Te Kura

Quick Summary:

  • Te Kura is a state-funded online/distance correspondence school

  • Students can enrol if they meet strict criteria

  • Home educated students aged 16yrs+ can enrol for free in one or two subjects – enrolling in three or more subjects means the child loses their exemption

  • Home educated students aged 15yrs pay a part-fee depending on where their 16th birthday falls in the year

  • Home educated students under 16yrs need to pay full fees

  • Te Kura also offer an early childhood education service for under 6yr olds

Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (formerly The Correspondence School) is a regular school just like the one down the road. Its only difference is that its main purpose is to provide a free, fully-funded State education for those students who, for one reason or another, are unable to physically attend their local school. Te Kura enrols students who:

  • are from families who are geographically remote or itinerant, or living overseas

  • have been referred by the Ministry of Education as they are at risk of disengaging from school 

  • are pregnant or are young parents

  • have been referred by Oranga Tamariki or the Department of Corrections

  • are elite athletes, dancers, musicians, sportspeople or performers whose extra-curricular commitments make a regular school routine impossible

  • are over 16yrs and would like to complete their high school qualifications

  • are under 6yrs and meet one of the eligibility criteria (geographic isolation, itinerancy, high health needs, special circumstances) to access the Early Childhood Education programme

These students are not being home educated and do not need an exemption from the Ministry of Education.

Home educators may utilise Te Kura as follows:

  • Home educated students aged under 16yrs, who do not meet any of the criteria above, can access Te Kura by paying full fees. They can choose their own subjects and do not give up their exemption status, and their parents/caregivers continue to receive the home education supervisory allowance. However, the cost can be prohibitive, so most homeschooling families wait until the student is 16yrs.

  • Students who are aged 16-19yrs can be enrolled as Young Adults with no fees and this is often the path home educating families take. Young Adult students can choose their own subjects and levels (eg. they can take a subject at NCEA Level 3 without having to do Levels 1 and 2 first, as long as they can show they have the capability to work at that level).

    There is an important distinction to make between keeping your exemption status (remaining homeschooled) vs no longer being homeschooled (and no longer receiving the supervisory allowance). Home educated students aged 16-19yrs, enrolled in one or two subjects at a time, do not give up their exemption status. Home educated students aged 16-19yrs who enrol in three or more subjects at any time automatically lose their exemption. A parent/caregiver cannot get an exemption reinstated for a student 16yrs+.

  • In 2011 NCHENZ put a submission forward to Te Kura requesting that a fee dispensation be given to home educated students who wish to commence studies in their 16th year but prior to their 16th birthday, as many students were disadvantaged in terms of their start time depending on when their 16th birthday fell. Te Kura agreed that students turning 16yrs in the first four months of the year (Jan-Apr) would pay one-third of the full fees; in the second four months of the year (May-Aug) they would pay two-thirds of the full fees; and in the last four months of the year (Sep-Dec) the student would be required to pay full fees. When the student turns 16yrs they can be enrolled as a Young Adult student at no cost (as per above). Note, the Te Kura enrolment advisor may not be aware of this arrangement so you may need to talk to a senior manager.