Erica Stanford: Education Minister on the abolishment of NCEA, overhaul of the secondary qualification system

The Education Minister’s pressing ahead with a major overhaul of NCEA, scrapping the current system and replacing it entirely. 

Cabinet’s signed off on a move to subject-based assessments in Years 12 and 13. 

The first changes will roll out from 2028, when NCEA Level One will be axed altogether. 

Erica Stanford says English and Maths will be compulsory for all Year 11 students under the new model, and is seeking more information on making Science compulsory in Year 11. 

She told Kerre Woodham she believes the work they’ve done in implementing the new system has set them up for success and longevity.  

Stanford says they put in the work to understand what the sector and parents thought so they could accurately highlight the problems with the system, and build a curriculum and qualification that works.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Carrywood and Mornings podcast from News
Talks hed B. We're just standing by waiting for the
Education Minister to talk about the big changes coming to
high schools across the country. Cabinet has officially signed off
on a massive overhaul of NCEA. Will be moving to
subject based assessments for Year twelve and thirteen students. It'll

(00:29):
start in twenty twenty eight, so basically n EA level
one will be scrapped. It'll be a curriculum only foundational
award introduced English and maths compulsory and then in twenty
nine and thirty the new year twelve qualification and curriculum starts.
Education Minister Eric Stanford joins me. Now, very good morning, minister.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
Good morning.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
I'm terrified about the fight with the unions.

Speaker 2 (00:58):
The union. The unions never have a good thing to
say about my work program. But that's just part of
the course up. You know, the pain conditions people. I'm
getting on with an education reform. It's ambitious for our kids.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
Yeah, so you've looked at it, You've said this isn't
working in terms of what setting our young New Zealand
is up with a foundation to allow them to achieve.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
We went out to consultation on the proposals that I
announced late last year. We had ten thousand pieces of feedback,
but the general consensus from everyone, parents, teachers, principles, industry,
tertiary institutions was that structural change was required. They backed
the direction of travel. So we were able to take

(01:40):
this first set in a set of two decisions around
the structure of what this looks like for the future,
which it is ambitious for our kids.

Speaker 1 (01:48):
Yeah, so you have got teachers on board who recognize
that NCAA wasn't delivering for New Zealand students.

Speaker 2 (01:57):
Well, ERO will tell you from their reports that the
vast majority, overwhelming majority of teachers did not value Level one.
That they that there were problems with the NCAA. They
can see the gaming of the system. They can see
that their students aren't setting exams and huge numbers, hundreds
of thousands, and you know, they know that there's a problem.
We will be setting out, as I say today and

(02:18):
in the coming weeks, a set of decisions. You know, look,
there will be a range of opinions on those, but
I think there is broad agreement with the direction of
travel that we're heading.

Speaker 1 (02:27):
In when it comes to making sure that these qualifications
for the future. Do you have buy in from labor
has Ginny Anderson answered some of the emails from your office,
I'm like Willow Jene Prime.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
Jenny. To her credit, Jenny Anderson reached out immediately when
she was announced in the role, and I've responded to
her to say this, It's been a little bit unfortunate
in the past. But let's move on. Let's have a
meeting the two of us, and then I'll, you know,
have a briefing. Unfortunately a lot of the decisions have
now been made, but please come have a briefing, you know,
and ask questions on our national qualification. Need this to

(03:06):
be enduring?

Speaker 1 (03:07):
Yeah, we do, and so what kind of assurance do
you have that it will be?

Speaker 2 (03:13):
Look, I think the work we've already done, the work
that we did to understand what the sector thought, what
parents thought, to be able to say that back to them, Hey, look,
we understand here are the problems with NCEEA, here are
the problems with multiple governments trying to fix it over
twenty years and it never working, and then going out
to this very extensive consultation and getting this buy in

(03:36):
I think that this is setting up us up for
success and implementing this new qualification, not only the qualification,
but also the curriculum that drives what we are assessing.
That's actually the more important part. We've got buy in.
I've got the very best, most amazing teachers and heads
of department from around the country who are right now
sitting in a room writing the curriculum that will drive

(03:58):
what we assess. And so look, I think we've set
ourselves up for success and that this will be you know,
have that longevity that we want.

Speaker 1 (04:09):
I mean, as somebody who's got two young people in
your life, you know, I've got a nine year old
and seven year old watching them come home and doing
maths for an hour after school because it's fun. It's
just it lifts my soul, you know, And that is
as a result of the changes that have been made
to the curriculum.

Speaker 2 (04:27):
I love hearing that. That is so great. And you
know what, You're not the only person to say that.
No parents across the country are saying to me, we
are noticing a shift in our children. I put a
maths practice tool up online and just sort of put
it out there on Facebook, pay free Maths Practice tool
up on the parent portal. Kids can log in. It's
free and it's had thousands and thousands of kids logging

(04:49):
and doing maths after school and on the weekends. They've
got their textbooks, their workbooks, they put their name on them,
they get to practice. You know, it's they are learning
maths in a structured way that they understand and master
the topic before they move on, so you know, they're
not missing out on key parts of knowledge, which then
builds that sort of uncertainty and dislike of mathematics because

(05:10):
you missed a bit that you really need to carry on.
And so we're seeing the hour a day, the workbooks,
the professional development with the teachers, and the structured approach
having huge benefits.

Speaker 1 (05:21):
It really really is. And we're not having to pay
six hundred dollars a term for number works or you know,
to augment what they're not getting at school. It's fantastic.

Speaker 2 (05:30):
I love Number Works, you know, great, but I'd love
to put them out of a job because I want
our young people to get everything they need in the
classroom they are at school and if they are falling
behind because we're doing our twice yearly check ins, this
year and we've introduced a skills check in year two
to identify early when young people start fall behind. We've

(05:51):
got maths, intervention teachers and programs running across the country
to pick them up before they fall to make sure
that we invest early to make sure they celebrate success.

Speaker 1 (06:00):
Lovely to talk as always, Thank you so much, Education
Minister Erica Stanford. For more from care he would have mornings.
Listen live to news Talks at B from nine am weekdays,
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