An open letter to Ross Sinclair, Principal, Hutt Valley High School

Dear Mr Sinclair,

My name is Holly Walker. I attended Hutt Valley High School from 1996-2000, and I was Deputy Head Girl at the school in my final year. Members of my family currently attend Hutt Valley High School. I am also the Green Party Candidate for Hutt South in the upcoming general election.

I was pleased to see you issue a full apology for the series of violent incidents that took place at Hutt Valley High School in 2007. Like many others, I was appalled to read of these events, and grossly disappointed in the school’s response. These have been well-documented in the Ombudsman’s report on the events, and subsequent media coverage.

The victims (and indeed the perpetrators) of these particular incidents and their families will no doubt be dealing with the consequences for some years to come. I suspect that there are many others who experienced the culture of systemic violence, intimidation and abuse that has been identified at the school at this time who have suffered long-term emotional and psychological effects. The apparently dismissive response of the school to complaints at that time will not have helped those in this category to recover from the experience.

I am therefore pleased to see that the school has put anti-bullying policies and practices in place since 2007. The Ombudsman’s report is clear that the school has been proactive about this. I hope that these changes allow Hutt Valley High School to move on from this chapter with a renewed focus on safety, a respect for the rights of all students to an education, free from intimidation, and a strong commitment to non-violence.

For this to happen will require a commitment to regularly and independently record incidences of bullying and violence in the school, including regularly surveying the experiences of pupils, teachers, and parents, to ensure that these policies actually translate into a decreased incidence of bullying and violence. In addition, programmes such as restorative justice need to fully implemented, resourced, and committed to by Board and Staff to address the root causes of these behaviours.

If such changes result in a decreased incidence of bullying and violence, Hutt Valley High School could become a model for anti-bullying programmes in all schools around the country. If there is one thing that these sad events have highlighted, it is how important it is for schools to have robust and transparent policies and procedures to combat violence and intimidation, and for these to be actively managed and measured.

I am standing for a party with a well-developed policy in this area. It is Green Party policy to ensure that all schools and early childhood centres have policies, practices and programmes that support the elimination of prejudice, racism, bullying, intimidation and violence. The Green Party also has a strong commitment to restorative justice models. I support any moves resulting from this report to make such programmes mandatory around the country.

I had a very positive experience at Hutt Valley High School. A large school like Hutt Valley High School can offer a wider range of subjects and extra-curricular activities than many smaller schools, and I was the type of pupil to seize on these opportunities and take advantage of them. I had some fantastic teachers, some of whom are still at the school, who challenged me and equipped me with the skills and passion to take me all the way to Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship. I will always be grateful for the fantastic public education I received at Hutt Valley High School.

However, I am concerned that a big school does not work for all pupils. In such a large school, it is too easy for some pupils to fall through the cracks, to have their educational needs go unnoticed, or for dangerous and concerning behaviour to be overlooked.

As someone who intends to raise a family in Lower Hutt and believes strongly in public education, I sometimes wonder whether my children will have access to the same high public quality education I had. Hutt Valley High School is the only co-educational public school in the southern part of Lower Hutt. I’m not sure it can cater to the diversity of educational needs of all pupils, or keep all pupils safe, as it continues to grow.

The old Petone College site has sat empty for many years, and was the subject of an arson attack earlier this year. Instead of sitting there unused, and vulnerable to vandalism and arson, perhaps it is time to revisit the programme piloted in the early 2000s which utilised the old Petone College site as a satellite to Hutt Valley High School, providing an option for those pupils who are are not well suited to the ‘sink or swim’ life in a big school?

I would welcome a response from you on these points.

Yours sincerely,

Holly Walker