Welcome to Term 3!

It’s been wonderful to see our learners settle so quickly back into school life after the break, and a special welcome to the new families who have joined us this term.

You may have seen this week’s announcement from Education Minister Erica Stanford that the government will no longer build ‘open-plan’ classrooms, making statements such as “do not cater well for all learners.” While I don’t usually weigh in on political headlines, this one stood out, and I’d like to offer some reassurance and share a Puketaha perspective.

At Puketaha, we use the term Innovative Learning Environments (ILEs), or Collaborative Teaching Spaces, to describe our classrooms—but we don’t consider them “open-plan.” Our buildings were originally single-cell classrooms, modernised and connected to create more flexible, purposeful spaces. These often include breakout rooms, larger floor areas, and clearly defined zones for whole-class instruction, small group work, hands-on learning, and quiet, focused learning.

We agree that large, barn-like spaces with no structure—no walls, doors, corners, or breakout areas—can be challenging teaching environments. But that’s not what we have. At the same time, small, overcrowded single-cell rooms with high numbers and no collaborative support also present challenges. At Puketaha, like many schools, we believe we’ve struck a healthy balance: spaces that enable focused, relationship-based teaching while offering the flexibility to meet diverse learning needs.

Co-teaching is a strength of our approach. It allows teachers to group students according to their learning needs, work collaboratively to improve practice, and provide more targeted support. Rather than one teacher trying to meet the full range of needs alone, our environment supports shared expertise. Research—including that of John Hattie—shows that collaboration among teachers is one of the most powerful influences on student achievement, and our physical environment is designed to support this.

Our most recent Education Review Office (ERO) report highlighted the strength of our learning environments, inclusive practices, and the positive outcomes we are achieving for our learners.

The government’s move to a “standard classroom design”—single rooms joined by sliding doors—is being positioned as both an educational and financial solution. These Off-site Manufactured Buildings (OMBs) are designed to be rectangular, repeatable, and transportable, making them quick and cost-effective to build, especially to accommodate roll growth. While these designs may work well in some contexts, they are simple designs that may not offer as much flexibility to support highly functional ILEs that include breakout rooms, shared teaching spaces, or play-based learning zones. There also appears to be limited evidence showing significant differences in educational outcomes between building types. While “sector feedback” has been cited, we were not consulted, and it’s unclear how widely that feedback was gathered. We are all aware of the strong sector feedback from across the board, asking for better learning support funding, however. It raises a genuine question: Is this shift educationally influenced, or is it more about fitting a cost-efficiency model? 

At Puketaha and in many other schools using ILEs effectively, flexible, collaborative learning spaces remain a strength, helping students thrive in dynamic, inclusive settings. We will continue to draw on both research and our own experience to shape child-centred, learning-focused environments that meet the needs of all our tamariki. With so many sweeping generalisations made about education from various sources, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype. But what truly matters is looking closely at what’s working well for our learners here at Puketaha School. As noted in last year's Education Review Office (ERO) report, our Puketaha classrooms “enable high levels of achievement and engagement,” with “respectful relationships between teachers and students” contributing to “positive school-wide behaviour and settled environments for learning.” 

A local Hamilton principal spoke to Radio NZ about this announcement, and it’s worth a listen, as we relate to Tony’s response. Tony Grey on Radio NZ- listen here

Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support. We’re looking forward to another rich and rewarding term of learning.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Ngaa mihi nui,
Nyree Olliver
Principal – Puketaha School