Tena koe Barbara

We thought the Home Education Foundation might be interested in an update on the National Library Services to Schools Transformation.  We would appreciate it you could circulate this update to others within the Home Education Foundation as you deem appropriate.

Services to Schools Update

In this update

•             Project overview

•             Interest from schools

•             Implementation 2016

•             Service concepts

•             Expert input

•             Proposed changes to National Library Services to Schools Team

Project overview

As you know we are changing the way National Library supports schools; that’s in order for us to increase the reach and impact of our service.

Our vision is that young people have access to effective and connected library services and library learning environments that support their development as readers and digitally literate learners.

The basis for the transformation was articulated in an independent review in 2012 by highly respected educationalist Mary Chamberlain, MNZM.

The transformation will enable us to:

•             Improve reading engagement for students

•             Support digital literacy for students and teachers

•             Support the development of modern library learning environments

Our Services Strategy 2015-2018, approved last year, signalled the move to a new operating model, structure and culture to deliver the above.

The new operating model will ensure our team has the confidence and capability to provide a sustainable service that’s fit for the 21st Century learning environment.

The new operating model will be implemented over the next four years.

We’ve listened to feedback and have invited others to work with us on finalising the new model.

We are receiving input from schools, thought leaders and expert practitioners in education, library and digital development and our own National Library staff to further refine these services through to the end of 2018.

Interest from schools

When we approached schools to be one of 15 to work closely with us on refining the new services we had no idea we would receive so many applications.

Registrations of interest closed in May with more than 190 schools putting their hands up to work with us.

We have now confirmed the 15 schools who will work closely with us over the next 18 months.  They have been chosen on a set of criteria which include location, decile, type and size of school.

The list of the 15 schools is available on Services to Schools website.

We are also keen to keep in close touch with the other 170+ schools that came forward so they can contribute to the transformation that will be taking place.

We will be inviting them to join us in a series of workshops around the country in term three to help provide input ahead of the design of prototype services.

Implementation 2016

The new service offering for schools will commence with prototype services starting to come into effect from the beginning of the school year in January 2016.

When these new services come into effect we will still see them as ‘prototype’ services, subject to a further year of testing and shaping with schools and experts.

We intend to communicate with schools during the second half of term three 2015 regarding how they can access our services in the 2016 school year.

Service concepts

We are currently working on how each of the new services will look.  The first step of this process has been working with our own staff.

The next step will be to involve our 15 schools and expert practitioners to get these services ready for prototyping in 2016.

Expert input

A project reference group has been established to help us transform our services.

The project reference group is made up of strategic thinkers from the education, library and digital development fields.  This group will provide input on the transformation and will challenge and test our thinking.  They will meet twice yearly until the end of 2017.

Proposed changes to National Library team

In order to support and deliver these transformed services we need to look internally at the organisational structure required in the Services to Schools Team. We embarked on a consultation with our staff this week about the operational structure of Services to Schools.

This exercise will take place in advance of the new service offering referred to earlier in this update. Final decisions are to be made in August following staff consultation.

We are committed to increasing the reach and impact of our services to schools and we are confident that the changes proposed will enable us to do this.

To this end the key change proposed is to introduce more of a national delivery model with lending services provided from Christchurch in the South and Auckland in the North.

If you have any questions please contact Geraldine Howell, Director Literacy, Learning and Public Programmes on 04 474 3071 or email S2Stransformation@dia.govt.nz.

Regards

Geraldine Howell

Director Literacy Learning Public Programmes, National Library

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Needing help for your home schooling journey:https://hef.org.nz/2011/needing-help-for-your-home-schooling-journey-2/

And

Here are a couple of links to get you started home schooling:

Information on getting started: https://hef.org.nz/getting-started-2/

and

Information on getting an exemption: https://hef.org.nz/exemptions/

This link is motivational: http://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-what-is-it-all-about/

Exemption Form online: https://hef.org.nz/2012/home-schooling-exemption-form-now-online/

Coming Events: https://hef.org.nz/2013/some-coming-events-for-home-education-during-2013-2/

Beneficiaries: http://hef.org.nz/2013/where-to-for-beneficiary-families-now-that-the-social-security-benefit-categories-and-work-focus-amendment-bill-has-passed-its-third-reading

Red Tape Cluster Buster Meetings and the Scoping Survey: https://hef.org.nz/2014/next-steps-deadline-8-december-2014/