78 applications to set up charter schools, David Seymour says

There have been 78 applications for charter schools, 10 are from state schools wanting to convert, while the rest are new schools requesting to set-up.

Associate Education Minister David Seymour, the architect of the government's charter school model, said this showed educators are keen "to free themselves from the shackles of the state system".

"The education sector is facing several challenges, particularly regarding attendance and achievement. The 'one size fits all' model offered by the current school system struggles to address these challenges," he said.

Charter schools first opened their doors to students in 2014 as part of an agreement between ACT and the then-National government.

But they were closed down by former education minister Chris Hipkins in 2018 - something Labour pledges to do again if back in power.

Seymour has previously described charter schools as offering educators with greater autonomy, creating diversity in the education system and allowing teachers freedom from state and union interference.

Funding of $153 million was provided in this year's Budget for 15 new charter schools and for 35 state schools to convert in 2025 and 2026 - fulfilling a commitment in the ACT-National coalition agreement.

But there will be more application rounds to come, and Seymour said the numbers may shift depending on demand and suitability.

"The interest is huge and people know what we're doing in education just isn't working, we need new ideas and those new ideas aren't all contained within the Ministry of Education in Wellington," Seymour told reporters in Auckland.

"The ideas for education can be out in the community, in iwi, in community groups and even sometimes in business."

Seymour said the applications came from a range of groups, including strong interest from Māori and those with sporting and business backgrounds.

There will be no rules or restrictions put on communities needing to have at least one state school option for parents to choose.

If a community has just one state school for children and it gets accepted to convert to a charter school, Seymour said that was not a bad thing.

"It's because the community has wanted that conversion to take place.

"Often you'll find people are stuck with a state school they're not happy with, and the community has made a decision to convert to a charter to improve things."

The Charter Schools Agency (CSA) is overseeing the process and will provide more details in October about which parts of the country the applications have come from and how many are new schools, versus state schools wanting to convert.

However, speaking on Thursday, Seymour said about 10 of the applications were for conversions.

There is still a second phase of assessment to go and the CSA wants to protect the privacy of applicants until that is complete in a few months' time.

Given there are more applications than funded spaces available, Seymour said he acknowledged some would be "disappointed when final decisions are made by the CSA" later this year.

"By focusing primarily on student achievement, charter schools allow sponsors and communities to take their own path getting there. They can, with some restrictions, set their own curriculum, hours and days of operation, and governance structure. They also have greater flexibility in how they spend their funding as long as they reach the agreed performance outcomes," he said.

The next phase of assessment is about to get under way.

"This will evaluate the focus of the proposed school, the capability of the sponsor, the standard of tuition to be provided, the level of support from the community, and financial and network implications for the Crown," Seymour said.

"The first charter contracts will be negotiated and signed before the end of the year so the first schools can open for term one 2025.

"To provide certainty to sponsors, they will have a fixed-term contract of 10 years to operate a charter school, with two rights of renewal for 10 years each. All fixed-term periods are conditional on the school continuing to meet the terms of its contract," Seymour said.

There is a threshold of monitoring and accountability that needs to be met by the schools once they are up and running and if it is not, the schools risk being shut down.

What is the difference between a charter school and public school?

According to the ministry, there are five main differences between these types of schools. The legal structure, governance, monitoring and intervention, funding and financial control, and the curriculum.

Legal structure

While public schools have their objectives set out in legislation, charter schools are operated independently by what is known as "sponsors".

Each school will have its own specific targets it must meet in an individual contract between the sponsor and the government.

Governance

The ministry said public schools each have a Board of Trustees which is accountable to the parents of the school's students. There is no such accountability to the parent community for charter schools. Each individual charter school can choose to be accountable to its parent community.

With some restrictions, Seymour said charter schools can set their own governance.

Monitoring and intervention

Public schools are monitored by the Education Review Office, the ministry said. This judges the school's achievement, engagement and student's wellbeing.

If needed, the ministry can intervene and help support a school if it is struggling.

In terms of charter schools, the ministry said sponsors are responsible for meeting performance targets specified in their individual contract. They face intervention, replacement, or even termination of contract if they do not meet the targets.

Seymour said: "To provide certainty to sponsors, they will have a fixed-term contract of 10 years to operate a charter school, with two rights of renewal for 10 years each. All fixed-term periods are conditional on the school continuing to meet the terms of its contract."

Funding and financial control

Funding for public schools is provided by the Ministry of Education and based on the number of students, their year levels, educational disadvantage and location, the ministry said.

For charter schools, the ministry said funding is largely based on a "per-student" rate.

Seymour said charter schools have a greater flexibility in how they spend their money - as long as the individual school is reaching its agreed performance outcomes.

Curriculum

The curriculum public schools must use is the New Zealand Curriculum or Te Marautanga o Aotearoa.

Charter schools do not have that same requirement, and can set their own curriculum.

Not only that, but Seymour said they can also set their own hours and days of operation.