Happy and harmonious staff are the key to a successful school and that attitude rubs off on pupils, according to the caretaker principal of Rai Valley Area School.
Tony Draaijer took over as head of the school three months ago after principal Muff Newton went on extended sick leave from June 7.
Mrs Newton was the subject of a campaign to oust her by former staff and school board members and her job was taken over by a senior teacher, until school commissioner Claudia Wysocki brought in Mr Draaijer.
The former principal of Nelson Intermediate and Independent Middle School, in Nelson, Mr Draaijer said staff morale at Rai Valley school when he arrived in July was "fairly good" and the pupils were welcoming.
The role of relieving principal was an opportunity to unify staff and re-establish leadership in the school, he said.
"As a manager you look at the whole school. You look at whether the staff are well catered for, valued and have their voices heard. There is a lot of consultation that goes on. If the staff are happy and harmonious, it will rub off on the children."
This is not the first time Mr Draaijer has taken over as caretaker principal. He has been placed in other schools around the South Island, including Barrytown School on the West Coast.
A caretaker principal manages the school and administration and is not governed by the board of trustees.
Mr Draaijer, who commutes from Atawhai near Nelson, said he was happy to stay on at the school until Mrs Newton decided to return or a new principal was appointed.
It was hard to plan long-term for the school because he did not know how long he would remain in the role.
However, he was focusing on getting systems in place so Mrs Newton or another principal would be able to hit the ground running.
"My dream would be to see the school back to what it was previously under a board of trustees and principal and to get a healthy roll."
The school has 81 pupils ranging from year 1 to year 13.
The roll had been declining because some attend school in Nelson, some were home schooled and others had gone to other country schools, he said.
Some perceive the school as having been through difficult times, but it was still "healthy and robust", he said.
"The morale is fairly good already, but that needs to be emphasised to the community and people looking into the school."
The most important things were to keep morale up and for the pupils to get the best learning experience possible, he said.
- The Marlborough Express
SIMON WONG
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