Governance and management: various
What is a statutory intervention?
Where the Minister or Secretary perceives that there is a risk to the operation of an individual school, or to the welfare or educational performance of its students, they may apply an intervention.
The school’s board, or proprietors in an integrated school, may also request an intervention.
Types of intervention
The interventions are:
- a requirement to provide information
- a requirement to engage specialist help
- a requirement to develop, present, and implement an action plan
- a case conference between the board, management and Ministry
- a specialist audit where a third party assesses the situation
- a performance notice requiring a remedy of a breach of performance
- an additional appointee to the board to guide the board back to self-governance
- the appointment of a limited statutory manager to the board of a school
- the dismissal of the board of trustees, and appointment of a commissioner
Education and Training Act 2020, section 171 – Legislation website
Sections 172 to 181 of the Act explain the processes for each of the intervention types.
Applying an intervention
When applying an intervention, the Minister or Secretary must choose whichever intervention(s) he or she considers is reasonable to deal with the risk without intervening more than necessary in the affairs of the school.
- The application of one intervention does not preclude the application of any other intervention, either simultaneously or at any other time.
- Interventions must be reviewed annually by the Secretary.
- Where specialist help or a limited statutory manager are engaged, the school must pay their fees and any reasonable expenses incurred during their work.
There are special rules relating to the application of interventions to integrated schools and kura kaupapa Māori.
Further information
Interventions to support school and kura boards – Ministry of Education
Updated: August 2020
