Supporting Ongoing Learning

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 private entities, each with its unique governance structure, employing their staff under their own contractual terms and setting their own tuition fees. They are not part of the state schools sector. 

They are not bound by National Education Guidelines (NEGs) or National Administration Guidelines (NAGs). As such, they have significantly more freedom to operate their schools as they see fit, provided they meet the criteria for registration of private schools as set out in the Education and Training Act 2020. 

This allows greater flexibility on matters such as curriculum, resourcing, staffing, facilities, and procurement. Managers of private schools must have regard for the National Education Learning Priorities (NELPs) in the operation of their school and ensure that the school’s principal and staff have regard for the NELP when developing and delivering the curriculum.

People are sometimes confused between independent schools and state-integrated schools. State-integrated schools are former private schools that have become part of the state system, such as Catholic Schools. They are controlled, managed, and operated in all respects as if they were a state school. The key difference is that their buildings and land are owned by a private entity (the ‘proprietor’), and they are allowed to charge attendance dues to support improvements to school buildings or facilities.

Charter schools | kura hourua are another type of state-funded school, providing educators and parents with more choice. Charter schools have a high level of independence around how they teach your child and what they can spend their funding on to educate your child. They are held to targets for achievement and attendance, as agreed in their contracts, and will face interventions if they do not meet these targets. The name kura hourua draws on waka hourua, meaning double-hulled canoe. It signifies the partnership between charter school operators and the government, and between charter schools and their communities. Charter schools can be new, or state and state-integrated schools can convert to become charter schools.  

For more information, visit education.govt.nz/news/charter-schools

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.

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.