Whanganui schools divided over proposed changes to NCEA curriculum

A Whanganui school principal says changes to NCEA may not set up students for academic success at university. Photo / NZME

Opinions amongst principals of Whanganui high schools are divided over whether changes to NCEA curriculum will produce better outcomes for students.

The Government has announced changes to the NCEA Level 1 curriculum for next year will go ahead as planned but the full introduction of renewed NCEA Level 2 and Level 3 will not be implemented until 2026 and 2027.

Whanganui Collegiate School headmaster Wayne Brown was concerned the changes to NCEA would not set up students for academic success at university.

“We will only increase their anxiety once at university.”

Brown said he was concerned by the fact timelines for the changes kept moving.

“Teachers have given many hours to these changes over the last three years only for things to have changed again in the last three weeks.”

Brown said the changes could impact international student numbers if there was not the rigour students and families expected from the national curriculum.

He said the school was currently working through what Level 1 might look like for Collegiate students in 2024.

Recently St Cuthbert’s College in Auckland opted to write its own Level 1 curriculum for 2024 instead of working to the national standards.

Brown said teachers and leaders at the coalface of schools would carry the load of making curriculum changes effective.

“The impetus for change is great, the implementation and roll-out of the change has been poor and frustrating for teachers.”

Whanganui Girls’ College principal Nita Pond said with all change came uncertainty, but the school was trying to help students be as ready as possible.

Students at Girls’ College would continue with NCEA Level 1 next year and the school was not considering an alternative curriculum.

Pond said science was already run as one subject in Level 1 and none of the arts subjects would be impacted by the curriculum adjustments.

“Obviously those changes are still going to be happening through to November so that’s always frustrating, but teachers are resilient and used to changes in the past.”

Pond said the school had already swapped accounting and economics to commerce this year in line with the changes.

“You can either sit and complain about it or get on and make the most of it.”

Whanganui High School principal Martin McAllen said it had been essential to give more time to the process of changing the three NCEA levels.

“The current NCEA curriculum learning areas were over-ripe for changing and updating so I am pleased that this process is happening.”

Whanganui City College teacher Dave Ellwood said the pause to the curriculum refresh and delays to the final look of NCEA standards meant it was “not possible to comment”.

“With any change there are concerns but, until the final structure of the standards are released, teachers are unsure if elements in previous standards are not in new ones.”