Bay of Plenty schools face a nervous wait as the Ministry of Education rolls out its recalculated decile rating changes which could impact on future budgets.

For the next 10 days the Ministry of Education is contacting schools nationwide to let them know the outcome of the latest recalculated ratings.

The region's schools are waiting to find out if their decile rating has changed. Photo: File.

The Ministry of Education re-evaluates the ratings after each census, ensuring they accurately reflect the latest information on school communities.

'This is about fairness,” says the Ministry's Deputy Secretary for student achievement Graham Stoop. 'We want to ensure extra funding goes to support those students who need it most.”

A decile of one indicates the school draws from a poor area, while a decile of 10 confirms the opposite. Schools that move to a lower rating will have an increase in funding, while those increasing will see a reduction over an 18-month period.

Of the 25 schools in the Western Bay, only Omokoroa is a decile 10, while there are two decile two schools - TKKM o Te Matai in Te Puke and Maketu School.

Of Tauranga's 42 schools, Bethlehem College and Matua School are both decile 10 while Merivale and Te Whakatipuranga are decile one.

Among the expectant group is Merivale Primary School principal Jan Tinetti, who isn't expecting any drastic changes and remains optimistic that it will keep the majority if its primary funding.

The school is categorised as a 1B band of decile one, meaning it receives a 'good chunk” of equity funding from the Ministry. Jan estimates with a school roll of about 160 children in 2015, the school on current form should receive $120,000.

'I would be absolutely devastated if we did managed to go up [a decile] just for the fact that we need every cent of that funding,” says Jan.

'We don't have any other means of funding except for going cap in hand for grants which is hard work.

'We get a good chunk of the equity funding which I can tell you we definitely need, but every school will tell you they need it.”

The Ministry has revealed about a third of 2406 schools will be better off, while another third will have to tighten their belts and the remainder will be unaffected.

A total of 800 schools have moved to a lower decile rating, while 784 schools have moved up. For another 822 schools, there has been no change.

Jan's main gripe is the Ministry's process of letting schools know the good or bad news, believing everyone should be told on the same day.

She says: 'I just wish we were told now so it would put an end all the speculation. That would be the most helpful thing then we could deal with whatever we are dealt.”

'Ten days seems an extraordinary amount of time when they know it all now.”

Graham says for most schools the changes in funding will be a small percentage of their operational grant.

Any reduction in funding will be an adjustment over an 18-month transition period for any schools with a reduction in funding while funding increases take effect in January 2015.

'We will be working closely with schools to give them any support they need to adjust to changes,” he explains.

'It's important to remember a school's decile rating does not reflect the quality of education a school provides. The quality of teaching and leadership at a school are the most important factors in lifting student achievement.”

Any school which believes its rating doesn't accurately reflect the socio-economic circumstances of its students can appeal.