ADVERTORIAL
The heart of our little school is a community of learning, creating a safe environment where everyone has a sense of belonging and achievement.
After 17 years in the education sector, working in large, medium and small settings, I have now settled in as a principal of a small, rural school.
This has put me in a privileged position, to see the unique strengths of these remarkable institutions.
At a small school everyone knows each other by name. Every teacher works with every child. We can take careful, personalised approaches, reorienting and retooling the material for each child, tailoring the curriculum to the needs of the individual.
Everyone helps, everyone leads. The older kids consolidate their learning by sharing with the younger ones; the younger kids give the elder the privilege of mentoring and the skills of patient, gentle correction. We are a family, in our small circle, everybody wins.
Smaller schools look and feel like their community, woven into the local context.
The same close knit environment that allows teachers to know all the children offers that same visibility and interactions with the community that surrounds them.
Whether coming in to read a book or digging a long jump pit for athletics day, whānau, neighbours and locals all play their part.
It takes a village, the saying goes, and connecting with our community is key. At Pūriri School, parents, teachers and students work together to achieve the best outcomes, everyone has a voice. All ages and stages intersect and assist in the task of raising and training our children.
Ehara toa i te toa takitahi, engari, he toa takitini. My success is not that of a single person but instead the strength of many.
Talk to us about how we might work for your family.
-Supplied by Pūriri School principal Lydia Lester
