Figure 1.--One of the areas assessed are the school facilities like the libary. New Zealand schools generally have excellent libraries, but they vary widely from school to school. Not only do the facilities vary, but also rules and operations which affect access and how the students use the libraries. All the modern additions like computers have not yet replaced old standards like the newspaper where the students can check the latest news, or in the case of this girl the local sales. |
The Educational Review Office (ERO) is the government department which assess each school in New Zealand and reports pubically on the quality of education at those schools. The ERO not only assesses the state schools, but also private schools, early childhood centers, Maroi language immersion schools (kura kaupapa Maori), and Maori language early childhood groups (kohanga reo).
Sample reviews are reproduced here to show how New Zealand schools are reviewed and the results of representative assessments. The authors have selected the ERO reviews reproduced here to provide insights on schools in different parts of the country with a variety of ethnic make ups. These reviews assess the strong points of various schools and point out weaknesses. We have selected reviews for representative schools to give an overview of educational trends at different types of schools. The text is the actual ERO review, although some have been shortened for purposes of brevity. The only other change the authors have made is to replace the school names with "the school". These reports are public information and available through the ERO. The authors di not, however, want to draw attention to indvidual schools in this section, but rather on New Zealand education and schools in generral.
Aperture Press note: Some of the schools reviewed here are schools visited by the authors. The comments are, however, the actual text of the ERO without comments by the authors. The authors comment on the schools in many other parts of this E-book and the did not want to complicate the discussion by mixing in our comments with the ERO text. The photographs, however, are not part of the ERO reviews, but added by the authors to provide images of children at similar types of schools to the one being reviwed. The text in the pghotograph boxes is provided by the authors and not the ERO.
New Zealand's state school system has a number of different types of schools, including Catholic and other private schools integrated into the state system. The Government has given substantial attention and funding to integrating private schools.
New Zealand has two types of elementary schools, contributing (years 1-6) and full primary (years 1-8). The full primaries are generally in rural areas where intermediate schools are not available.
Intermediate schools (years 7-8) are similar to American junior high schools. Theyare designed to more effectively deal with the transition from elementary to secondary schools. The intermediate school takes children from the contributing primary schools and feeds them into secondary schools.
Most New Zealand high schools (years 9-13) are now coeducational. They have many different names based on the schols foundation, including high schools, colleges, and grammar schools. All of the newer schools are coeducational.
Figure 2.--The facilities at the school and how they are utilized are some of the many topics addressed in New Zealand educational reviews. New Zealand intermediate and secondary schools tend to have excellent workshop facilities. |
Students and parents in many areas have the choice of all boy schools. Many of these schools are some of the older more traditional state schools.
Students and parents in many areas have the choice of all girl schools. Many of these schools are some of the older more traditional state schools.
Area schools (years 1-13) service rural areas that do not have the population for a secondary school. They handel children of all ages on one campus.
Many private chools have been integrated into the state system. The term integration does not mean racial desegration as in the United States, only that the school has been absorbed into the state system, but with the understanding that the schools's special character will be preserved.
New Zealand' Catholic schools have been integrated into the state system.
New Zealand' Catholic schools have been integrated into thestate system.
New Zealand has one of the smallest private or independent school system of all the western democracies. Successive governments have made a concerted effort to absorb private schools through policies of reducing state support to private schools and generous financial enducements to schools agreeing to integration. Many parents, however preceive decling standards in the state system which is creating continued demand for private school education.
Many private elementary schools are organized and run as traditional English preparatory schools. Many of these schools were boarding schools, but only a few continue to offer boarding. These schools traditionally catered to prepating elementary boys (years 3-8) for entrance in priivate state schiools, but many now also have pre-prep sections.
Several private secondary schools are organized and run as traditional English public (private) schools. A few are boarding schools.
While the Catholic schools have decided to integrate in the state system, many other Christian schools have decided to retain their independent status. Many are small, new schools associate with fundamentalist churches.
