Looking ahead at Rangiora High

Looking ahead at Rangiora High School

Principals Today talks with Bruce Kearney, the new principal for Rangiora High School, about leadership, his background and the future of learning at Rangiora High School.

What is your educational background?

I have a BCOM in accounting and management, a diploma in teaching, and a post graduate diploma in leadership. The most impacting qualification I achieved was a certificate in educational leadership from Harvard in Boston. Whilst shorter than any other qualification in time, the depth of learning was so much deeper. Interesting, there might be a learning lesson there. I began teaching in the mid-90s, post the cane but pre NCEA. I taught Economics and Accounting. My initial teaching was predominantly in boys’ schools: St Pauls’ Collegiate (Hamilton), Shirley Boys and then Christchurch Boys High. From there I shifted into co-educational schools: Cashmere High, Kaiapoi High and now Rangiora High. I suppose the two biggest challenges was shifting from a boy’s school mindset to a co-educational mindset - that was not easy and I made some real novice mistakes.

The second challenge was taking up a principal’s position without holding a senior leadership position - this was not widely accepted from a group that believed in a hierarchical ladder of leadership.

How does the school’s history pave the way for its future?

Our school opened in 1884. It is like an old historic building, the original building is still at the heart, yet over the years each new generation adds an extension to the building in its own design and architecture. Our history is cantered around our connection to the rural community we serve, this has not changed, and in fact our school farm is a perfect example of this. The farm is a core part of our school, and we now see the focus of this farm shifting from a traditional approach to a sustainable and diverse one, thus respecting our history whilst focusing on our future.

How do you motivate and encourage staff?

One of the most common statements in education at the moment is “placing the child at the heart of what we do”. This is of course completely true however,

There are huge expectations on community school principals and it’s not for everyone, but it is for me.

the question that I have asked myself as a principal is how? I am one or two steps away from the child, so my task is to make sure that our staff have the support and guidance they need to be able to create those opportunities for our students. We have to show and remind our staff of the power they have to both open and close doors for our students, to provide them with a ‘just cause’ and then remind them every day of the positive impact they have on our students, school and community. We then need to let them do their job and provide them with the support and guidance when they need it. We need to be celebrating our staff successes almost as much as we celebrate our student successes. They need to feel valued and appreciated, supported and trusted, and yes, both responsible and accountable. I place the child at the heart of what we do by placing our teachers at the heart of what we do.

What professional development activities have you undertaken recently?

Two stand out for me. Recently I attended a Puketeraki Kahui Ako professional development session on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, more specifically on the Ngai Tahu claim and Kemp’s deed. I spent the entire day wondering how I know so much about Elizabethan History and so little about the history of my own home. It was fascinating and delivered in a way that engaged me and had me wanting for more. The second professional development that I connected with was a presentation from the Principal of Christchurch Boys High School on the rights of the child.

This shifted my thinking and ended up with me returning to school and completely changing our uniform policy to allow students to express themselves as individuals whilst maintaining pride in their uniform. It was great to be part of two quite different sessions that had such an impact on my thinking and beliefs.

How does it feel to take on the 137-year legacy of Rangiora High School?

Honestly, it feels no different from when I was given the opportunity to lead Kaiapoi High School which is about to turn 50 this year. I have no interest in legacies. Legacies are about me, and whilst I may be a critical cog in our institution, our caretaker, support staff, IT staff and teachers are all just as critical. If I’m not at school, school carries on. If we don’t have functioning toilets the school closes. What cog is more important? What drives me is creating opportunities for young people now, those students that are in school now, and need us as teachers to open doors for them to allow them to be the best they can be.

I feel very privileged to be able to lead our school and the responsibility does rest heavily on my shoulders. It is not the 137-year legacy that rests heavily, it is the students that are here now and the community that I serve now that both motivates and inspires me every day.

What are some ways that you connect with your school community?

When I applied for Rangiora High School, I was a principal of a community school and I loved it. This motivated me to apply for a school that was only 10 minutes down the road, a community school whose community really wanted the school to be the best it could be.

There are huge expectations on community school principals and it’s not for everyone, but it is for me. In my first term I visited our contributing schools for coffee and cake evenings with the parents, attended whanau hui’s, watched sporting events and met with local politicians including the mayor. As the year progresses, I will attend community meetings and celebrations, I am a member of the RSA, and I am also on a number of local trusts and boards including the North Canterbury Sports and Recreation Trust. The expectations are high and I am more than happy to endeavour to connect as much as possible with our wider community.

How do you build leadership in your school? (Developing Leadership Capacity)

This one is easy; it is simply a mindset. Once you release control and realise that you can’t do everything, and don’t do everything better than everyone else, you can start to build trust with your team and give them the autonomy to be able to do their job. Then all you need to do is support and provide guidance when needed. The sooner Principals stop micromanaging and start empowering, the sooner they will start reducing their hours and making this job a job of opportunities rather than impossibilities.