Govt plan to introduce charter schools attracts overseas attention

The Government’s plan to introduce charter schools later this year is attracting interest from schools overseas.

Associate Education Minister David Seymour said over 35 groups have come forward wanting to take part in the initiative – even before applications were being sought.

A principal here in Aotearoa has taken inspiration from Mastery Schools in Australia – which was established three years ago and now has five sites.

Promotional material says many of its 700 students had disengaged from mainstream schooling and were experiencing academic distress.

But thanks to its curriculum, which focuses on literacy – and its classroom structure of one teacher and three assistant teachers for every 30 children – students are now expected to score an 85% pass mark.

The model caught the attention of Redcliffs School principal Rose McInerny.

"We saw the outcomes they were getting for kids," she said.

"Both incredible academic outcomes – things like achieving 1.6 years' progress across maths, reading and spelling – as well as their pastoral outcomes."

In this year’s budget, $153 million has been allocated to create 50 charter schools.

Speaking about the criteria for charter schools opening in New Zealand, Seymour said: "You’ve got to show how will you engage students? What’s your curriculum?

“Who are your teachers? What are you going to do differently that’s going to get kids to succeed where they might not otherwise have?”

However, unions say there are already plenty of options in the public system, and the money for charter schools could instead help state schools innovate.

They are also worried about accountability.

"Our normal schools are the most devolved in the OECD. The most autonomy, the most ability to do things that they want to do, to develop local curriculum,” the PPTA’s Chris Abercrombie said.

"When I taught on the West Coast, we looked at programmes to support the mining industry."

Seymour says the legislation is currently being drafted – and hopes it will pass into law by October.

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