Charter schools told to keep enrolment numbers secret

By John Gerritsen of RNZ

The seven charter schools set up at the start of the year have been told to keep their enrolments secret, by The Charter School Agency.

The organisation, which manages charter school contracts and funding, told RNZ it was not appropriate to share information about the rolls of the publicly funded private schools.

“The Charter School Agency does not intend to release the numbers of students currently enrolled at each individual school during the crucial establishment phase as this could undermine their commercial position and their efforts to build their roll and deliver quality education,” it said.

“All schools need time to establish. Most state schools take around three years.

“The first charter schools have had less than one year to grow and reach their establishment roll by the fifth term of their operation.”

However, Tipene, a Māori boarding school south of Auckland, told RNZ it had 44 boys, while the Auckland French International School said it would start the third term with 25 pupils.

One of Tipene’s founders, Nathan Durie, said enrolments were higher than originally planned and it was clear the school was offering a type of education Māori wanted for their children.

The Charter School Agency says it is not appropriate to share information about the rolls of the publicly funded private schools (file photo). Photo / Marika Khabazi, RNZ

“Kaupapa Māori, reo Māori are very sought after now in terms of the types of education that Māori people are looking for but they also want the opportunity for these kids to be... global citizens. And then working in particular special character aspects,” he said.

Durie said the charter system gave the school more flexibility in its daily schedule.

“We don’t deliver between nine and three. Our programme starts early, finishes late. They have breaks during the day, they’re out on the farm here, they’re out exercising, they’re doing manual tasks,” he said.

He said making boys sit in classrooms for five periods had never worked.

Durie said the school was hoping to retain its current students and enrol a similar number of new students next year, taking its roll to more than 80.

The French International School said it had students in Years 0-3 and expected to finish the year with about 40 students.

“The first two terms of the year have been very positive, with some students who did not speak a word of French in February now beginning to understand, write, and speak the language,” the director of the school’s board Yves-Louis Dorsemaine said.

He said the school was building three more classrooms because it had more than 60 confirmed enrolments for next year.

North West College founder Sherida Penman Walters would not disclose this year’s enrolments, but said it was “well on track to achieving what we wanted to achieve”.

She said next year’s were looking good.

“We are taking enrolments for next year... we have a lot of interest in our school. In fact our Year 9s for next year is probably very close to our declared capacity of 40 students,” she said.

Penman Walters said the school’s model of academic subjects in the morning and arts in the afternoon is attractive to many families.

The Charter School Agency said the charter school authorisation board was considering 52 applications from organisations wanting to set up new charter schools next year, as well as two applications from state or state integrated schools wanting to convert.

It said state and state integrated schools wanting to convert later next year should lodge an expression of interest by July 16.

- RNZ