Latest news with #PapakuraHighSchool
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Fear more students will leave without NCEA qualifications
By John Gerritsen of RNZ Principals warn the number of school-leavers with no qualifications could spike in poor communities this year. One South Auckland principal said as many as a third of teenagers leaving schools in Northland and South Auckland could have no NCEA certificates - double the normal figures. Their warnings followed the release of results from high-stakes NCEA literacy and numeracy tests held in May. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, 14%-17% of school-leavers in Northland and South Auckland had no qualifications. The after-effects of the Covid lockdowns drove that figure to 21% in 2023. Principals had been hoping numbers would improve, but said pass rates of 39%-49% for Northland and South Auckland teens in NCEA reading, writing and maths tests did not bode well. Looking at the socioeconomic factors, 34% of students from the third of schools facing the highest barriers passed the numeracy assessment, 41% passed reading and 35% passed writing. Students could attempt the tests again in September, but Papakura High School principal Simon Craggs said it was likely a significant number would fail and leave without an NCEA qualification. ''A third would probably be realistic because you're going to have students in year 13 who still haven't achieved the corequisites despite having year 11, year 12 working toward them,'' he said. Craggs said schools were working hard to help students over the line - either by preparing them for the September tests or through the 20 English and maths credits they could use until 2027 to meet the benchmark. Aorere College principal Leanne Webb said she had hoped the unqualified school-leaver rate would improve this year, but there was a danger more young people would leave school unable to enrol in further study because they had failed the tests. ''They'll walk away from school, there'll be no recognition of what they have achieved at school and when times are tough, and times are tough, and there aren't sufficient places in tertiary organisations for them, who gets shoved to the bottom of the heap? It'll be the kids that don't have a qualification. "What is there for them then? Do they just get to roam the streets?'' Webb said her students' achievement of the literacy and numeracy co-requisite had improved, but for many that was due to the alternative 20-credit pathway rather than the online tests. The problem with that option was the 20 credits could not be counted towards the 60 required for an NCEA certificate, she said. ''If you take away 10 credits out of their English achievement and 10 credits out of their maths achievement, they then have to get another 20 credits on top of their programme in order to get NCEA - that's the problem. ''Last year, while we were pleased with our results. It came at the expense of achieving NCEA.'' Both principals said their students were doing better than last year, but government-funded assistance had not been much help. Webb said her school did not take up the offered training because it did not fit with the school's timetable and Craggs said the training was of limited use. "I don't think the on-the-ground support that we have been looking for has really been provided. So we're just doing our own thing and working within our own resources to improve," he said. "There's certainly a lot more interest from our senior advisers at the ministry in our results and how things are going, but not a lot in the way of support." The next round of literacy and numeracy tests is scheduled for September.
RNZ News
17-07-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Principals fear increase in students from poor communities leaving school without qualifications
Papakura High School principal Simon Craggs. Photo: RNZ / Luka Forman Principals warn the number of school-leavers with no qualifications could spike in poor communities this year. One South Auckland principal said as many as a third of teenagers leaving schools in Tai Tokerau and South Auckland could have no NCEA certificates - double the normal figures. Their warnings followed the release of results from high-stakes NCEA literacy and numeracy tests held in May. Before the Covid pandemic,14 to 17 percent of school-leavers in Tai Tokerau and South Auckland had no qualifications. The after-effects of lockdowns drove that figure to 21 percent in 2023. Principals had been hoping numbers would improve, but told RNZ pass rates of 39-49 percent for Northland and South Auckland teens in NCEA reading, writing and maths tests did not bode well. Looking at the socio-economic factors, 34 percent of students from the third of schools facing the highest barriers passed the numeracy assessment, 41 percent passed reading and 35 percent passed writing. Students could attempt the tests again in September, but Simon Craggs from Papakura High School said it was likely a significant number would fail and leave without an NCEA qualification. "A third would probably be realistic because you're going to have students in Year 13 who still haven't achieved the corequisites despite having Year 11, Year 12 working toward them," he said. Craggs said schools were working hard to help students over the line - either by preparing them for the September tests or through the 20 English and maths credits they could use until 2027 to meet the benchmark. Aorere College principal Leanne Webb said she had hoped the unqualified school-leaver rate would improve this year but there was a danger more young people would leave school unable to enrol in further study because they had failed the tests. "They'll walk away from school, there'll be no recognition of what they have achieved at school and when times are tough, and times are tough, and there aren't sufficient places in tertiary organisations for them, who gets shoved to the bottom of the heap? It'll be the kids that don't have a qualification. What is there for them then? Do they just get to roam the streets?" she said. Aorere College principal Leanne Webb. Photo: RNZ Webb said her students' achievement of the literacy and numeracy corequisite had improved, but for many that was due to the alternative 20-credit pathway rather than the online tests. She said the problem with that option was the 20 credits could not be counted toward the 60 required for an NCEA certificate. "If you take away 10 credits out of their English achievement and 10 credits out of their maths achievement, they then have to get another 20 credits on top of their programme in order to get NCEA, that's the problem," she said. "Last year, while we were pleased with our results, it came at the expense of achieving NCEA." Both principals said their students were doing better than last year but government-funded assistance had not been much help. Webb said her school did not take up the offered training because it did not fit with the school's timetable and Craggs said the training was of limited use. "I don't think the on-the-ground support that we have been looking for has really been provided. So we're just doing our own thing and working within our own resources to improve," he said. "There's certainly a lot more interest from our senior advisers at the ministry in our results and how things are going, but not a lot in the way of support." The next round of literacy and numeracy tests is scheduled for September. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
27-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Hundreds Of School Students Receive Laptops Through Spark Partnership With Quadrent's Green Lease
A partnership between Quadrent and Spark has already resulted in hundreds of high school students in South Auckland and Wellington receiving laptops to use at school – with more laptops to be donated over the next four years. Through the arrangement with Quadrent's Green Lease, Spark leases the laptops its employees use. Once the lease has ended, the laptops are then donated to schools, helping to bridge the digital divide for students without access to essential learning tools. Immediate Digital Inclusion Impact To accelerate Spark's donations, Quadrent has bought more than 3,000 laptops from Spark. The proceeds from their resale in the secondary market will fund the purchase more than 800 brand new laptops for donation over the next six months. Four hundred of these have already been delivered to schools. This will provide vital digital resources to up to 30 classrooms, with the first beneficiaries being Papakura High School, Papatoetoe High School, and Māngere College, Mana College, Titahi Bay North School, Porirua College, Manawatu College, and Whare Kura Morehu ō Ratana. Expanding Sustainable Technology Access Long term, Spark is using Quadrent's Green Lease initiative to fund the rollout of new laptops to its employees across New Zealand. By the end of March 2029, Spark will have donated 20% of these high-quality laptops to digital inclusion programmes through the Quadrent Green Lease. Spark's purpose is to help all New Zealanders win big in a digital world "Our tamariki will live in, create, and lead a world far more digital than it is today, yet for some students, attaining laptop devices required for learning is a barrier," says Leela Ashford, Corporate Relations and Sustainability Director at Spark. "That is why we are pleased to partner with Quadrent and participate in their Green Lease initiative to provide the necessary hardware, helping to close the digital access divide." Ashford adds, "It also complements Skinny Jump, our subsidised internet access programme, which currently supports over 33,000 homes. More broadly, Spark's charitable trust, the Spark Foundation, continues to support organisations working to close the digital divide through initiatives focusing on digital access, wellbeing, and skills." Beyond digital inclusion, environmental sustainability and reducing its impact on the natural environment is a key focus of Toitū Sustainability at Spark. "Our partnership with Quadrent's Green Lease also supports our long-standing programme to reduce e-waste. By recycling our used laptops, we can ensure that technology stays within the system for as long as possible, contributing to a more circular economy," says Ashford. Quadrent – for a better tomorrow for all Quadrent CEO Martyn Masterson welcomed the partnership, "The Spark Green Lease rollout is a significant step towards a more sustainable and inclusive digital future in New Zealand. This partnership not only extends the life cycle of technology and reduces e-waste, but it also provides tangible benefits to students who would otherwise go without. 'By shifting from ownership to leasing, Spark is demonstrating true leadership by showcasing how businesses can align financial efficiency with social and environmental impact. 'We're already seeing great results from the Green Lease programme. Last year we donated laptops to Tangaroa College. Its Year 13 PE and Health class saw a lift in attendance from 65% to 85%. Students achieving Merit or higher increased from 17% to 65% and the rate of students receiving a 'Not Achieved' result went from 24% to 0. 'We were thrilled by these results, and we can't wait to see the impact of the latest donations.' Expanding the project Quadrent and Spark are now encouraging other businesses to join the Green Lease programme. Customers who lease laptops from Spark can sign up to the initiative as part of their contract
RNZ News
16-05-2025
- RNZ News
Lockdowns lift for Papakura schools after nearby assault
Papakura High School. Photo: Google Maps An assault in Papakura forced nearby schools into lockdown on Friday. A St John spokesperson said they had transport one person to Middlemore Hospital in a serious condition after an assault about 11:40am. Police said the incident happened on Settlement Road, but it did not occur on school grounds. There'll be an increased police presence in the area as officers work to locate the person responsible. Papakura Intermediate and Papakura High School both went into lockdown as a result. The lockdowns have since been lifted. Papakura High School said "staff will be out and about in the school grounds to reassure any students who need it". Earlier on Friday another Auckland school was placed into lockdown. That incident has been resolved. More to come...
RNZ News
16-05-2025
- RNZ News
Papakura High School in lockdown over nearby assault
Papakura High School. Photo: Google Maps Papakura High School says it has gone into lockdown because of an "incident". It's the second school to go into lockdown in Auckland on Friday. A St John spokesperson said they had transport one person to Middlemore Hospital in a serious condition after an assault about 11:40am. Police said the incident happened on Settlement Road, but it did not occur on school grounds. There'll be an increased police presence in the area as officers work to locate the person responsible. Papakura High School asked parents and caregivers not to come to the school. "Please do not come to the school or phone the school as we will be unable to attend to you and this may cause disruption to the management of the incident and could potentially place yourself and/or staff or students' safety at risk." It said they will post an update when the lockdown has been completed. More to come...
