Post-primary education in New Zealand includes that section of education provided in schools beyond the primary and intermediate school stage and before that given in universities or in senior technical institutions. The average age of entry of pupils to post-primary schools is 13 plus and, while all must stay at school until attaining the age of 15, many carry on until the completion of a full course of study at the age of 17 and even later. Post-primary education is free for any pupil who has completed a primary school course or who is 14 years of age, and the free place is generally tenable up to the end of the year in which the pupil reaches the age of 19.
The first post-primary or secondary schools in New Zealand were of the English Grammar School type with courses of a predominantly academic character. Then in 1905 came the first Technical High School offering courses in practical subjects. In the years following, a number of these schools were established throughout the country. They catered not only for those wishing to prepare themselves for future trade occupations but also for the many pupils for whom the academic courses of the secondary schools were quite unsuitable. At the same time the newer secondary schools, particularly in the smaller centres, widened the range of subjects and courses offered, and became in part secondary and in part technical schools. Since 1945 all the schools beyond the primary or intermediate school level have been known as post-primary schools. A few of the older secondary schools, particularly in large centres of population, have retained their strongly academic character while the older technical schools have a similar bias towards technical subjects. But all the schools, whatever their bias, are classified as post-primary schools, are operated under the same regulations, given the same types of grants, and staffed by teachers paid on the same salary scales. They prepare pupils for the same examinations and are inspected by the same Department of Education inspectors. The older schools have retained the names by which they were first known — grammar schools, high schools, colleges, technical high schools, and technical colleges — while the newer ones have adopted whichever of these names they wish, usually high schools or colleges. By 1964 there were 183 post-primary schools in New Zealand. In addition, there were 81 district high schools in the smaller country districts. These schools are primary schools with an attached secondary department, staffed by post-primary teachers one of whom, known as the senior secondary assistant, has responsibility under the headmaster for the running of the post-primary classes in the school. The smallest of these departments have only about 20 pupils and one teacher; the largest have rolls of over 200 pupils, with nine or 10 teachers. When a secondary department reaches this size and when there is evidence of further steady growth in roll, the translation of the department to a full post-primary school with its own principal may be considered. The post-primary schools themselves range in size from this mark up to about 1,300 pupils. A new post-primary school in an urban area will, however, start with a Form III (first year post-primary) entry only. In the following year the new school will have classes in Form III and Form IV, and will grow by the addition of one form each year until it has reached its maximum size. The Department of Education has for some years been working on an optimum roll of approximately 850 for co-educational schools and 600–700 for single-sex schools. Co-educational schools in country districts may not reach a roll of 850; urban schools generally reach the optimum roll numbers or exceed them.
The general pattern of development of post-primary schools in New Zealand has been the establishment first of a co-educational school in a centre, though this is so far back in history in the case of the main cities that it is almost forgotten. Smaller centres still have only the one school for boys and girls, but in all larger towns the one school has been split at some time into separate boys' and girls' schools. In recent years almost all the new schools established, including those in the suburban districts of cities and large towns, have been coeducational. Attention is paid, however, to local opinion when a choice between types of school is practicable.
The permissible staffing of post-primary schools is calculated by means of a formula. This gives some weighting to schools with smaller rolls and lays down certain staffing allowances which may be claimed by each school for heads of department duties and careers teachers' duties. Apart from the principal of the school, the formula allows one teacher to approximately 22 pupils in the smaller schools, and one teacher to approximately 25 pupils in the larger ones. Some classes are, however, much smaller than this in the upper school (Form VI) and in certain specialised subjects. It is therefore not unusual for first- and second-year classes to be as large as 36. In addition to the regular teaching staff, including part-time staff, schools may appoint part-time teachers to instruct in instrumental music outside school hours and also may appoint library assistants. The teachers in the schools are, in the main, specialists in particular subjects or groups of subjects. The normal preparation for those engaged in teaching the academic subjects is a university degree followed by a one year's professional training course. Teachers in trade subjects will generally have had a period of trade experience followed by a year's teacher training course. While every encouragement is given to teachers to undertake professional training, suitably qualified men and women may be accepted as post-primary teachers without this training. Promotion for all post-primary teachers depends in the first place on their classification or “grading”. This is assessed each year by inspectors of post-primary schools. Salaries are paid on a national scale, though all teachers are appointed by local controlling authorities of schools, usually boards of governors in the case of post-primary schools.
The present curriculum of all post-primary schools in New Zealand, whether “state” or “private”, is based on the provisions of the Education (Post-primary Instruction) Regulations of 1945. These regulations themselves are the outcome of the recommendations by a committee of 14 persons (commonly known as the Thomas Committee from the name of its chairman) which was set up by the then Minister of Education in 1942 to review post-primary education in New Zealand. The committee's work was carried out at a time when far-reaching changes were already taking place in the general nature of post-primary education in the country. The Proficiency Examination at the conclusion of the primary school course had been abandoned a few years previously and a changed system of promotion through primary classes had been introduced. A greatly increased number of pupils was now entering post-primary schools, and for many of these the courses provided by post-primary schools were inadequate. Steps had already been taken to introduce a School Certificate Examination of much wider scope than the existing Matriculation or University Entrance Examination, to suit the needs of the great mass of pupils. Furthermore, a raising of the school “leaving age” to 15 was contemplated. The Thomas Committee was charged with the duty of recommending changes in the whole structure of post-primary education which would ensure a well balanced education for all types of pupils who would enter the schools. The Committee's report contained not only recommendations on the structure of post-primary education but also detailed syllabuses of instruction and prescriptions for the subjects in the new School Certificate Examination.
The two fundamental elements of the structure of post-primary education as laid down by the regulations are:
A “common core” of subjects to be taken by all pupils in all types of school and in all courses.
A School Certificate Examination conducted annually by the Department of Education in a wide range of subjects.
The “common core” of subjects consists of English language and literature, social studies, general science, elementary mathematics, music, a craft or one of the fine arts, and physical education. These “core” subjects are not subject to external examination, but completion of satisfactory work in them is required of all candidates for the School Certificate Examination. Though basic syllabuses of instruction in these subjects are laid down in the regulations, very great latitude is allowed to schools and individual teachers both in content and method of presentation. These subjects may provide a satisfactory general course for the many pupils who do not intend to remain at post-primary school until they reach the stage of attempting the School Certificate Examination. At the same time they can be included within courses leading to this examination and, where they do not lead to an actual examination subject, they ensure a broadening of the course and an achieving of the aim of general education. The minimum number of hours each week to be allotted to the compulsory “core” subjects is specified; but “core” subjects overlap so extensively with the subjects taken normally in any course that schools have little difficulty in allocating the minimum times. In fact most schools give much more time than the prescribed minimum in the majority of “core” subjects. In a normal “academic” course, as an example, only music, art and craft and physical education do not lead to examination, and the time required for this section of the “core” is only about four hours per week in Forms III and IV and less in Form V, where pupils are prepared for the School Certificate Examination.
The School Certificate Examination was originally intended for most candidates at the completion of four years' post-primary study, and prescriptions were drawn up on this basis. Only the most able pupils, it was thought, would be able to cover the course in three years. Now very few pupils wait until their fourth year to make their first attempt at the examination. Many who fail at the first attempt enter again for the examination in the following year, and almost 70 per cent of those who take the examination obtain a pass either at the first attempt or subsequently. The examination subjects are English (compulsory) and 31 optional subjects from which the candidates are required to select a minimum of three. Most candidates elect to sit in English and four optional subjects; but for a pass each candidate is required only to obtain 30 per cent in English and a total of 200 marks in four subjects including English, scores of under 30 in any subject not being counted. The list of School Certificate subjects includes the languages, mathematics and the sciences, history and geography, art, music, commercial subjects, homecraft and clothing, agriculture subjects, practical workshop subjects, and technical drawing. The examination is therefore open to all pupils, whatever course they may be following in a post-primary school. The number of candidates for the examination has increased from about 8,000 at its inception in 1946 to over 35,800 in 1964.
Subject prescriptions for the School Certificate Examination are kept under constant review by a Revision Committee representative of the Department of Education and the teachers. When this committee is convinced that a particular prescription requires revision, it sets up a small working committee of experts to make a detailed study of the prescription and to recommend changes. The Revision Committee is concerned not only with the revision of prescriptions but also with additions to and deletions from the list of subjects.
Pupils who have completed the work in Forms III, IV, and V and who have passed the School Certificate Examination enter Form VI, if they wish to return to school. Entry to Form VI is not officially dependent on the passing of School Certificate, but schools generally find this to be a convenient prerequisite. It is, indeed, very rare to find any pupil who deliberately by-passes School Certificate. In the first year in Form VI (commonly known as Lower VI or VIB) almost all pupils are preparing for the University Entrance Examination or, in a very few cases, for the Fine Arts Preliminary Examination. A limited number of pupils may be taking a specialised course which does not lead to either examination, but which will entitle them to an Endorsed School Certificate. This certificate, which may be awarded to any pupil who satisfactorily completes an approved one-year course in Form VI, is an accepted educational qualification. The Universities Entrance Board conducts the University Entrance Examination and permits a number of schools to accredit candidates for the examination. Pupils who have gained the University Entrance qualification either by accrediting or by examination and who return to school for a further year are placed in Upper VI or VIA, from which they may compete for a scholarship for University study at the Board's Entrance Scholarship Examination. They may also qualify for the award of Higher School Certificate which, under certain conditions, permits the holder to obtain a bursary for University study. Pupils may proceed direct to the University on obtaining University Entrance, provided they are old enough; but for most University courses a year at school beyond University Entrance is not only desirable but really necessary, except perhaps for the most mature students.
For a pupil who has an uninterrupted course through a post-primary school there are, therefore, five years of study provided — Forms III, IV, V, Lower and Upper VI. Many pupils remain only up to the point of sitting the School Certificate Examination in Form V; many others complete shorter periods, either the two-year period required for entry into a number of trade apprenticeships or until reaching the age of 15 years. The schools are organised to cater for the requirements of all these types of pupils and are commonly said to be of a multi-course type. Only a few specifically academic schools or a few large technical schools do not offer all the normal post-primary courses. These two kinds of schools place particular emphasis on courses which they are specially designed to offer: the academic schools on professional courses leading to University study and the technical schools on trade courses. Even in these schools, however, subjects may be taken which are not specifically academic on the one hand or technical on the other. Other schools are truly multi-course, though single-sex schools will have only those courses which are suitable either for boys or girls. The advantage of this type of organisation is that boys and girls may obtain the type of post-primary education they desire or for which they have particular aptitude in their local area, the one restriction being that in areas which can support only a small school some of the more specialised courses cannot be provided. Agriculture courses are offered provided there is sufficient demand. A disadvantage of the multi-course school system on a national basis is that some of the courses in certain schools cannot attract large enough numbers of pupils to form efficient classes. This is expensive of staff and equipment, and poses very difficult problems of internal school organisation.
Thirty-four post-primary schools, principally single-sex schools, have boarding departments ranging in size from 73 to over 300. Extension of boarding accommodation at schools has not kept pace with the demand for places, despite the fact that the provision of very much improved post-primary facilities in country districts has reduced the proportion of children who must leave their homes to obtain education beyond the primary stage. Many of the boarding establishments have a considerable waiting list of intending boarders, and priorities have to be established. In general, the highest priority is given to pupils in a school's area who cannot travel each day to a school from their homes because of the remoteness of the district in which they live. Form VI pupils who have completed a School Certificate course at a local school, often a district high school which has no adequate facilities for Form VI work, are also given a high priority. Those country pupils who cannot attend a local school and who cannot or who do not wish to go to a boarding school or to board privately in a centre with a post-primary school, may be placed on the roll of the Department of Education's Correspondence School. This school gives instruction in a wide range of post-primary subjects from Form III to Form VI. In addition to providing full-time post-primary education for some children in remote areas and for some others who cannot attend school because of a disability, the Correspondence School supplements the work of the normal schools by giving instruction in individual subjects which the schools cannot offer. This is a very large undertaking at any time; but when staff shortages occur a much greater reliance is placed on the services of the Correspondence School. Without this school, substantial numbers of pupils would be denied education at the post-primary level, or at least an important part of it. The Correspondence School is similar to a district high school in that it has one principal in charge of a primary and a post-primary department. The post-primary section is, however, very much larger than the primary, for most primary school pupils can reach even a small local school. Teachers in the post-primary department are paid on the same scale as teachers in the normal post-primary schools and they are inspected and classified as are all other post-primary teachers.
A very important feature of post-primary education in New Zealand is the wide range of extra-curricular activities which play a significant part in the life of each school. In these activities members of staff take an active interest and spend a great deal of time. Almost every pupil belongs to some school sports team or plays some game organised within the school, and the schools themselves have extensive playing areas which are maintained in good order. There is also a strongly growing interest in non-sporting activities, including music and drama, and in clubs of almost every kind. An account of the extra-curricular work of any school can be read in any school magazine, a publication for which pupils assume the major responsibility. Many schools, too, have a cadet company in which boys are given some basic military training.
Along with the standards of endeavour insisted on in the classroom, the scope and effectiveness of a school's extra-curricular activities contribute to its general spirit and tone. By overseas standards no New Zealand post-primary school is old, but many have already established distinctive traditions.
by Joseph Langmuir Hunter, M.A., B.SC., Chief Inspector of Post-primary Schools, Department of Education, Wellington.