New charter school opens for term 1

Mastery Schools New Zealand - Arapaki (Christchurch), L'École Française Internationale (Auckland) and Te Rito, Te Kura Taiao (Doubtless Bay) all open on Monday.

Mastery Schools New Zealand - Arapaki, the first of the latest batch of charter schools to be announced in 2024. is welcoming its first 60 students with a mihi whakatau, as will Te Rito, Te Kura Taiao.

Mastery Schools is an outpost of an Australian group of schools based in Hillsborough.

Sixty primary-aged children are enrolled with a further 40 wait-listed, principal Rose McInerney said.

All were children who struggled in mainstream classrooms.

L'École Française Internationale will host a traditional French breakfast, as its opening day coincides with La Chandeleur (Pancake Day) in France.

"Today is a huge day for education. I welcome these schools to the charter school network and applaud the sponsors and education leaders for their vision and strategic approach to lifting student outcomes," Charter School Agency chief executive Jane Lee said.

Four other charter schools will open within the coming week.

Tipene, a South Auckland Māori boys boarding school, opens on 6 February, while the BUSY School New Zealand in central Auckland will open the following day.

Both Auckland's North West College and Christchurch's North College will begin the school term on February 10.

Last week, principals from several new charter schools said they had been swamped with applications before opening.

The government is spending $153 million over four years to revive the charter school model despite mixed evidence of their success.