Five new charter schools for New Zealand include French and creative arts options

By John Gerritsen of RNZ

A French school, another Australian school and one sponsored by a group of state schools are among five new charter schools announced today.

It brings the total number of charter schools opening next year to six.

The schools include two aimed at disengaged students – Christchurch North College, a middle school for children in Y7-10, and in Auckland the Busy School, for students in Y11-13 and part of an Australian chain of schools.

Auckland also gets the Ecole Francaise Internationale which would provide a curriculum approved by the French Government, and North West Creative Arts College, a secondary school with a focus on the creative arts.

The fifth school announced today was Te Rito, Te Kura Taiao, providing immersion education in te reo Māori in Kaitāia.

Christchurch North College was sponsored by the Christchurch Education Trust, run by a group of principals from schools in northwest Christchurch including Papanui College, Burnside High School, Casebrook Intermediate and Cobham Intermediate.

“Our goal is to re-engage young people with learning through a combination of small class sizes, highly skilled teachers, and strong partnerships with families and whānau,” the trust said in a statement.

It would provide its students with uniforms, stationery, access to technology and meals to reduce barriers to their learning, the trust said.

The Ecole Francaise Internationale Auckland would enrol primary and secondary school students and offer an Agency for French Education Abroad-accredited education.

“This school is ideal for French families who wish for their children to continue their education in French. It would also improve the recruitment powers of New Zealand companies for French workers and the ability for French companies to establish workforces in New Zealand by reducing disruptions to French education,” the school said.

Burnside High School is one of four Christchurch schools backing a new charter school for the city. Photo / RNZ / Anna Sargent

Also in Auckland would be the Busy School NZ, an outpost of an Australian chain of nine schools.

The school said it would provide disengaged teenagers with the national curriculum and a vocational curriculum based on their chosen career path.

North West Creative Arts College would enrol Auckland students in Years 7-13 and teach the New Zealand curriculum alongside a creative art of their choice.

“The college will ensure there is a strong pastoral care programme for students. There will also be a strong focus on community outreach with students involved in community-based projects, helping them build connections,” it said.

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Te Rito, Te Kura Taiao would open in Kaitāia next year, providing immersion in reo Māori for primary school children.

It would be run by Te Rito Limited, which already has three early childhood education centres in the area.

The school would be on a 22ha property near the Taumarumaru reserve.

The schools announced on Thursday join Mastery Schools New Zealand – Arapaki, a Christchurch partner of a group of Australian schools that will open next year.

The Charter School Authorisation Board said there would be a further application round next year and those that were unsuccessful in the first round could be reconsidered.

The Government is spending $153 million over four years to revive the charter school model despite mixed evidence of the schools' success.

- RNZ

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