ERO says online learning at Te Kura wrong for at-risk kids

Two years after RNZ revealed insiders' warnings that Te Kura the Correspondence School is the wrong place for many of the at-risk students it enrols, an official report has come to the same conclusion.

The Education Review Office report published Tuesday morning said the school enrolled three-quarters of the more than 8000 12 to 16-year-olds learning in alternative education but online learning was not the right model for them.

"In-person delivery is essential in alternative settings because students in this cohort need consistent adult contact, stability, and close supervision - supports that online or distance models cannot reliably provide," the report said.

"Online learning does not meet these students' wider needs. It cannot provide the same immediate, relationship-based engagement available in face-to-face settings, leaving many students without the support they need."

Te Kura teachers quoted in the report expressed doubt about the school's ability to help students who had dropped out of mainstream schooling and enrolled through the school's 'Engagement and Wellbeing gateway'.

"Students who can't learn in a classroom can probably not learn alone either," said one teacher.

"I think our expectations of students are far too low. Submitting one piece of work per month is all that's required to stay on the roll, and even with the non-returners process, they can technically remain enrolled for up to three months with just that single submission," said another teacher.

"There is no requirement for 'teachers' to actually teach. We are markers first, and teachers only if we volunteer our time - of which, there's only a small handful of people who actually do teaching," said another.

Whistle-blowers made similar comments in 2024 but their warnings prompted no official action at the time.

The report said it was difficult for Te Kura teachers to provide explicit instruction and parents told the review office its style of learning required high levels of self-regulation and independence from its students.

"This expectation is particularly difficult for students in this gateway, as most have been referred specifically because they are disengaged, and require structured, supported learning to re-engage," the report said.

It said teachers at Te Kura said some learning materials were not well-adapted for effective online delivery and did not align well with the recent NCEA and curriculum changes.

The report said Te Kura was the only alternative education setting with high numbers of qualified teachers, but "the number of students per teacher is high, and learning is delivered as coursework rather than classes, as part of the online delivery model".

"This constrains teachers' ability to provide individualised instruction and learning plans," it said.

"Te Kura is aware that online delivery and large caseloads can limit teachers' ability to build strong relationships with students and is trying address this, in part through more and improved training," the report said.

It said the school had dedicated wellbeing roles that maintained regular contact with students.

"Although these interactions look different from face-to-face provision, they offer consistency, responsiveness, and a reliable adult presence," the report said.

However, a teacher quoted in the report said staff needed trauma-informed training.

"I don't feel that we are supported to engage with the extremely traumatised children who make up the majority of the roll at Te Kura," they said.

The report said more than half of the students in Te Kura's Engagement and Wellbeing gateway said they were learning there because of mental health challenges.

Te Kura chief executive Te Rina Leonard said it shared ERO's concern about the growing number of young people disengaging from mainstream schooling and agreed they needed relationships, belonging and support to succeed.

She said the report said Te Kura was the only alternative pathway to offer the full curriculum and a range of qualifications.

"Re-engaging students in learning is often the first step. Our responsibility is to help them rebuild confidence, reconnect with learning, and progress towards meaningful educational outcomes and qualifications," she said.

Leornard said Te Kura supported ERO's call for stronger early intervention and help at regular schools.

"The best outcome is for young people to receive support before disengagement becomes entrenched. Strengthening attendance, learning support, wellbeing services and a sense of belonging in mainstream schools will help more students stay connected to education," she said.

She said Te Kura welcomed the report's call for a nationally coherent alternative education system.

"We support a clearer, more connected national approach to alternative provision. Every young person should have access to a pathway that meets their needs, delivers high-quality teaching and learning, and supports positive long-term outcomes," she said.