We the Wilford school community are calling for the Principal and Deputy Principal/SENCO at Wilford School to be stood down immediately, the Board of Trustees dissolved and a Commissioner appointed. Wilford School is in crisis and urgent and radical change is required.

Students at Wilford School have seen their educational opportunities decline dramatically, along with the reputation of the school. Families and staff are leaving in droves.

Tamariki requiring additional support and tamariki Māori are being segregated in the school and their cultural, emotional, and physical wellbeing is being jeopardised. They and their whānau have been subject to discrimination, bullying and marginalisation - our tamariki don’t feel safe or valued.

Ngā Puāwai, the school’s Māori immersion unit and the first bilingual unit to be opened in Lower Hutt, has been under-valued, under-resourced and under-staffed. Despite the efforts of its dedicated kaiako and whānau, the mana of the unit and its tamariki has been trampled on and disregarded  - the unit, along with the place of te reo Māori in the school, is in danger!

For years the concerns and complaints of the Wilford School community have been ignored, swept aside, or have disappeared. Whānau have been pushed into culturally inappropriate and unsafe complaints processes and have given up due to inaction. They have not been heard by those in authority or leadership roles who are supposed to protect and provide a safe learning environment for our tamariki.

We believe that the school has failed to:

• Uphold its duty of care
• Protect the health, safety and wellbeing of tamariki
• Support all children’s right to an education, especially Māori and special needs students.

The school is in crisis. It is impossible to see resolution without urgent and dramatic intervention. That is why we are calling for:

• the Principal and Deputy Principal/SENCO to be stood down immediately;
• A Commissioner appointed, who has the requisite knowledge and experience for dual medium kura;
• A full investigation launched into the school; and
• A new governance and operational leadership model instituted that gives effect to te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Please support and share this petition – our tamariki need you!

Email: wilfordpetition@gmail.com