Flanshaw Road School

Cherie Taylor-Patel

Principal, Flanshaw Road School

I knew this was different school when three children met me at reception. “Can we help you sir?” the girl in the centre of the three respectfully asked. “I am here to meet your principal,” I said. The three of them disappeared and within thirty seconds Cherie Taylor-Patel came out to meet me and ushered me into her office. This is a school where studentled initiatives abound and I will say more of this later. Cherie grew up in the West, in the country, in “Old Massey, where I learnt to ride horses.” From Massey High School she went to North Shore Teacher’s College, “taught for three years and then gave it away!” And for the next eight years Cherie committed to equestrian full time. “I came back to teaching in 1989, the beginning of Tomorrow’s Schools. I was fortunate to be able to move straight into this new era of New Zealand education. I had a range of teaching roles in lots of different schools, teaching gifted and talented students, special needs students and releasing senior teachers. It was a wonderful experience to teach in different communities and cultures all in the West, from Decile 4 to Decile 10 schools.”(The Ministry of Education defines Decile as: A school’s decile indicates the extent to which the school draws its students from low socio-economic communities.) “In 1995 my husband and I taught at Tokirima School - drive to Taumaranui turn right and drive for half an hour. That’s real heartland New Zealand and it was a total immersion into the New Zealand rural lifestyle.” “Returning to Swanson Primary for the second time I commenced and completed a Masters degree in Education at Auckland University. At Dominion Road Primary I was an Associate Principal for five years, starting a doctorate in 2003. I came to this role nearly three years ago and have been fortunate this year to secure a scholarship for my research. I am excited about this work; Reporting Systems in Schools, in particular student-led conferencing, where students run conferences about their learning with their parents.” It was evident through talking with Cherie and observing behaviour in the school that Flanshaw Rd is a school which is committed to developing and empowering students as learners. Indeed, the development of learners at all levels of the school is what this Learning Community is about.