Cambridge High School (New Zealand)

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Cambridge High School
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Motto	Fortiter et recte to have the strength to do the right thing
Type	State Co-ed Secondary (Year 9-13)
Year established	1883 (closed 1887 between 1902)
Address	Swaynes Road, Cambridge, Waikato, New Zealand
Principal	Phil McCreery
School roll	1132
Socio-economic decile (10 is high)	8
Ministry of Education Institution no.	142
Website	www.camhigh.school.nz

Cambridge High School is a state secondary school in the Waikato town of Cambridge. Otherwise unremarkable, it was thrust into national prominence during the tenure of principal Alison Annan.

1 Pre-Annan
2 100% success rate
3 Achievement Recovery Room
4 Inquiries and Departure
5 Post-Annan
6 References

[edit] Pre-Annan

Many claim that Cambridge High School, in the pre-Annan period, was a rough school, and had earned itself the nickname "Cannabis High". Many students in the region chose instead to bus to schools in Hamilton instead of their local high school.

[edit] 100% success rate

The school came under fire after it had maintained a 100% pass rate for two years in a row in NCEA (National Certificate in Educational Achievement) exams, and attracted a lot of media attention amid claims of teacher bullying and manipulation of the students' exam results.

[edit] Achievement Recovery Room

Close attention was paid to the so-called 'Achievement Recovery Room'. Students who were regarded as slow were pulled out of mainstream classes and put into Achievement Recovery. There they could catch up on work they missed, until they were up to speed with other pupils. The current affairs program '60 Minutes' highlighted claims that teachers who were put in charge of Achievement Recovery had written assessment answers on the board for students to copy.

[edit] Inquiries and Departure

Claims of teacher bullying and manipulation of school results led to an investigation by the Ministry of Education. The subsequent report revealed flaws in Mrs Annan's tactics and problems with the school such as poor facilities. After pressure from those in charge of the investigation, Mrs Annan announced her resignation as principal on Friday 13 August 2004. When students were informed at a hastily-called assembly, many junior students greated this announcement with cheers. The large majority of the senior school were left feeling distraught and disillusioned. Great sympathy was then shown when on the 16th almost the entire school marched downtown and back in her support, but not before doing a traditional haka outside her home.

[edit] Post-Annan

Since Mrs Annan's departure the school has seen several transformations. This includes the restoration of its library, which was dismantled only a couple of years before, and some changes to other school structures.