Achievement, Auckland Sports College

Auckland Sports College - Achievement

Many students will enter Auckland Sports College without having achieved any NCEA levels. Our approach is to get some credits early and then to build on early gains. So, we offer opportunities for 'lifeskills' credits and for some more vocational or 'sidehustle' credits. Once students have some credits, their confidence grows and they become willing to at least look at credits in English, maths, and science.

The learning priorities are

A key feature of our pedagogy is small group learning in the belief that the individual learns as the group learns. There is a lot of informal peer-to-peer tutoring and every student makes multiple trips to the whiteboard.

Pacific Education Support Fund (PESF)

From 2021-2023 Pro-Pare Athlete Management Trust (PAMT) one of the founders of Auckland Sports College held a PESF contract from the Ministry of Education. We served three groups of students

Students who had left school early

In 2020 the NEET (not enrolled, employed, or in training) programme began with two Year 10 students who never returned to school after the first Covid lockdown. One gained NCEA Level One in 2020, and achieved two Level One external examinations in each of English, Mathematics, and Science. The other was a few credits short of NCEA Level One in 2020, but achieved two Level One external examinations in Science and one in each of English and Mathematics.

In 2021 both students completed NCEA Level 2. One obtained a "Merit" endorsement in Level 2 mathematics including a "Merit" pass in the Level 2 calculus external. Both were able to enrol in Te Kura, the correspondence school as young adult students in 2022 after they turned 16. In 2022 both obtained NCEA Level 3, but in 2023 (their Year 13) there was a breakdown in their relationship with Te Kura and neither completed the requirements of UE. This breakdown resulted from a new approach from Te Kura where the school appointed support staff with a brief to get alongside students. Our students perceived this as 'stalking' with unannounced home visits and unwelcome telephone calls.

In 2021 we were joined by a student who had ‘failed’ Year 10 in 2020. He was given the choice of repeating Year 10, going to an Alt Ed provider, or joining the school's Services Academy. He chose to leave school. He gained NCEA Level Two in 2021 and NCEA Level 3 in 2022.

We were joined part-way through 2021 by a Year 12 student who had had multiple standdowns for fighting. He had 15 NCEA Level One credits. He completed the requirements of NCEA Level 2 in 2022.

Another student (year 10) joined us in the latter part of 2021. He had not returned to school after the 100 day lockdown in Auckland. He gained NCEA level 3 in 2023.

In 2022 we were joined by a Year 11 student who had been stood down after a brawl involving 200 students at her school.She gained NCEA Level 2 in 2023.

At the beginning of Term 2, 2023 we were joined by twos Year 11 student who had 'failed' Year 10 and had not gone to school in Term One. Both completed NCEA Level 2 in 2023.

A little later in 2023 we were joined by a Year 11 student (referred by his rugby league coach) who had been encouraged to leave school after being involved in a number of fights. He had no NCEA credits but finished the year with NCEA Level 2.

Students who were not allowed into advancing courses

We were able to follow closely a cohort of ten Pacific and Maori boys from a large Auckland secondary school from Year 11 in 2020 to Year 13 in 2022. All ten gained NCEA Level One in 2020. Eight of the ten would have been awarded NCEA Level One without the credits earned through PAMT. All ten gained NCEA Level 2 in 2021. Only three of the ten would have gained NCEA Level 2 on the basis of their school credits. In 2022, all ten gained NCEA level 3. However, only one of the ten would have gained NCEA Level 3 on the basis of his school credits. Six of the ten were awarded University Entrance. Only one would have obtained UE on the basis of his school credits.

Students who were probably not going to achieve their NCEA Levels on time

PAMT has offered short NCEA-credit earning courses to Pacific students who did not feel they were going to achieve their NCEA Levels on time. The figures below exclude students from either of the two groups above (NEET students and students with whom we were already engaged who had not been allowed into advancing courses).

In 2021 PAMT hosted short 'lifeskills and generic work skills' courses at which 15 students gained 273 Level 2 credits and 16 students gained 250 Level 3 credits.

In 2022 PAMT hosted short 'lifeskills and generic work skills' courses at which 14 students gained 250 Level 2 credits and 20 students gained 370 Level 3 credits.

In 2023 PAMT hosted short 'lifeskills and generic work skills' courses at which 25 students gained 473 Level 2 credits and 14 students gained 255 Level 3 credits.