Students from the Gloriavale religious commune’s condemned private school are being offered two choices – correspondence schooling via a special temporary hub onsite or being welcomed into the roll of an existing state school.
The Ministry of Education confirmed on December 18 that it had given the board that oversees Gloriavale Christian School notice that it intended to cancel its registration under Clause 12, Schedule 7 of the Education and Training Act.
That takes note tomorrow, with the decision coming after months of speculation about the under-fire education facility.
The school board has labelled that decision “unjust”.
With schooling set to resume for most Kiwi kids next week, the ministry has today confirmed two options are planned for the students who attended Gloriavale Christian School.
That includes the pending availability of students to be able to enrol in an existing state school on the West Coast.
“The ministry met with the board and parents of Gloriavale Christian School last week,” Andrea Williams, acting hautū (leader) Te Tai Runga (South) said.
“We told them we will operate a Te Kura (former correspondence school) in-person hub for Term 1 and potentially into Term 2 for former students of the school.
“We are also in the process of negotiating a Gloriavale unit as part of an existing state school.”
Te Kura is a system that provides physical spaces where students can connect with peers, study collaboratively and access support, particularly for those in remote areas.
Previously students at Gloriavale Christian School had parts of their education in lounges in the large dormitories that the commune’s population – estimated to be around 500 – live in.
Williams said it was a parental responsibility to ensure their school-aged children were legally enrolled in a registered school.
“It’s also their choice which schooling option is most appropriate.”
Under New Zealand legislation, fines exist for parents who don’t enrol their school-aged children.
That can include fines of up to $30 a day, with potential maximums of $300 for a first offence and $3,000 for repeat offences.
When announcing the pending closure of the school last month, Secretary for Education Ellen MacGregor-Reid said it was a decision that was made despite “considerable support” having been provided to the board and staff of Gloriavale Christian School over the past two years.
“The reasons for the decision include insufficient evidence provided by the school to assure it is consistently meeting all the criteria for registration of a private school, and no evidence to suggest that providing further time will ensure the school will become compliant,” MacGregor-Reid said.
“In July the Education Review Office (ERO) highlighted ongoing concerns about the physical and emotional safety of students. The secretary considers the evidence provided by the school since is insufficient to provide assurance that these concerns have been addressed.”
About 220 children are schooled inside Gloriavale, located on the West Coast.
Just under 100 go to the private school, which teaches children up to the age of 15, in a ministry-approved homeschooling programme.
The ERO confirmed to the Herald last month it was also reviewing Gloriavale’s homeschooling system.
Since 2023, the ERO has been asking Gloriavale to allow full attendance to children with “complex additional needs”.
The curriculum has also been criticised as sexist. Senior schooling – to the age of 15 – teaches girls sewing, cooking and childcare. Boys are taught subjects such as farming, carpentry and engineering.
Gloriavale leaver Serena Pilgrim, who gave evidence in an employment case that found six former female residents of Gloriavale were employees not volunteers, has been critical of the lack of academic subjects for girls.
She earlier described the ministry’s decision as “great news”.
“It’s incredibly sexist and in no way prepares girls or women for the real world. It’s a shame that it has taken this long for the school to close but it’s great news that it finally has,” she said.
However, she warned the focus must be on the children’s welfare and ensuring they are not being “deprogrammed” from external schooling.
“What will happen when the children go back to Gloriavale after being schooled externally? It is possible they will be closely supervised by the shepherds and their parents, to ensure the community’s worldview may continue to be reinforced. While this cannot be said with certainty, similar concerns have been raised in the past,” she said.
“I have experienced both sides and can speak on the differences in schooling; it’s a huge change. I hope all the children will be well supported throughout this process.”
Gloriavale was home for Pearl Valor until she and her husband, Paul, decided to leave in December 2021.
The couple, who then had four young children, have featured in documentary series Gloriavale – Life and Death and Gloriavale: A World Apart, including footage of their courtship and eventual marriage.
Those documentaries also touched on the limited education offered to boys and girls in the commune.
Gloriavale’s material says it is “not interested in education for the sake of education, nor in placing our people in university campuses where ungodly attitudes can prevail”.
“We are interested in education only where it can equip us to meet the needs of our community life,” the religious community leaders state.
For boys, that includes learning about building, engineering and farming.
For girls, Valor says she and others were taught about “running a household, looking after children, sewing, cooking, cleaning ...”
“Basically, the education we were provided was what a woman’s place was in the society we were in,” Valor told the Herald.
“A woman’s place in Gloriavale was to be a keeper at home and a mum. So, [we were taught] anything that fitted into that role. If it didn’t, it just wasn’t an option.”
Those living in the community were told “this is normal and this is right”, Valor said.
While she was there, she had an internal awareness that it wasn’t right, “but there’s no way to express it”.
Valor, who now has five children, said she realised after leaving Gloriavale “how much I’d missed out on” education-wise.
She has now enrolled for tertiary studies.
Valor and her husband left because they wanted their children “to have better than me and to have safety”.
“It’s just about having the choices available to them, and they can make good decisions with the education and choices that they’re offered,” she said.
Gloriavale school officials didn’t respond specifically to criticisms of the school in the lead-up to the ministry’s decision.
But after it, the board provided a statement to the Herald saying it is “deeply disappointed” by the decision to cancel its private school registration.
“We believe this decision is unjust and does not reflect the significant efforts we have made to address concerns raised,” it said in a statement.
“The position taken by the ministry is not accepted and will be challenged. We will not be making any further comments.”
The Herald revealed late last year that some West Coast schools were proactively investigating how they will upscale and absorb the children of Gloriavale should the decision be made to close the religious commune’s school.
Multiple buses and drivers will be needed for the job, and the local schools will need new teachers, classrooms and other specialist support.
A local education source said that counsellors would likely be needed to help the children adjust to the outside world.
Complex decisions will need to be made on clothing: local schools have uniforms that expose the lower limbs – something the children, who have worn Gloriavale clothing since birth, will not be used to.
Valor said closure would lead to a “really hard transition for the children and the parents”, but one that could benefit youngsters.
“There’s going to need to be a lot of support, support systems and scaffolding.”
Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 33 years of newsroom experience.
Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.