Penelope Barton: Crimson Global Academy CEO on why more students are opting for distance learning

There are changes to the way New Zealanders are getting educated, with distance learning increasing. 

Correspondence schooling has seen a 32 percent rise in enrolment since 2018.

Crimson Global Academy CEO Penelope Burton talks tells Mike Hosking social anxiety is a contributor, while others aren't finding in-person schooling challenging enough. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
New insight into the way we're getting educated. Distance learning
is on the up. Correspondent school has seen a thirty
two percent rise in enrollment since twenty eighteen. That's against
the backdrop of a fall of in person attendance, of course.
CEO of Online Educated Crimson Global Academy, Penelope Bartons with
us Penelope morning good one. Is this a shift post COVID,

(00:20):
whether you work from home or school or whatever. Is
the world changed since COVID? Is this it or is
there something more to it?

Speaker 2 (00:27):
That's definitely a factor for it. We've seen, I mean,
you saw that peak during COVID, and then afterwards you've
seen a pretty steady trend not just a New Zealand
but overseas in terms of students looking for an alternative
that sort of opens their eyes in terms of what
else is possible now looking for other options. But then
you've also got just broadly mental health, chronic disengagement in schools.
You talked about the attendance rates, there's a lot of

(00:48):
other factors that are just causing families and how to
look for other options.

Speaker 1 (00:52):
Can you get as good an education online as you
can by going to school.

Speaker 2 (00:58):
Absolutely, we've had student and there's actually probably a piece here.
Yes you can, depending on the program, there should always
be a caveat on that. But we have access to
on the Crimson Bludal Academy side, some of the top teachers.
You have access to international curriculum. And what's unique that
you can do and online because you have a bit

(01:18):
more flexibility, is you can really personalize education for the students.
It's very very hard to do that in a traditional
classroom and so being able to personalize that learning, access
to different pathways, more flexibility. You know, we're just seeing
students absolutely come in and come in and thrive.

Speaker 1 (01:34):
But that's what you guys do, and that's that international
side of the equation. If I'm just looking to simply
pull my kid out of a primary school in suburban
New Zealand and do it at my house in suburban
New Zealand, and it's not international, it's just part of
the New Zealand curriculum. Can I do that and do that? Well?

Speaker 2 (01:52):
Yes, there are a few different models available in New Zealand.
You've got Takura, You've got Mount Hoompson and you've got
us on the international site. Mount Hobson runs a similar
model to ourselves in terms of the small classroom, it's
really differentiated learning pathways. One element you've got to consider,
and if you're thinking about, particularly in that primary age,

(02:12):
is thinking about what that social emotional connection piece looks
like that learning through play, How are you going to
be building that Because you can do online at that age,
but you'll need to be thinking about, as a parent,
how much am I going to be involved in that
learning to make sure that it's not just sitting there
and letting things go by. You need to take a
really active role in it. At any age. It's an option,

(02:34):
but you'd need to be prepared to be very active
and hands on and make sure you've got the holistic development.

Speaker 1 (02:39):
What drives it to start trouble at school? So I'll
get my kid at home or I can do better
at home. Therefore that's what drives it.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
I've seen sort of roughly four groups of students. There's
definitely I'm not accelerating fast enough. I'm in this class
because I'm this age, and then that just you know,
that's actually not challenging them. They get quite board. We're
seeing a lot of students who might have social anxiety,
things like actually just getting up and out of the
house and thinking about lunch breaks. That's quite an issue

(03:12):
for them. And then we're seeing other students who are
just going, I've got other passions. I want to be
a professional athlete, I want to ride horses during the day,
I want to go and train, and actually doing school
nine toll three every day is sort of an outdated
way to look at that model. For those students, they
want to do their classes a little bit in the morning,
a little bit at night, and then have that daytime

(03:33):
for you.

Speaker 1 (03:34):
Penelope good Insight appreciate it very much. Penelope partners with
Crimson Global Academy thirty two percent Rise, not the Global Academy,
but thirty two percent rights in general since twenty eighteen.
It's a lot, isn't it. For more from the Mic
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