An Interview with Neil Harray Education Review Office What is your background in education and how long have you been with ERO? I have been involved in education for 3 decades now. I have worked in a range of schools mainly in New Zealand but also a three-year stint in England. Over the 30 something years I have worked in state schools, coeducational, single-sex, state-integrated and private school settings in all types of roles from a part-time Sports Coordinator to Principal. All these experiences have really shaped my thinking about education. I have been with ERO Since leaving my principal position at Katikati College in 2017. What have been your main learnings since joining ERO? Firstly, it has been really interesting reviewing across the whole sector from Early Childhood to Primary and Secondary Schools’. The ECE curriculum, Te Whariki is a great document and I’ve seen some awesome teacher practise with these really young learners. Secondly, every school is doing some great work with their students. I have learnt so much from being immersed in each school we work with and have met some lovely people; teachers, leaders, board members and parents and whānau that all have a huge desire to do their best in supporting students. In some school’s its not always easy and they have some challenges along the way. I have really enjoyed working with those schools that have needed some extra support and seeing the progress that they have made. If you could share some valuable insight into the changing role of ERO, what would that be? This is the most significant change for ERO in 30 years. ERO has responded to the findings of the recent taskforce report and really thought about the role we play in school improvement. School leaders will find a far more collaborative approach, there is a focus on helping build the schools own evaluative capability and developing a shared understanding of the successes and challenges all schools face. One-
off evaluation reviews no longer happen now with “Evaluation partners” working alongside schools over a much longer time-frame, most likely 3-4 years now. When you begin your evaluation journey with a school, what is it that you are seeking to achieve? Really understanding the special nature of each school. Each school has a different context; different students, different teachers, different whānau so it’s about really focusing on what is most important for each community, school and the students. We want to be able to help schools make informed decisions about what they are trying to achieve and how they know if things are working or not working and why that might be the case. What are you most looking forward to as you begin this evaluation journey with Otumoetai College? I really enjoy working with large secondary schools. They are complex by their very nature of sheer size and I look forward to working with the school leaders to see how they have developed the strategic direction of the school. What is a little known / interesting fact about you? I really enjoy standup paddle boarding. I’ve got a couple of boards that let me either cruise around touring some of the interesting coastline or trying to keep up with the young ones in the surf. 7
