Information for parents and whānau

Charter schools | kura hourua are another type of state-funded school, providing educators and parents with more choice.

Charter schools have a high level of independence around how they teach your child and what they can spend their funding on to educate your child. They are held to targets for achievement and attendance, as agreed in their contracts, and will face interventions if they do not meet these targets.

The name name kura hourua draws on waka hourua, meaning double-hulled canoe. It signifies the partnership between charter school operators and the government, and between charter schools and their communities.

Charter schools can be new, or state and state-integrated schools can convert to become a charter school.

Introducing charter schools | kura hourua in New Zealand

Charter schools are one way that the Government is aiming to improve student achievement.

Educational success contributes to personal, collective and national success. Every child deserves the opportunity to succeed, achieve to the best of their ability and gain qualifications that will support them into further study and employment.

Leadership

A charter school is set up and run by a sponsor.

This is an organisation that the Charter School Authorisation Board has approved based on mandatory criteria specified in legislation and a fit and proper person test. The sponsor runs the school, rather than an elected school board in a state school.

Charter schools will be required by legislation to provide information on how they are meeting their contracted performance outcomes. Sponsors must meet their performance targets, or they may face interventions.

Transparency

They will be responsible for communicating their values, ethos, curriculum, teaching methods, assessment, opening hours, transport arrangements and any other matters to parents. This will ensure that parents can make informed decisions about the charter school.

Capability

The Authorisation Board will consider the capability of the sponsor when reviewing applications.

The sponsor and governing members must be fit and proper persons, as described in the legislation.

The Board must also take into account key factors, such as the focus of the proposed school, the level of support from the community, standard of tuition to be provided, financial and network implications.

All unregistered teachers will also be required to hold a Limited Authority to Teach (LAT).

When deciding whether to accept an application to convert a state school, the Authorisation Board will take account of the level of parent and community support.

All current students will be able to attend, and their younger siblings will be given priority in future enrolment.

Some aspects of the way the school is run may change, with a view to lifting student achievement. This will vary from school to school.

Enrolment zones

Charter schools will not have enrolment zones but must accept all enrolments unless they are full, except international students, or in cases where a parent refuses to accept the special character of the school.

If a converted charter school is oversubscribed, and the previous state school had an enrolment scheme, priority will be given to applicants from the school’s previous home zone.

Tuition fees

Charter Schools are covered by section 33 of the Education and Training Act, meaning that they must provide free enrolment and free education to any domestic student. They must not charge any fee for curriculum-related activity, such as:

subject fees
education outside the classroom
anything that occurs offsite but that is related to the curriculum
anything where there is a general expectation that students attend (for example, field trips or a school camp).

The only fee that can be charged is a property maintenance fee. However, this fee can only be charged by charter schools that had converted from being a State-integrated school, and which had an agreement (immediately before conversion) to charge attendance dues.

Allowances for uniforms, devices, etc.

This will vary from school to school, as it does for state schools. However, charter schools will have more freedom to spend their funds on equipment or services they decide are a high priority.

Each school will have its own settings. For example, some may have uniforms while others may not, and some may finish at 3pm while others may be open for longer.