Charter schools tremendous ‘against odds’ story

About 1400 students will attend New Zealand’s charter (partnership) schools in 2018. They are, by and large, Maori and Pasifika children, many with records and backgrounds that show what was previously provided for them was not working.

All the schools are able to demonstrate significant progressions for the children attending. That the schools have succeeded so far is actually a great “against the odds” education story.

They began facing considerable political and interest-group opposition that got a huge airing in the media. On average they began on a very low establishment fund, they had a fourmonth lead-in to opening in which every aspect of a new school had to be established (18 months for a state school).

One school was authorised for reasons no one can understand and when it predictably failed it was revealed it had received years of property funding in advance and bought a farm. It put huge pressure on all of the other schools by association.

However; the other charters have succeeded. Families choose to attend as there are no zones and in some of the less affluent areas this move away from onesize-fits-all is almost revolutionary.

Most of the schools have also used their funding to break down barriers for families with a provided uniform, stationery, IT, trips and the like, asking for no donations or course fees. The extremely positive perception of the schools will be clearly shown when the ministry and new Government release the 2017 Martin Jenkins external evaluation of the schools.

Three weeks ago the new Prime Minister met four Villa Education Trust students because they had turned their lives around so much they were awarded Prime Minister’s Scholarships.

Jacinda Ardern and Minister of Education Chris Hipkins have talked publicly about a “transition” to them becoming special character schools. I find this ironic as on July 30 last year I met Ardern briefly. Her response was, “You have shown us the inadequacy of our special character school policy”.

At present there has been no hint of changing the policy to make it “adequate” and the Ministry for Education is telling different stories to the ones presented by the Prime Minister and Minister of Education. In fact, last Thursday Hipkins made an “agree to close or I will close you anyway” announcement.

In question time in Parliament late last year, Ardern put some conditions on continuation from the Government perspective that are easily, and already, met by these schools. These were:

The schools should have registered teachers. (This is already the case, with exceptions similar to the recently expanded state school exceptions for limiter authorities to teach.)

The schools should teach the NZ Curriculum. (This is also already the case.)

The schools should operate on the same cost to taxpayers as state schools. (This is the case already in terms of annual operations for the equivalent size, decile and year level.)

Given Ardern has mentioned no other change requirements for the schools and acknowledged the inadequacy of the special character policy, the changes needed to the policy and legislation become very obvious and easily implemented through changing the special character school legislation.

The changes should allow the continuation of the ownership and governance structures of the current charter schools which are meeting a clear need, allow the continuation of bulk funding for these schools and allow teachers in these special character schools to be outside the national award, so able to be individually contracted.

Again, individual contracting gives the flexibility that allows a more differentiated model (including day structure, contact hours and providing incentives to work with “priority learners”). This creates no extra cost to the taxpayer. There may be examples of the charter schools who want to opt into the award — that should be no problem either.

This is a policy that needs growth and enhancement. The changes required are cost neutral and highly beneficial to the children and families making progress under this model. The Government may have to also look at better establishment and expansion funding and processes which are a mess under the current partnership schools policy.

Alwyn Poole

of the the Villa Education Trust is involved with two charter schools, South Auckland Middle School and Middle School West Auckland.