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Kāhui Ako

Kāhui Ako are also known as Communities of Schools or Communities of Learning. A Kāhui Ako is a group of schools approved to receive resourcing under the Investing in Educational Success (IES) initiative announced in 2014.

Implementation of Communities of Learning – practitioners’ experiences

Communities of learning: the slippage between planning and implementation (2017)

Requirement to appoint 60% of within school teachers (WSTs) to permanent positions in CoL schools

Developing a Community of Learning / Schools (CoL): Consultation with teachers

Guidelines for the appointment of the within school teacher role in Secondary Schools

Guidelines for the appointment to the across community teacher role in Secondary Schools

Guidelines for the appointment of Community Teacher (within school) role in Area Schools

Guidelines for the appointment to Community Teacher (across community) role in Area Schools

Guidelines for the Appointment of Area School Principals to the Community Leadership role

Investing in Educational Success and PPTA policy

Part 3: Terms of Employment (STCA)

PPTA survey of Communities of Learning/Kāhui Ako

PPTA surveyed members about their experience and opinions of Communities of Learning. The survey report and the report to PPTA Annual Conference are below:

Implementation of Communities of Learning – practitioners’ experiences (Survey report August 2017)

Communities of Learning: The slippage between planning and implementation (2017 Annual conference report)

PPTA thanks the many members who contributed to the survey.

Kāhui Ako Responsibility allowances

From the start of 2024 kāhui ako schools have the option of converting some fixed term WST roles into more flexible allowances for:

i. promoting effective teaching practice within the school, and

ii. strengthening the use of effective approaches to teaching and learning to achieve shared Kāhui Ako objectives

iii. recognising Kahui Ako-related responsibilities undertaken by teachers (other than principals) who are not Kāhui Ako Teachers (within school).

Each Kāhui Ako Teacher (within school) role that is converted will provide:

i. Two Kāhui Ako Responsibility time allowances of 0.04 FTTE; and

ii. Four Kāhui Ako Responsibility salary allowances of $2,000

Advice on the requirements for using these allowances is in part 4.23 of the STCA and in the advice on the 2023-25 STCA settlement

Requirement to appoint 60% of within school teachers (WSTs) to permanent positions in Kāhui Ako schools

The STCA and ASTCA require schools to make at least 60% of their within school teacher (WST) roles permanent.

In the joint guidelines from NZSTA, the Ministry of Education and PPTA (page 4) the three organisations have made clear that:

“if the school has three or more roles to allocate, each appointment to the role may be either permanent, or for a fixed-term in accordance with clause 3.2.3 of the STCA, provided that fixed-term appointments will never make up more than 40% of a board’s roles. There must be a genuine reason to appoint to a fixed-term.” (see the Guidelines for the appointment of the within school teacher role in Secondary Schools attached to this page)

This requirement is repeated as clause 4.24.5(a) of the STCA and 3.33.11 (b) (i) of the ASTCA.

If you are converting WST roles to Kāhui Ako allowances the requirement that 60% of allocated WST roles must be permeant includes the resourcing from converted roles.

Funding is on-going

Schools are reminded that the funding for Kāhui Ako positions is baseline (on-going) funding. If a school is required to reduce the number of permanent WST roles because of either a reduction in the number of roles they are entitled to, or because of a change in government policy the costs of reducing those roles will be met by the Ministry Education in the same way that the Ministry meets the costs of required staffing reductions.

The disestablishment processes for WST roles are contained in clauses 4.24.13 and 4.24.14 of the STCA and 3.33.8 of the ASTCA.

Being a part of Community of Learning Kāhui Ako consultation

If you've been told your school is going to join a Kāhui Ako then be aware that you have a right to be consulted.

PPTA Te Wehengarua has developed advice in PowerPoint form for branch officers about being part of the Kāhui Ako consultative process (attached to the top of this page as a pdf).

Email ies@ppta.org.nz if you would prefer the PowerPoint version of "Developing a Kāhui Ako: Consultation with teachers."

Collective agreements

Secondary Teachers' Collective Agreement provisions include:

STCA 2022 -2025 1.8 Definitions: “Kāhui Ako are also known as Communities of Schools and Communities of Learning. A Kāhui Ako is a group of schools approved to receive resourcing under the Investing in Educational Success initiative announced in 2014.)

STCA 2022 - 2025 3.2.2 Advertising and Appointment

STCA 2022 - 2025 Part Three: Community of Schools-level induction and networking programmes (see 3.8D)

STCA 2022 - 2025 Part Four: Remuneration - Acting Principal (see 4.15.2), Acting in a Higher Position other than Principal (see 4.16.3 and 4.16.4), Allowances (see from 4.22, 4.23, 4.24)

STCA 2022 - 2025 Part Five: Hours of Work (5.1.1) Inquiry Time (5.2.7)

STCA 2022 - 2025 Part Four : (4.24) Kāhui Ako Responsibility allowances

Area School Teachers' Collective Agreement provisions include:

ASTCA 2022 - 2025 Part Two - Terms of Employment: Advertising and Appointments (2.2.2), Community-level Induction and Networking Programmes (see 2.20)

ASTCA 2022- 2025 Part Three - Remuneration: Allowances (see 3.31-3.33), Acting or Relieving Principals (3.11.3), Acting in a Higher Position (other than as Principal) (3.12.4)

ASTCA 2022 - 2025 Part Four - Hours of Work: (4.1.1), Inquiry Time (4.2.6).