Supporting Ongoing Learning

In 2023, 64% of independent school members were Co-educational, and 28% were single-sex, with 41 different cultural backgrounds represented across ISNZ member schools.

Independent schools are not just for wealthy families, and students who attend them come from all walks of life. Many families make considerable financial sacrifices to send their children to an independent school. Increasingly fees are paid through multi-generational family support. Some schools offer financial hardship scholarships and bursaries. It is in the best interests of the schools to make their fees as accessible as possible.

A bursary may be offered where the family of a student attending the school is in particular financial need. Bursaries involve some form of fee concession. ISNZ Member Schools have their own policies on bursaries and enquiries should be made to the individual school.

Scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit. In some schools, the number of scholarships awarded each year is not fixed but varies according to the quality of the applicants.

Scholarships are normally open to applicants at particular stages of their schooling, regardless of their background. Selection criteria vary according to the scholarships and may include an examination for an academic scholarship or an audition for a music scholarship. Schools will usually interview scholarship candidates as part of the selection procedure. In some cases, reports on the applicant’s progress over the years are taken into consideration. Scholarships are often intended to provide opportunities for children who might not otherwise be able to attend independent schools.

A scholarship may be offered for full or partial remission of tuition fees for the duration of the student’s schooling, or for a certain number of years. Because some scholarships offered by independent schools have been endowed or given in honour of the school’s centenary or as a memorial, there may be certain conditions attached. Parents whose child is offered a scholarship should discuss the requirements of that particular scholarship with the school.

Parents should contact individual schools early in the year to ascertain details.

Independent schools are subject to ERO reviews; however, these are different in scope to state and state-integrated schools. For independent schools, ERO will only report on whether a school is meeting the registration criteria as legislated in the Education and Training Act 2020. As a result, ERO reports for independent schools look very different to ERO reports for state and state-integrated schools. Further information can be found here.

All teachers at independent schools must be registered with the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand. The criteria for registration are the same across all state, state-integrated and independent schools.