A Final Comment on some aspects of NZ's Education year.
Unfortunately, a deeply concerning year for education in NZ. Strong evidence of a continued trend downwards in NCEA/UE - that will be compounded by the NCEA Level 1 Math, Reading and Writing co-requisite results.
Attendance remains far too low with only 51.3% of students fully attending school in Term 3 of this year. The figure for Maori was 35%. Don't forget that there are 10,000 children enrolled nowhere (not including the exploding population of home-schoolers)
The Ministry of Education is clearly chaotic and a new Secretary for Education has not been appointed after the previous one left early and without so much as a morning tea to say ta-ta.
I, and others, had some hope that there would be the type of promised roll out of the Charter Schools that the Ass Minister (David Seymour) has trumpeted. It turned out he was using a kazoo as six tiny schools were announced and the only common sense was the very late announcement of St Stephens. As one school leader said today to me - Seymour, and the policy lost a massive amount of credibility with the announcement of the tiny French school in Remuera.
Many of the applicants were absolutely bewildered by the process and the outcomes. All sorts of promises made ... funding for 15 high quality schools to start in Term 1 2025. Whenever an applicant challenged the Charter School Agency - with their 18 members averaging $158,000 each - the applicants were told that they were at fault in all manner of ways.
It turns out - as you can read below - that the answer was in the very first OIA that has come back (there are many more to come).
See below as sent to Seymour this week:
Dear Ass Minister Seymour
This was sent to me this morning from another applicant who has started receiving their OIAs in (ours are on the way).
“Hi Alwyn
The minutes of the Authorisation Board are revealing (pages 13-14 of the Appendix) The CSA evaluated the 33 stage 2 applications by 21 Oct, 10 days after applications closed, and there was a limited/small budget of 10 million dollars until 30 June 2025 which may explain why the successful applications were for such small schools.”
Given that they spent well over $2million on themselves ...https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360521758/charter-school-agency-staff-paid-average-salary-158889 that left only $8million to actually begin and run schools for the best part of a year.
So - because we were applying for real schools - of a decent size like you had promised here:
“Seymour says he’s learnt much from his previous attempt to establish the charter model here, although most of the lessons were political rather than pedagogical. This time, he’s going big and going fast.
“There’s probably going to be a couple of hundred of these schools by the time Labour gets back into power. And it’s going to be big, powerful communities with lots of capital and lots of lawyers.
“It won’t be a small group of poor brown kids that Labour can shamefully and disgracefully ignore like they did last time. And the contract is going to be much tighter and harder to buy. They’re going to be 10 by 10 by 10. Thirty years, with break points every 10 years.”
He’s had 78 applications. Only 10 are from state schools, and while the list will not be made public, it’s a safe assumption some are former charters returning to the fold. He’s cautiously optimistic that more state schools will look to convert down the line.https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-listener/new-zealand/schools-shake-up-what-some-find-terrifying-about-govt-plans-for-charter-schools/GDXNRNNWXVAJJLASBNXOPD4EXE
We were not under consideration from the beginning. We - and all our stakeholders - including $73m worth of property owners - wasted our time and a significant amount of money. The property owners could have known by October 21 (in fact much earlier given the budget) and sought other leases.
We can then mention the communities ourselves and other applicants had communicated too in good faith. Hundreds of families.
To say this is poor is an understatement to match your over statements.
We acknowledge St Stephens as a great choice (how it took until December is beyond any educators) – but we now understand why 5 other small and strange “schools” were chosen (with evidence that three are already operating outside of the law).
Given all of the things that you have said in public on this during the last 12 months you must now, surely, stand down from this portfolio. The young people of NZ need it done well and all signs are that you are not the right person. Honesty is a good starting point.
Alwyn Poole
Education 710+ Ltd
It is very clear that 2024 – despite a new government – was another year where the vast majority of the adults of the government part of the system put themselves well ahead of the interests of the children.
My organisation, along with others, will challenge what has happened under this policy. Some of it is truly bizarre. Seymour challenged us to make our applications public, we said of course, so the Charter School Agency redacted all of our supporters, and Board names (despite full permissions) and accused us of lying about referees, etc.
We are very unlikely to be back with the current process and the people involved (including the members of the Authorisation Board). They have colluded in a complete nonsense and no one has been honest from the start.
We have some very exciting projects going into the new year and have much of the ground-work laid for those. We are combining with some truly remarkable people.
I will also be revamping and significantly expanding my education writing and commentary of my Substack (alwynpoole.substack.com). I am also working with nearly 40 NZ High Schools to help them improve outcomes for their students over the next five years with leavers data goal-setting and planning.
All the very best for Christmas and the New Year.
If you want any clues, bookings, etc, in the Bay of Islands I do happen to own the Russell Booking and Information Centre – and a gorgeous little shop called Wood2Water – be in touch and I will help you out.
Alwyn Poole
alwyn.poole@gmail.com
Innovative Education Consultants Ltd
Education 710+ Ltd
(both sites currently being re-done)
alwynpoole.substack.com
www.linkedin.com/in/alwyn-poole-16b02151/