If National has its way this election, schoolkids will be doing an hour of reading, an hour of writing, and an hour of maths each day.
The Party’s education shakeup would see students tested twice a year under the new National Standards, which aim to bring New Zealand back into the OECD’s top 10 within a decade.
But many teachers are signalling frustration, saying we can’t keep changing the standards with every change of Government.
Principal of Remuera Intermediate, also Auckland Primary Principal Association President Kyle Brewerton told Tova O'Brien that teachers are frustrated by the suggested change in curriculum.
"We spend all our time and money rewriting what we should be measuring and how we should be measuring it. But very little, if anything, is actually changing in our classrooms," Brewerton said.
His biggest concerns are with younger students, as primary and intermediate schools are significantly underfunded when compared to tertiary schools.
"The worst resourcing we put into our schools is years three to eight.
"If I was [in] a high school, I would have 14 more teachers… your class sizes would drop significantly, which means teachers would have time to spend with children, to get alongside the kids that have those additional needs."
Brewerton explained the way schools are funded shows a significant disparity in care for years three to eight and is something that needs to change.
"The ratio of students per teacher starts out at 15:1 [years 0 and 1], 23:1 in years two and three then you hit year four and it's 29:1.
"We've been advocating for that [funding years three to eight, like high schools] for nearly a year and are yet to see any real substantial commitment to that."
He also revealed that despite the rising numbers of anxious and traumatised students in primary and intermediate schools, counselling services aren't provided in New Zealand schools until year nine.
Listen to the full interview between Auckland Primary Principal Association President Kyle Brewerton and Tova above.
You can also download the full interview on the Tova podcast, and listen on the go.
