Disappointment over charter school applications
Some charter school hopefuls were left disappointed after a competitive application process, with one provider seeking formal review.
Being AI and Education 710+ are among the companies left disappointed by the charter school funding decisions.
Alwyn Poole, an education consultant who runs Education 710+ is now seeking a review into the charter school application process, claiming it has changed for the worse.
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However, Associate Education Minister David Seymour disputes this, saying that some applicants would always be disappointed as there were 78 applications but only enough funding for 15 new charter schools to be established.
“Some people with good applications were going to miss out this time and maybe will have to apply next time,” said Seymour on The Mike Hosking Breakfast.
Some of the new charter schools are expected to open from Term 1, 2025, but most will likely open in 2026.
“There could well be up to 15 [new charter schools opening next year]. It depends… on whether there are 15 that the authorisation board decides to put through the first day and second of all, if the ones that they say are good enough… to start straight away, are they ready to start?” Seymour told Q+A with Jack Tame.
Several state schools are expected to be granted funding to convert to the charter model, but the 40 or so applications are still being reviewed.
“I don’t think there will be any state schools that will convert [at the start of next year] because that whole conversion process is quite complex… I expect this will happen in the future,” said Seymour. He believes state schools looking to convert to the charter model will be running in 2026.
Seymour says that currently, demand for charter schools is outpacing available supply and funding. He believes that in future, as charter schools become more established, available funding will catch up, and more state schools will wish to convert. Seymour gave the example of UK equivalent of charter school legislation which was passed in 2012. Now, 80 percent of secondary schools in the UK operate under the equivalent of their charter school model.
Online schools not making the cut for 2025
Online school Crimson Education is among the applicants who have been rejected. Co-founder and chief executive Jamie Beaton said the application was for a new online school called Aotearoa Infinite Academy that would offer an A Level based curriculum in New Zealand.
The Ministry told Crimson Education that their application would be reconsidered in 2025, as the government was prioritising physical schools.
