Victory Primary School in Nelson is a brilliant example of a school leading a community and a community backing a school. It is Decile 2, yes they do have Decile 2 in Nelson – in fact there are lots of poorer people in this beautiful place.
Victory Primary has been on a pathway to improve educational standards but worked out that there were lots of heath, welfare and community issues that were holding students back.
The school has become a hub for early childhood education, health (including nurse, doctor, midwifery and diabetes) services and the new hall has rooms used by housing, CYFS and WINZ. The local bakery drops off bread and people collecting it often work through their issues with final year counselling students.
The school has a hangi area that is booked weeks in advance and has become a real community centre.
Teachers have a really positive attitude, they deal with issues and the school has stopped suspending or excluding students.
Really worth looking at. Thanks.
Wow, that’s great!
And nice to see that they don’t give up on their students. 
One thing…
baa baa black sheep ?
or
baa baa rainbow sheep?
Oh another thing…Hope that Hangi isn’t too close to the school
Just hide the can of spray paint of they could end up like the goat on msn.
There has to be a lesson here since Victory has given up exclusion or expulsion. Is it possible that the kids feel valued and motivated enough to hate not being at school? “Mum. I’m not sick. Please don’t make me miss school.”
bit like Whanau Ora principles
The most important part you left out Trevor – when did they start this wonderful lifestyle of diversity?
Why can there not be more of this type of work around.
There are many people living on the minimum wage in Nelson. They call it the sunshine wage, you get paid a lower wage for the privilage of living in an amazing place.
Great post. What a fantastic example of a community making a difference with its youth in a way that can only but generate positive results.
What a shame those thugs in Martinborough didn’t interpret ‘community’ and ‘spirit’ in the same way.