Auckland students need more help if schools can't resume by Term 4, principals say

But principals are still concerned about the long-term impact of extended Covid restrictions.

Auckland principals are concerned that students will need greater support if the city's Level 3 lockdown continues into Term 4.

Most Year 11, 12 and 13 students must continue working from home at Alert Level 3, which is in place in Auckland until at least next Friday.

It comes after five weeks of an Alert Level 4 lockdown in New Zealand's largest city, which prompted the Government to announce extra support for Auckland's NCEA students on Wednesday.

They would be entitled to one Learning Recognition Credit for every four credits achieved in 2021 - that was up to a maximum of 16 credits at NCEA Level 1, and 12 credits for Levels 2 and 3.

The threshold to gain a Merit or Excellence endorsement has also been dropped to 44 credits.

While Auckland's principals welcomed the announcement, many told 1News they were concerned about the possibility the Level 3 lockdown will be extended in Auckland and its impact on students.

If Auckland schools are not back for term four, principal's say "all bets are off".

"As much as I'm pleased with this NCEA mechanism to be put in place to help the students, if we're not back for the start of Term 4 then all bets are off," said Macleans College principal Steven Hargreaves.

"I think we have to revisit what support has been given to students and there's certainly no guarantee in my mind that we will be back for Term 4."

Ōtāhuhu College principal Neil Watson said one of the big challenges of the current lockdown was timing.

"This lockdown is happening right at the very end of the school year when we are leading up to our examinations - even if we do get back for the start of Term 4, it puts a lot of pressure on those exams coming in," he said.

"I think long term we need to look at the exams at the end of the year and what adjustments can be made there to meet the needs of our students and all the students in Auckland."

Student sits NCEA exam.

There was also concern about the lack of "face-to-face" learning time between students and teachers, especially during the NCEA exam period.

Papatoetoe High School principal Vaughan Couillault said some of his students' families were already struggling with income this lockdown, and some have been working long hours at essential businesses, such as supermarkets.

"There might be students who are in a house that has 15 people in the three-bedroom house," Couillault said.

"There might be students where the family income has dropped dramatically as a result of people being out of work - even people getting the subsidy are only getting 80 per cent, which could cause financial stress in the household." 

He also expressed concern around students who have taken up jobs as essential workers covering "fairly grunty shifts".

"All of those things are a distraction from the learning process and Learning Recognition Credits have helped address that disadvantage for students that need it."

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