mō ngā Tumuaki - The Beginning Pathway for Principals.

You can learn more about this topic by accessing Te Ara Tīmatanga mō ngā Tumuaki - The Beginning Pathway for Principals e-learning modules on the Education LMS: https://training.education.govt.nz

Additional information

New Zealand Rural Schools Leadership Association (NZRSLA) https://www.nzrasla.ac.nz

Questions

1:18 [to Andrew] Can you tell me what differences you might notice between working in or being tumuaki for a rural school as opposed to a school in an urban centre?

01:59 [to Pete] Tell me how a rural kura fits into a rural community and its importance in that community.

3:03 [to Andrew] How do you go about building relationships when you first start as a rural tumuaki?

3:51 [to Erin] Should relationships be the focus for new tumuaki when they first start, or are there other things that are important to get your head around first when you first start?

6:11 [to Erin] You've had some interesting experiences in your time as a rural tumuaki . Tell me about that.

7:47 [to Pete] Are there other unique issues that urban schools likely don’t have to face?

8:40 [to Erin and Andrew] What have been your biggest learning curves?

10:16 [to all] I imagine there are other other challenges that are faced by rural schools and their tumuaki, including things like resources and support for akonga that may be quite difficult to access. How do you make sure that rural kids get the support that they need around learning and behavior?

12:56 [to all] What other challenges do rural schools and their tumuaki face, and how can you deal with those challenges?

16:22 [to all] Can you tell me about some of the great things about being a rural principal?

19:17 [to all] Is one of the benefits of being rural school tumuaki being able to tailor the curriculum to suit the rural lifestyle and rural kids?

20:18 [to Andrew] Can you me about the support that the New Zealand Rural Schools Leadership Association (NZRSLA) provides for rural principals and how they can connect with each other and with the association?

21:36 [to all] How important is it for rural principals to have support from their peers who are sharing, you know, similar experience as them? 

22:11 [to Pete and Erin] How do you connect with other tumuaki in your areas or other rural tumuaki?

23:13 Is there anything that you'd like to add that we haven't already covered?