Lifestyle and Leisure
The Kiwi school system
Lunch times on the grassy sports field, surfing and skiing as sports options – a New Zealand education certainly has its upsides, writes Maike van der Heide.
Brits whose children attend Kiwi schools speak of a relaxed environment, emphasis on life skills and the outdoors and physical activities. But before the fun starts you need to get the books out for a bit of study yourself to make sure you know how the New Zealand education system works.
Kiwi kids enter the school system at five years old, and stay in in primary school from Year 1 to Year 6. At the age of ten or 11 they move onto intermediate school where they stay for two years (Years 7 and 8). Some primary schools include the intermediate years. This is then followed by five years at high school or college. Legally, school children may leave school at the age of 15.
The New Zealand school year starts in February and, depending on the age group, finishes in November or December. The year is split into four terms and school days generally run from 9am to 3pm, although high schools may start slightly earlier or later. Qualifications are gained from Year 11 under the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) scheme. Implemented in 2002, NCEA means students are now assessed against preset standards rather than the achievements of other students. Whereas School Certificates in Year 11 and Higher School Certificate and University Entrance, Bursaries and other scholarships in Year 13 once hinged largely on one big end-of-year exam, students are now assessed towards the qualification throughout the school year. A similar system of internal assessment was used for Sixth Form Certificate (now Year 12).
According to the New Zealand Ministry of Education, NCEA Level 1 is similar to the English GCSE at grades A–E. Level 2 is similar to the English AS level and Level 3 is similar to the English A levels. NCEA is not the easiest of systems to get your head around. Students achieve NCEA qualifications by gathering credits as they reach unit standards and achievement standards throughout the school year. At level 1 (Year 11, age 15–16), students must achieve 80 credits. Eight of these must come from numeracy standards and eight others have to come from literacy standards, either in English or Maori. Level 2 requires at least 60 credits, although some credits from level 1 can count towards this. There are no specific requirements as to which subjects the credits come from. Level 3 NCEA achievers must have 80 credits or more, of which at least 60 must be achieved at level 3 or above, and 20 at level 2 or above. Kim and David Band of Dunedin have lived in New Zealand since 2006 with their two teenage children. Originally from Australia, the Bands moved to Dunedin in 1991 from Sydney, then headed to Leeds, West Yorkshire from 1995 until 1997. The family moved to London in 1997 before flying back to Dunedin nine years later. The Bands' 17-year-old daughter finished her NCEA 3 exams last month and is heading to the local University of Otago this year, while their 14-year-old son is just about to start Year 10.
In New Zealand, their children attend 'integrated' schools, which used to be fully independent but are now integrated into the general New Zealand school system. They do, however, still charge fees (tiny by UK standards, David says), which are used to pay for the best teachers and infrastructure. David says his daughter's school, in particular, is known for its outstanding academic achievements and finishes in the top three in New Zealand for Year 13 results each year. Although David says these are not "typical" New Zealand schools, he gives some insight into the different education systems between the UK and New Zealand. Unfortunately, the NCEA system has not impressed him. "The NCEA system is a bad joke. It's designed to reward lowest-common-denominator performance. It is not remotely challenging intellectually. It encourages minimalistic 'just do enough to get by' attitudes," observes David. "Not even the flagrant dumbing-down of the curriculum in the UK is as bad as the NCEA. The only saving grace is that some schools offer kids the chance to take Cambridge Board exams or the International Baccalaureate. It's worth prospective parents asking about these possibilities at any school they're considering."
NCEA aside, David says the quality of teaching varies, and his children have encountered a mixture of teaching abilities. "The Golden Rule of Schools applies here just as it does everywhere – It All Comes From The Head: The whole ethos of the school is driven by the Principal. If he/she is focussed on excellence and performance, he/she will soon weed out the staff who don't fit that ethos," David says. David says the family is lucky to be living in Dunedin as the University of Otago is considered "pretty well outstanding across the whole range of disciplines." "Given that it offers the subjects that our daughter wants to take, it was a no-brainer!"
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