Earlier this week the Government announced a proposal to replace NCEA in its entirety.
The announcement itself was not unexpected, given the recent media commentary that NCEA was not meeting the needs of some students and my involvement in the national conversation. We are aware that students from across the country have been leaving school inadequately prepared for the future.
What we had expected to hear, was that NCEA Level 1, normally undertaken in Year 11, would be abolished as we currently know it. Those of you that have taken part in our School Strategy Survey will have seen that we were asking whether we should consider removing NCEA Level 1 and replace it with a more bespoke record of learning. This was us getting ahead of the NCEA debate and making sure that we met the needs of our students and families.
As it turns out, this was a very timely question. With the Government changes to NCEA Level 1 proposed for 2028, we now need to ask ourselves what this means for Burnside High School students. We need to determine the best way forward for our students and community. No decisions have been made and this conversation is just starting.
There are several things that need to take place before any decisions can be made, not least the outcome of the Governments consultation on replacing NCEA.
What we do know is that 58.5% of respondents to our survey asked us to investigate alternatives to NCEA Level 1 and 79.9% of respondents asked us to invest more in Cambridge International Examinations as another qualification option, alongside NCEA or possibly now the New Zealand Certification of Education.
For those of you who still wish to participate in that debate, our survey remains open until the end of the day, today. You can access it from the homepage of our website. Thank you to all those who have already shared your thoughts, your views are valuable as we work through this process.
Our survey results will now go to our Curriculum Leadership Team and ultimately our School Board. Nominations for our Community Board Representatives closed on Wednesday and from the middle of next week voting to appoint your five representatives will take place. Caregivers, please take a moment to participate in the vote from Wednesday. Students, your nominations open this week – if you are a senior student interested in governance, then please consider putting your name forward. Thank you to everyone who has or intends to put their hand up to help – your contributions are appreciated.
This process will take time and we appreciate your assistance as we work through the nuances of possible change. I also want to take a moment and thank our staff for their incredible daily contributions to our school of excellence. We are all here each day doing our best for our students. Our strategy survey has identified that families and students value our high-quality teaching, the wide range of courses on offer and our myriad of extracurricular activities – these don’t happen without our staff going the extra mile, so thank you.
This issue of the Bulletin has several key articles and I would encourage you to read our good news and key messages in full. The NCEA article outlines the Government’s announcement and how you can contribute to their consultation.
Thank you for continued support of Burnside High School.
Ngà mihi mui
Scott Haines
Principal
