Navigating secondary school can be overwhelming for both families and students. From choosing the right school, understanding what gets taught and why, to bullying, and how to survive parent interviews, this new guide will help make those tumultuous years a little easier.
Well-known and respected within education circles, Bali Haque has put his extensive knowledge of every aspect of secondary schooling in to book form.
Haque is a career educator who has led four secondary schools and worked at the NZQA as Deputy Chief Executive with responsibility for NCEA. He’s been the National President of the Secondary Principals’ Association, an executive member of the Post Primary Teachers’ Association, and a contributor to many Ministry of Education advisory panels.
But the titles don’t cloud his writing. The guide is easy to read, incredibly informative, no-nonsense, and jargon-free. Each chapter is well researched and includes questions families should be considering, real-life examples from New Zealand schools, as well as what to do if things aren’t going quite as expected.
Of particular interest for most parents will be the chapters about NCEA. This, still relatively new, form of assessment is different than the old School Certificate and Bursary that most parents of today’s high school children sat. Haque not only offers a succinct guide to NCEA, he also breaks down exactly how to understand the results and how using them to judge a school is very difficult.
Chapters about special needs, bullying and harassment, and school discipline systems are a nice addition and are often an overlooked aspect of a school by parents until they are necessary.
Overall Haque’s message is for families to take action – whether it’s because you aren’t happy with something, or because you don’t understand how it works. This guide will help educate and support families to speak up for both their own children, and for the hundreds of other students at the school too.
New Zealand Secondary Schools and Your Child is an empowering, informative read to help families through one of the most challenging aspects of their teen’s youth.
REVIEWER: Rebekah Fraser
TITLE: New Zealand Secondary Schools and Your Child: A Guide for Parents
AUTHOR(S): Bali Haque
PUBLISHER: Bateman
RRP: $34.99