Auckland (The NZ Today)
National says students would no longer be able to leave school part-way through Year 11 simply because they had turned 16, under a new election policy aimed at keeping teenagers in education for longer.
If re-elected, the party would require students to complete the full Year 11 school year before leaving, although exemptions would remain available for young people moving directly into work, trades training or another approved pathway.
Education spokesperson Erica Stanford said the current system allows some students to turn 16 during Year 11 and leave before finishing what National sees as a crucial foundation year.
The change would sit alongside National’s wider overhaul of secondary education, which is already set to begin replacing NCEA from 2028.
Under that new system, Year 11 students would study compulsory English or Te Reo Rangatira and mathematics, while National also wants science to remain a core part of the year. Students would have the opportunity to earn a new Foundational Award recognising literacy and numeracy at Year 11 level.
National says the intention is to make sure teenagers leave school with stronger basic skills before moving into employment, apprenticeships or further study.
The qualification changes would then continue through senior school, with a new New Zealand Certificate of Education beginning at Year 12 in 2029 and a New Zealand Advanced Certificate of Education at Year 13 in 2030.
National is also proposing more consistent start and finish dates across schools, arguing that different calendars can create childcare and work problems for families with children at more than one school.
Stanford said the party would work with schools on developing a more aligned national calendar rather than leaving dates to vary as widely as they do now.
The Year 11 proposal adds another layer to National’s broader education reform programme, which has already included curriculum changes, tighter expectations around literacy and numeracy, and plans to replace NCEA over the next several years.
Source: National Party education policy announcement.
