The evolving classroom in New Zealand

Classrooms are undergoing their biggest transformation in nearly 30 years. Even what time you drop little Jimmy off at school could change, as Jo Moir reports

SCHOOL OPENING HOURS

Under changes as part of the Education Legislation Bill, currently in the committee stage in the House, schools will have more flexibility in their timetables, allowing them to cater to their students’ particular needs.

Reaction from schools back in March was mixed. Some were ‘‘horrified’’ at the potential chaos a change in classroom hours could cause in terms of pick-ups and drop-offs for parents, while others were keen on the flexibility. Some high schools have already moved toward later start-times to allow for dozy teenagers, who don’t take a whole lot in at 8.30am as it is.

‘COOL’ ONLINE SCHOOLS

Children enrolling for online classess, instead of going to a regular school? Nuts or the way of the future? The sweeping change (part of the Education (Update) Amendment Bill) will allow any school, tertiary provider or approved industry to apply to be a ‘‘community of online learning’’ (COOL).

There will be a rigorous accreditation process and each provider will have to get the signoff from Education Minister Hekia Parata.

The idea is based on every young person already operating in a world where technology and ‘‘being connected’’ is already the norm.

This is a chance to update the legislation to provide that option in the future.

Individual providers could choose how much time, if any, students would need to physically spend at school.

STARTING SCHOOL AGE

Under the Education (Update) Amendment Bill, schools will have the ability to implement a cohort entry policy, so new entrants could enroll only at the start of a term.

The earliest a child would be able to start school is at the beginning of the term closest to their 5th birthday - this means some children will be able to start school up to eight weeks before they turn five and others will have to wait up to eight weeks after.

Schools will have to advertise if they’re adopting the cohort policy.

Also under the new rules, attendance will be compulsory for a child from the first day they start school – currently the act doesn’t require children enrolled in school to attend regularly until age 6. This creates massive absentee issues and can establish poor attitudes to learning.

REVIEWING DECILE FUNDING

For the last two years, Parata has called for a change to decile-funding because it’s a blunt tool. A review is currently underway that’s aimed to ‘‘better align funding with student needs to lift achievement for all’’.

The decile system as it stands distributes more money to schools from low socio-economic communities and Parata wants to scrap the stigma that has seen some parents participate in ‘‘white flight’’ by snubbing local low-decile schools, which traditionally have higher rates of Maori and Pasifika children.

An advisory committee was set up to look at various funding proposals, six of which were backed: taking a per-child approach to funding; more funding for children at greatest risk of underachievement in education; more money for small and isolated schools; changes to the way school property funding is managed and better accountability for student achievement; and supporting a wider range of education options, such as private and charter schools.

The funding for at-risk children would target students that met one of four factors: a parent who had been to prison; if they or a sibling had suffered child abuse; if their family had relied on a benefit for a prolonged period; or if the child’s mother had no formal qualifications.

BULK FUNDING TO RETURN?

The review’s global budget has been slammed by school unions.

They have voted against the idea of schools not getting guaranteed funding to pay for teachers – now separate from money used for operational costs. This option would combine all funds, with schools deciding how much goes to staff.

Parata has acknowledged the strong opposition to the proposal but hasn’t completely ruled it out.

SPECIAL EDUCATION

Special education funding has risen 29 per cent since 2009. Every year, between 80,000 and 100,000 children receive some sort of specialist support.

Parata has revealed plans to focus that funding at an early-childhood level, potentially cutting some funding for older age groups. The idea is that by targeting kids earlier on the demand for funding at a later age will decrease. But that suggests students who are dyslexic when they’re young won’t necessarily be dyslexic when they’re a teenager.