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Resource E: Guidelines for Involvement of the Friend of the School

The role of the Friend of the School

Before the review starts the school has the opportunity to involve a Friend of the School in the review.

It is the responsibility of the board of trustees to decide how the Friend of the School is involved in the review. The Friend can be anybody except the principal, a trustee of the school or member of staff of the school.

The Friend represents the school and does not have the authority of a designated review officer.

Skills required

The school selects the Friend according to its own criteria, which may include:

a good knowledge of the school and the contextual factors affecting its performance
the ability to reflect the interests of a particular group or groups in the school such as students, parents, or the wider community
the ability to maintain a constructive relationship with members of the school community and ERO
expertise in a specific area of importance to the school.

Parameters related to the Friend of the School

The decision to include a Friend of the School in a review is made by the board of trustees.
The school may select only one person as the Friend.
The school meets all costs related to the Friend of the School.
The Friend is responsible to the board of trustees during the time they are involved in the review.
The board of trustees is responsible for the Friend’s access to information during and following the review.
ERO may provide opportunities for individuals to give review officers information in confidence, without the Friend being present.

Table 4: Relationships and processes

What ERO does

What the school does

What the Friend does

Provides the board with guidelines to assist in their choice and management of the Friend.

With the agreement of the school, provides the Friend with the opportunity to:

attend meetings and interviews carried out as part of the review
see all documents the board wishes to make available
participate in review team discussions.

Decides if the school wishes to have a Friend involved in the review.

Selects the Friend.

Provides any necessary briefing to the Friend on the role he/she is to fulfil.

Notifies ERO of the decision to have a Friend and of the guidelines and parameters the school has provided for the Friend.

Agrees to work within ERO’s timelines and procedures for carrying out the review.

Participates in those aspects of the review the school wishes.

Participates in meetings and review team discussions.

Comments on ERO’s unconfirmed report through the board of trustees, if desired.

The Friend of the School may find useful information in ERO’s booklet: Getting the most out of your ERO review. This is available from your local review office or on ERO’s website: www.ero.govt.nz.