National Standards for primary school education

The Education Review Office (ERO) estimates that around one in five children - 150,000 young New Zealanders - are not succeeding in our education system. What's more, ERO says those students aren't being identified before they leave school.

If we don't ensure that children master the basics of reading, writing and maths at primary school, then we are robbing them of future opportunities.

But how do we know when they aren't doing well at school? We must measure and record their progress on a consistent scale across the country.

Most primary schools already assess their students, using a range of tests.

National wants to ensure schools use this information to accurately measure student progress over time and compare this with students in other parts of New Zealand.

We also want to put parents back in the education loop. I've talked to too many parents who are baffled about how their child is actually doing at school. Parents deserve better.

So on Monday I gave a speech announcing a National Party education policy designed to ensure teachers clearly identify struggling students and are upfront about reporting to parents.

Our policy has three parts:

• First, National will work with education experts to set national standards in reading, writing and maths. The standards will describe the things all children should be able to do by a particular age or year at school.
• Second, National will require all primary schools to assess their students against these standards. This will mean schools can compare the progress of their students with other students right across the country. We'll let teachers choose from a range of existing tests but we'll make sure those tests include benchmarks of the national standards.
• Finally, National will ensure parents have access to this assessment information and receive regular reports on their child's progress against national standards.

Only with national standards will teachers and parents know exactly which children are at risk of leaving school without basic skills in reading, writing and maths.

To read my speech, go to www.national.org.nz/education.

Commission of Inquiry into Police Conduct

I welcome Dame Margaret Bazley's report into police conduct. I have enormous respect for our police officers, but it is clear there are systemic flaws in our police force that need to be put right.

Dame Margaret made 60 recommendations, and she is concerned that the police impetus for change may not be sustained after the Commission's report. For that reason she has recommended oversight by the State Services Commissioner, who will conduct annual audits of police culture, and monitoring of the commission's recommendations over the next 10 years by the Auditor-General.

Kiwis will find her report deeply disturbing. The Labour Government must ensure that all the recommendations are implemented, so our police force can recover the reputation and integrity it has lost. 

John Key