Two Auckland schools that didn’t know if they would be allowed to open next year have been given a reprieve. Middle School West Auckland and South Auckland Middle School, which are both charter schools, were left in the dark about whether they’d be granted ‘special character’ status to remain open, after the deadline for a Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Charter Schools’
Charter schools better for Māori than the state system
Monday, August 6th, 2018
Six of the 11 charter (partnership) schools have a Māori roll of 87 percent or higher. High-profile Māori leader Lance O’Sullivan says self-serving interests and protectionism from the old establishment are at the heart of the move to close them down. He says such a move will force Māori youth back into a state system Read more
Charter school politics behind creationism teaching claim
Thursday, August 2nd, 2018
A former student of Mount Hobson Middle School, a partnership (charter) school, claims that his science teacher Rachel O’Connor favoured creationism as an explanation for how the world began. Rachel O’Connor is the sister of National Party leader Simon Bridges and wife of National MP Simon O’Connor. This news item appeared on Newsroom two days after the opposition Read more
Sir Toby Curtis delivers emotional plea against charter schools closures
Thursday, August 2nd, 2018The closure of charter schools risks the spiritual impoverishment that New Zealand’s education system had historically imposed on Māori, a select committee has heard. Māori educator Sir Toby Curtis, who recently submitted a treaty claim against the closures, delivered an “emotional” plea for the schools to remain as is on Wednesday morning. Continue reading
Charter schools closure will affect Māori
Thursday, July 5th, 2018Two Māori education leaders have lodged a claim with the Waitangi Tribunal saying the government’s decision to axe charter schools will have a detrimental effect on Māori students. Continue reading
Destiny launches third bid for charter status
Tuesday, August 25th, 2015Destiny Church will make a controversial fresh bid to open a charter school. Ministry of Education bosses previously rejected an application from the church, amid concerns students would be pressured into joining the Brian Tamaki-led movement. Papers detailing the rejection revealed ministry reservations over Destiny’s belief that identity as God’s child was more important than Read more
School decile stats suggest widening gap
Tuesday, May 5th, 2015Education Ministry figures show the communities around low-decile schools are poorer than ever but better educated. School deciles are based on five indicators – parents with no qualifications, crowded households, household income, parents receiving income support, and parents with low-skilled occupations. Decile one schools are the 10 percent of schools with the most students from Read more
Charter school trust buys waka for $100,000
Tuesday, May 5th, 2015A trust that owns two charter schools has bought its students a $100,000 waka to help with their learning. He Puna Marama, which received $6 million of government funding for its two Whangarei schools over two years, but also gets revenue from elsewhere, says it bought the 22-person, 14m carved kauri waka with money specially Read more
Principal of new charter school resigns over exam probe
Tuesday, February 17th, 2015James Haggett the principal of a new charter school, Middle School West Auckland, resigned on February 3 – the students’ first day – after it surfaced he was dealing with a probe by the Teachers Council regarding the administration of examination entries from 2013. A mandatory report was laid in December by Haggett’s former employer, Read more
Destiny Church failed school scrutiny
Tuesday, December 2nd, 2014Destiny Church’s failed attempt to set up a charter school was blocked in part because of Ministry of Education fears about students being pressured into joining the church. The ministry discovered irregularities between Destiny’s claim that they were open to non-church members, as school-goers were also expected to attend the church. In a stinging debrief Read more