Future Ready Schools Updates
Thu May 15 2025 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Future Ready Schools Updates
Faculty of Arts and Education Schools Updates
Update 15 May 2025
At the closing date for feedback on the two possible future school models sixty three submissions had been received, forty two of these were from individuals, twenty one from different disciplinary groupings.
The feedback has been collated in a document that is available below.
The feedback has now been considered by the Consultative Team and Steering Committee and used to guide the development of a confirmation document that will be presented to the Faculty meeting next week (22 May 2025).
Update 9 April 2025
Following the meeting of the 19 March Consultative Team, amended school models were developed and presented at the faculty’s Operational Leadership Team (that is, the existing Heads of School and the faculty executive). OLT members workshopped the models and further changes were made as a result of their input.
A final feedback document has now been produced, which is now available below.
All members of the faculty are invited to provide feedback by 4pm on 30 April 2025. The feedback, in the form of an email or word document should be sent to Professor Mark Barrow.
On 19 March 2025 the Steering Group and Consultative Team met together to workshop four possible new school structures developed by the Steering Group.
The four initial options for future school organisation are briefly outlined here. On the basis of considerations at the 19 March meeting the Steering Group will narrow its work to developing the next proposal based on options two to four.
Option one is a ‘status quo’ option that leaves all the former arts schools unchanged, creates a school of ‘creative arts and industries’ (from dance, fine art, music) and a school of ‘education and social work’ (combining the four education and one social practice school). This is a six-school model.
Option two spreads the disciplines currently in the School of Cultures Languages and Linguistics to create five schools. The spread sees Asian Studies and European Languages and Literatures added to Humanities, Linguistics, Communication and Global Studies added to Social Science, and Applied Language Studies located alongside a similar grouping in Education.
Option three refines option two. It bolsters the ‘creative arts and industries’ grouping with Art History, Museums and Cultural Heritage, Media and Screen. The genesis of this grouping comes from feedback on the faculty amalgamation that suggested a closer alignment of Fine Art, Art History, and Museums and Cultural Heritage.
Option four proposes a school of arts and communication – based on the University of Sydney – that includes Dance, Fine Art, Music, Art History, Museums and Cultural Heritage, Media and Screen along with Communication. It also proposes separating social practice from education and placing it with Social Sciences (in a grouping similar to that at UNSW).
In each model Te Wānanga o Waipapa is retained.
Next steps
- The new proposal will be presented to the Faculty Operational Leadership Team (i.e. the faculty executive and Heads of School) meeting of 2 April.
- Following that meeting Heads of School will work with their Consultative Team members to facilitate consultation within their schools and provide feedback to the Steering Committee.
- At the end of April, the Steering Group will use feedback to make further refinements.
- The refined proposal(s) will be put to the Consultative Team for consideration.
- The refined proposal(s) will be considered by the Dean and put on the agenda of the Faculty meeting on 22 May.
To facilitate the in-school discussion, schools will have information about the steps that will be taken following the final adoption of a structure and before the start of 2026 (when the new structure will be implemented). This will include information about processes associated with creating and administering budgets.