Rural principals warn the government is setting students up for failure by forcing rapid curriculum changes on small schools that lack the staff and resources to implement them.
The rushed curriculum overhaul has emerged as one of the critical issues for school leaders gathering this week (27-29 May) at the Rural Teaching Principals’ Conference, organised by NZEI Te Riu Roa.
Phillipus Gerber, Principal of Waikaia School in Southland and NZEI Te Riu Roa member, says the sheer volume of administrative and teaching duties in isolated schools has stretched principals beyond capacity.
“The workload is simply too much,” Mr Gerber says. “In our school, I am the principal, classroom teacher, curriculum lead, assessment lead, SENCO, property manager, HR support, finance oversight, parent contact, and the person trying to keep every moving part of the school going.”
Unlike larger schools with dedicated curriculum specialists, rural principals and teachers must adapt complex frameworks for multi-level classrooms containing up to eight different year levels simultaneously.
“In a rural school, there are fewer people to share the workload,” says Ally Gibbs, Principal of Mulberry Grove School on Great Barrier Island and NZEI Te Riu Roa member. “As a teaching principal and curriculum leader, trying to fully unpack and implement changes across multiple curriculum areas at once has certainly created additional pressure.”
The pressure is even greater for sole-charge principals like NZEI Te Riu Roa member Nic Wright of Pitt Island School. Supported by a relief teacher just two days a week, Ms Wright teaches the core curriculum to the school’s 10 ākonga ranging from Years 1 to 8.
“The time required to learn a new curriculum quickly is something we simply don’t have,” Ms Wright says,
She adds that the rapid rollout ignores basic educational principles. “It is the exact opposite of good pedagogy. It is being done to us, not with us, and not for us. It all comes down to – ‘you do this.’
“My message to the Minister is: Slow down, keep it simple, do less better. Empowering teachers leads to better outcomes for students.”
Mr Gerber echoes this sentiment, noting that the responsibility for implementing these wholesale changes falls on one or two people who are already at capacity.
“The current implementation model fails to account for the operational realities of small rural schools, which need time, practical resources, and human support rather than deadlines and documents,” Mr Gerber says.
He warns that the operational strain is no longer just a school issue; it is taking a heavy toll on the families of rural educators.
“For an educational system built on relationships, these changes are straining – and in some cases breaking – our most important relationships: our families.”