Gloriavale School still not physically, emotionally safe for students, ERO finds
The school at Gloriavale is still not a physically and emotionally safe space for students but is now following the New Zealand curriculum, the Education Review Office (ERO) has found.
The review, completed last year but published on Wednesday, said the school is not meeting three of the eight criteria for registration as a private school.
It said enrolled students with high and complex needs were unable to attend because of a lack of suitable staffing and insufficient equipment in the school to adequately support their physical needs.
It also said the Teaching Council was currently investigating an allegation of staff misconduct and the school told ERO the staff member was being formally monitored.
It follows a damning ERO review in 2023, which found the school did not meet five of the criteria and the level of education provided was “inadequate and uncertain”.
“At that time, court cases citing incidences of physical and sexual abuse of children within the Gloriavale community and findings about young people’s employment status and the suitability of some school staffing were significant events impacting schooling,” the report said.
ERO made several recommendations in 2023 for the community leaders including urgently developing a long-term strategic plan for educational provision across the community and that they consider external leadership or support.
The latest report says the strategic plan has been developed by the community and external consultants but was still not in place.
During the 2024 review, about half of the 224 school-aged children living within the Gloriavale community were home-schooled and nearly 40% were enrolled at the private school with the rest enrolled in Te Kura correspondence.
“Education provision in the Gloriavale Christian School is slowly improving,” it said.
The report said suitable policy and procedures were in place, including a Child Protection Policy where concerns are reported to relevant agencies, but some aspects of the policies and procedures required improvement.
“ERO is not yet assured that all learners physical and emotional health and safety is closely, regularly, and sufficiently considered and monitored across all schooling provision.”
It said more rigorous safety assessment plans were required for Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) and a school-based police vet register was not yet in place.
The report identified one area of concern in the community’s preschool relating to its excursion records.
ERO also reviewed the education provided to 96 students being home schooled in the community and found most were being taught at least as well as a registered school.
ERO will carry out another special review at the school in two years and the school will provide a review of its progress toward the recommendations within 12 months.