ACT welcomes end to open-plan classroom folly

ACT welcomes the Government’s decision to stop building open-plan classrooms, a move that finally acknowledges the failure of a decade-plus long educational experiment imposed on schools without evidence.

"So-called ‘Modern Learning Environments’ were forced on schools despite no evidence they actually worked," says ACT Education spokesperson Laura McClure.

"Having three teachers manage a hundred kids in a big barn with bean bags was always a recipe for chaos. The result was exactly what teachers warned: high noise levels, distractions, and difficulties managing behaviour.

"These challenges hit students with learning needs or sensory sensitivities especially hard. And when one student creates disruption, everyone else in the room would be derailed.

“It’s staggering that the Ministry of Education forced schools to adopt these designs with no evaluation of whether they worked. Schools were bullied into accepting them, despite boards’ and principals’ protests. Children need classrooms designed to support learning, not to enforce educational fads.

“Today’s announcement is a victory for common sense and for all the parents, teachers, and boards of trustees who fought against this ideological experiment. Teachers will once again be free to manage their own group of students in a way they know works best for that group."