As children head back to school this week, many Bay of Plenty principals are expressing concern about the system of national standards being introduced this year.
National standards, which are targets for reading, writing and arithmetic that students Years 1-8 are expected to achieve by the end of every year, begin in primary and intermediate schools this week.

Greerton Village School principal Anne Mackintosh is concerned national standards may brand some students as failures.

Geoff Opie, Otumoetai Primary School principal and president of the Western Bay of Plenty Principal's Association, says national standards are rushed, politically motivated and is sceptical if it will actually lift student achievement.
'We want more detail. We want to know how national standards are going to lift achievement.”
'There's no evidence that having national standards will lift achievement.”
He also says the 'narrow focus” that national standards apply to reading, writing and arithmetic could have a detrimental affect on students.
'It's got the potential to narrow teaching. Narrowing the focus to just reading, writing, and arithmetic is not meeting the needs of our students.”
'If we just focus on reading, writing and arithmetic, we are doing our children a disservice.”
Geoff says that students may not excel in those three key areas but they may perform better is subjects such as performing arts, physical education, visual arts or drama, which are not covered by national standards.
'A child deserves to reach their potential.”
Greerton Village School principal Anne Mackintosh says she will wait and see how the national standards system pans-out but is concerned the system may brand students as failures.
'We don't want our kids labelled as failures. Who knows what will happen with national standards, it's been so hastily done.”
Geoff is also concerned national standards will concentrate on the failure of students and overlook any progress they make.
'It's a deviant model. Kids are behind the eight-ball before they've even started.”
'National standards does not measure improvement and that's where the big hole is.”
Geoff gives the example that there may be a 10 year old reading at a nine year old level at the beginning of the school year.
He says by the end of the year that student's reading level may have progressed 18 months, but the student will still be failing according to the national standards system.