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The Education Review Office (ERO) has criticized Gloriavale Christian Community School for failing to provide a physically and emotionally safe place for students.
A report, written in June but published more recently, said inspectors found that the West Coast school had not regularly reviewed policies and procedures to provide a physically and emotionally safe place for students and was therefore not in compliance. with the criteria to register as a private school. .
Since then, the school has provided evidence showing that areas in need of improvement have been addressed and it is now meeting registration requirements, ERO said.
The review also found that the school had managers who are “fit and proper people,” despite the fact that the Teaching Council is investigating the principal after a teacher sexually assaulted a girl.
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Gloriavale leaders were recently criticized for having a sexual and physical assault policy that offered criminals three chances to repent before being reported to the police.
The school’s principal, Faithful Pilgrim, also stepped down from his post, letting his teaching record expire after an investigation was launched into whether he was unable to keep the students safe.
The investigation includes whether Pilgrim allowed a teacher, Just Standfast, to continue practicing after he was alleged to have sexually assaulted a 9-year-old girl in 2012.
Standfast pleaded guilty in March of last year to one charge of sexual conduct with a child.
The crime only came to light after the girl’s father filed a complaint with the police in 2018 when he left the community. The court heard that Pilgrim was briefed on the allegations in 2012.
Alden Williams / Stuff
The school is run by the Gloriavale Trust Board and the Community Management Board.
The school has 204 students from year 1 to 11.
“A safe place is one in which risks to student safety are regularly assessed and evaluated with a view to eliminating, or at least reducing, harm,” the ERO report says.
“A safe place is one where there are clear policies and steps are taken to eliminate or minimize damage.”
However, no such policies existed at Gloriavale School.
ERO told school leaders to extend security checks to include people who support students off-site, to insert a statement in the school’s child protection policy stating that anyone can report suspected abuse child and implement a risk assessment template.
He also told the school to clarify the physical restraint policy and explain it to students and parents.
The school did meet other criteria for registration, according to the report, including its curriculum and appropriate staff, equipment and enrollment standards.
TVNZ
Gloriavale leaders were recently criticized for having a sexual and physical assault policy that offered criminals unlimited opportunities to repent before being reported to the police.
The school is run by the Gloriavale Trust Board and the Community Management Board.
“The close relationships between the two boards and the community mean that decisions about school operations, historically, have been determined through discussion,” the report says.
“School leaders are aware of the need for written policies and procedures that are periodically reviewed. At the time of this review, several new documents had not yet been widely shared among staff. “
The ERO report also recently released its report on Gloriavale Christian Toddlers, a licensed community early childhood education center for 50 preschool-age children.
That report concluded that the center was well positioned to promote positive learning outcomes for children, but also found that the child protection policy needed to establish a clear provision for direct reporting of any suspected child abuse.
Gloriavale has been contacted for comment.
