Te Kura Summer School sees increase in enrolments
Te Kura’s Summer School closed on 23 February to a successful third year. Over 1200 students took the opportunity to earn additional credits in NCEA levels 1,2 and 3 over what has traditionally been the summer break.
There’s been a steady increase in enrolments over the three years the school has offered this short-term study option, from 201 students the first year, 746 students in the second and 1238 students enrolled for the 2017/18 Summer School.
Te Kura Chief Executive Mike Hollings says “Te Kura is always seeking to bring greater flexibility and choice for students. Our Summer School students enrol for a whole range of reasons; including students who just need to gain a couple of NCEA credits to be able to go on to further study, training or employment in 2018, some want to improve a result and others want to continue to study rather than take a holiday break”.
A Summer School student wrote to Te Kura about her experience, “Summer School at Te Kura was my hail Mary- my last chance to reach my goal of leaving school a year early. I thought it would be hard work changing from an average high school scenario into a home school scenario. To my surprise, it was pretty much the same, apart from being in the comfort of my own home. The teachers were so supportive and dedicated to helping me reach my goals.”
Te Kura Summer School students had been enrolled in 227 other schools in 2017. The largest group was 269 of Te Kura’s own students choosing to continue to learn over the break.
Mike Hollings says, “We’ve had positive comments and support from schools that students have come from, as well as tertiary providers we are aiming to send students on to. The consensus seems to be that it’s great students don’t miss out from progressing on, due to falling short by a few credits. It’s good to see this sector-wide collaboration.”
All Summer School teaching and learning is through the school’s online learning environment My Te Kura, so students can study anywhere and anytime.
Mike Hollings says students who have achieved their goals through Summer School should be very proud “It’s certainly not an easy option for gaining credits. The work is held to the same standard as during the school year and given the short timeframe success requires hard work and focus.”