New Zealand is facing a crisis with school attendance and achievement at record low levels. A one-size-fits-all education system is not working for everyone, and families deserve to have their taxes provide more choice for how children learn.
The charter school model provides autonomy to educators to find innovative ways to respond to student needs while being held to account for outcomes. The charter schools that got off the ground between 2011 and 2017 showed real promise before Labour ended the programme to appease the unions.
ACT has secured the reintroduction of charter schools, including a pathway for state schools to convert to the charter model.
Now, educational leaders and innovators in New Zealand, including those who ran charter schools during the programme's previous pilot, are lining up to offer their skills and passion to new schools. However, the unions and opposition political parties are mobilising against charter schools and spreading misinformation.
What is a charter school?
Charter schools give educators the mana and the dignity to achieve autonomy and deliver results, in particular for those students not served well by the state system. The most significant difference between charter and state schools is that charter schools have greater freedom and flexibility to innovate and engage with their students in return for stronger accountability for improving educational outcomes.
What freedoms will charter schools have?
Charter schools will have autonomy over teaching, staff, governance, hours of opening, and funding giving them the ability to establish a school that is unique to the learning needs it is fulfilling.
The Charter School Authorisation Board will approve charter school curricula. Charter Schools can use their own curriculum, provided the tuition standards are at least equivalent to tuition given to students enrolled at state schools of the same year levels and a school’s performance standards as agreed in a contract are met.
How are charter schools funded?
Charter schools will be funded on a ‘per student’ basis, and funding will be equivalent to that for state schools with similar rolls and characteristics.
The money put into the education budget does not belong to the state schooling system or the unions, it belongs to the child, and currently the system is failing 50% of the children. Children deserve more options to succeed, and that is what charter schools will have the freedom to offer.
What is the evidence for charter schools?
The charter school model has existed for over 30 years. A 2023 study by the Centre for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University found students gain an average of 16 days of learning in reading and 6 days in maths in a school year compared to their matched peers in traditional public schools. By the time they get to the end of their education, they’re a year ahead.
An evaluation over three years of the previous charter schools in New Zealand by Martin Jenkins found that charter schools were strongly focused on meeting the needs of learners while still meeting high quality standards, with positive whānau and student experiences. In fact, RNZ at the time reported ‘NZ’s charter schools given good report card’.
What qualifications do teachers at charter schools need?
Charter schools will require a certain number of registered teachers. Like state schools, charter schools also have the flexibility to employ unregistered teachers without a practicing certificate but with a Limited Authority to Teach (LAT) from the Teaching Council. All charter school teachers will be subject to Teaching Council disciplinary processes in relation to conduct.
In essence, staff must have the skills and experience to respond to children and young people and bring out the best in them.
How will charter schools impact funding for the wider school network?
To establish charter schools, $153 million in additional education funding was secured in Budget 2024. Once charter schools are set up, education funding follows the child, and if the child chooses to attend the charter school, the funding goes with them.
Don't families already have a range of educational choices?
Well-off families can send their children to a high-performing private school or move to a school zone with a high-performing state school. However, families with lower incomes do not have the same flexibility and are often stuck with a local state school that does not effectively serve their children.
Why can't school choice be achieved within the existing state school system?
Many state schools are being stifled by red tape and bureaucracy distracting teachers and educators from the core job of teaching. Decisions within state schools are bound by the demands of unions with a grip on teachers.
How will charter schools be held to account for their performance?
Unlike state schools, charter schools will be required under legislation and contracts to shows they are meeting performance outcomes specified in their contracts.
If a charter school is not meeting contracted targets, it may face interventions. In fact, unlike state schools, charter schools can be shut down for poor performance or attendance. Of the thirteen charter schools that opened during the programme's pilot, one was shut down for poor performance.
Why do teacher unions oppose charter schools?
Unlike state schools, charter schools will not be bound by current union contracts. This means teachers at charter schools are not incentivised to join and pay fees to the PPTA or NZEI.
What kinds of charter schools are likely to be established?
A charter school may reflect the character of a cultural, religious, sporting, extension, or military community. During charters schools' pilot programme from 2011 and 2017, thirteen schools were established including Māori-oriented schools, a Pasifika-oriented school, and a school with a military-style ethos (Vanguard Military School). A STEM-focused school was also scheduled to open before Labour shut the programme down.
Successful charter schools may open additional branches, as was scheduled with a Christchurch branch of Auckland's Vanguard Military School before Labour shut the programme down.
How does an organisation apply to open a charter school?
The application process will open in July which is when detailed information around funding and performance information will be released. A proposed sponsor needs to apply to the Charter School Authorisation Board for approval to operate the charter school. The first charter schools are expected to open in Term 1 of 2025.
How does a state school convert to the charter model?
Any state school would be able to apply to convert to a charter school, except for specialist schools. A proposed Sponsor needs to apply to the Charter School Authorisation Board for approval to operate the charter school. For converting schools, the application is made by either the school board with the support of a proposed sponsor, or one or more members of the school community with the support of a proposed sponsor.
A state school that is underperforming can be directed by the Minister of Education to enter the charter school application process, with the exception of specialist schools and others outside the mainstream system. State schools that are underperforming can themselves also apply to convert to a charter school.
For any converting schools, or schools that are directed to convert, the Authorisation Board will need to consult with the school board, school community, school staff and students to determine the level of support for the conversion. The views of the Ministry of Education and Education Review Office will also need to be sought, and the Authorisation Board will need to consider the mandatory criteria such as financial and network implications.