Charter schools: David Seymour releases minimum targets schools need to meet to avoid repercussions

Associate Education Minister David Seymour has detailed the achievement and attendance targets for charter schools. Photo / Marty Melville

• Associate Education Minister David Seymour announced targets for achievement and attendance at charter schools
• The Government has allocated $153 million for 50 schools, including 35 converting to charter schools
• Charter schools will face scrutiny and must meet performance targets based on the equity index

Associate Education Minister David Seymour has released the achievement and attendance targets newly established charter schools will need to meet to avoid risking their funding.

Charter schools are private or independent state-funded schools. They were introduced in 2014 by Act until they were abolished under the previous Labour coalition Government.

Seymour, leader of the Act party, has brought them back and the first group is set to open next year. The Government has set aside $153 million in funding for 50 schools – including 35 state schools to convert to charter schools.

Charter schools can set their own curricula, hours and governance structures, which Seymour said allows for greater educational autonomy and diversity to cater for students who were disengaged or underachieving in the mainstream education system. Seymour described this as a means to “free educators from state and union interference”.

Education union the PPTA says there was nothing charter schools do that could not be done in a local state school and the $153 funding would be better spent within existing state schools.

There will be repercussions for charter schools if they do not meet minimum performance targets, which differ depending on where the school sits on the equity index (EQI). The Ministry of Education’s EQI ranks schools in different groups: those facing “fewer” socioeconomic barriers, those facing “moderate” barriers and those facing “more” barriers.

Charter schools would need to perform within the top half of their EQI group. The targets include:

Attendance

Regular attendance is defined as students attending school 90% of the time.

EQI group – fewer barriers: 60% of students regularly attending

EQI group – moderate barriers: 50% of students regularly attending

EQI group – more barriers: 35% of students regularly attending

Primary school achievement – reading

EQI group – fewer barriers: 70% of learners are at or above the expected curriculum level

EQI group – moderate barriers: 50% of learners are at or above the expected curriculum level

EQI group – more barriers: 30% of learners are at or above the expected curriculum level

Primary school achievement – writing & maths

EQI group – fewer barriers: 35% of learners are at or above the expected curriculum level

EQI group – moderate barriers: 35% of learners are at or above the expected curriculum level

EQI group – more barriers: 25% of learners are at or above the expected curriculum level

Secondary school achievement

Secondary school level is classed as Year 11 or above.

EQI group – fewer barriers: 95% of school leavers reach NCEA level 2 or above

EQI group – moderate barriers: 80% of school leavers reach NCEA level 2 or above

EQI group – more barriers: 65% of school leavers reach NCEA level 2 or above

Along with attendance and achievement targets, charter schools will need to meet financial performance targets that will be reviewed regularly by the newly established Charter School Authorisation board. The schools will also be required to conduct an annual self-audit each June and a follow-up report in December.

Sponsors, an entity or body approved to operate a charter school will be held accountable for the performance of the school.

Seymour said there were many students who did not respond well to a “one size fits all” school system and there was “a crisis” with school attendance and achievement at record low levels.

“Charter schools provide educators with greater autonomy, create diversity in New Zealand’s education system, free educators from state and union interference, and raise overall educational achievement, especially for students who are underachieving or disengaged from the current system.”

PPTA president Chris Abercrombie said charter schools enabled the privatisation of the education system, allowing entities to run schools for a profit.

“There is nothing charter schools claim to do that can’t be done in a local state school, given the resources and political commitment.”

Applications for charter schools opened in July.

Julia Gabel is a Wellington-based political reporter. She joined the Herald in 2020 and has most recently focused on data journalism.