Lack of detail in qualifications 'announcement' deeply worrying

“There was nothing in the Minister’s 'announcement' today that we didn’t know already – we were expecting an analysis of the consultation process on the changes, and what the new system would look like. Instead, we got a repetition of an announcement that was made seven months ago. Seven months is an extremely long time when you’re planning to introduce once-in-a-generation changes to secondary school qualifications and assessment the year after next.

“The fact that we didn’t receive any details about, for example, how the new system will work, how it will align with the new curriculum, how students will transition to the new system, how the vocational pathway will be developed, or how University Entrance will fit in, is deeply concerning.

Chris Abercrombie says the timeline for the changes is wildly optimistic. “None of the material that the new system is supposed to be based on has even been written, let alone consulted on, absorbed and developed by teachers into classroom programmes.

“We have already seen the Ministry of Education struggle to deliver against timelines for the new English and Maths materials for secondary schools. These unrealistic timelines will create massive uncertainty and anxiety for students and whānau, which is the last thing we need in a transition process. It is completely unacceptable.”

Steve McCracken, chair of the Secondary Principals’ Council, says the today’s announcement confirmed that the Year 11 Foundational Award - to be introduced in less than two years’ time -  would have a specific focus on literacy and numeracy.

“We are concerned that this will not meet the needs of a lot of students who leave school after Year 11.  We need the option of a broader qualification that takes into account as many of each student’s strengths as possible, to give potential employers a good idea of what the young person can offer.

“We remain concerned that this narrow focus on numeracy and literacy will simply condemn many students to failure rather than enabling them to show their learning in ways that draw on their strengths. No parent wants their child to have doors close on them at age 15.”

Steve McCracken says principals continue to be very concerned about the lack of clarity around the development of the vocational subjects in the new system. 

“Today’s ‘announcement’ did nothing to allay these concerns. The new Industry Skills Boards have been charged with putting in place a fully developed vocational assessment system by August, but they have only just come into existence. Also, it’s not clear that they have any staff who can write assessment material and there are no new curricula yet to develop the assessments from.

“We would like the Government to show us the teacher workforce modelling it has done to ensure that all students, whether they’re in Twizel or Takapuna, will have access to relevant vocational subjects.

“With the new system due to start in 2028, that gives the Minister one year – 2027 – to provide technology and other vocational teachers with the guidance and support that is required to roll out a subject-based vocational system.  The timeline is totally unrealistic and deeply troubling.”