Training Your Pastoral Team to Investigate Student Matters with Confidence
Most pastoral training focuses on wellbeing. This focuses on what happens when something goes wrong.
When a serious student matter lands on your desk, your pastoral team needs more than good intentions. They need student misconduct investigation training – practical skills to gather evidence, conduct interviews, and reach defensible conclusions without creating risk for your school and damaging relationships with family/whānau. Basalt Solutions provides the only specialist student misconduct investigation training of its kind for schools across New Zealand and Australia.
Why this training exists
School leaders tell us they’re frustrated. Most pastoral professional development focuses on wellbeing – which is important – but leaves staff completely unprepared for the moment a serious allegation requires a formal investigation.
Schools are told to follow principles of natural justice and conduct interviews using open questions. What they’re not given is any training on how to actually do this. When things go wrong, schools are criticised despite never having been shown how to get it right.
That’s the gap this training fills.
What your team will learn
Our training equips pastoral leaders to:
- Understand when a formal investigation is required
- Plan and scope an investigation properly
- Conduct effective investigative interviews with students
- Gather and evaluate evidence fairly
- Reach conclusions that withstand scrutiny
- Communicate outcomes in ways that bring families along rather than push them away
Who this training is for
Designed specifically for the people who handle student matters on the ground:
- Principals and deputy principals
- Assistant principals and deans
- Heads of boarding and housemasters
- Pastoral leaders in day and boarding schools
Two ways to train
In-Person Workshops: We come to your school and deliver a full-day immersive workshop for your pastoral team. Practical, scenario-based and tailored to your school context. Available across New Zealand and Australia. We also hold open workshops.
Online courses: Standalone course for individuals or teams who want flexible, self-paced training. Covers the same core methodology as our workshops. Available any time via our training hub.
What our clients say
"Tim's PD, to be frank, met every need that we had...I can't recommend it highly enough."
About your facilitator
Tim Sterne is a former NZ Police Detective Sergeant and teacher with extensive experience conducting investigations in educational settings. He understands how schools work from the inside – the relationships, the pressures, and what’s at stake when a student matter goes wrong.
Tim has trained pastoral teams across New Zealand and Australia and conducts independent student investigations when schools need external support.
Ready to upskill your team?
Whether you’re planning ahead or responding to a recent incident, early investment in investigative capability pays dividends.