11380 (2024). Hon Jan Tinetti to the Associate Minister of Education

11380 (2024). Hon Jan Tinetti to the Associate Minister of Education: How will the Associate Minister adjudicate whether a charter school is teaching a curriculum that is “as good or better than the New Zealand curriculum”?

Hon David Seymour: Curriculum requirements for charter schools will be the same as those that currently exist for private schools. Charter Schools can use their own curriculum provided the tuition standards are at least equivalent to tuition given to students enrolled at state schools of the same year levels and a school's performance standards as agreed in a contract are met. Charter schools will also need to ensure the students have access to nationally and internationally recognised qualification systems. Charter schools have greater flexibility, including in the curriculum they offer, but this is balanced with higher accountability for outcomes. Contracts with sponsors will include performance measures and targets for student achievement, approval of their curriculum and the qualifications to be offered by the school (for secondary and composite schools), and sponsors will be held to account if they do not meet these.