Aug302010

Entry requirements for Auckland University

By marianne | August 30, 2010 | Posted in qualifications | Comments (0)

Rosalind writes

Yesterday I took my 3 youngest boys to an Open Day at the University of Auckland. The entry criteria has increased for next year (just as it has for many unis/courses around the country.) The govt funds them for only a certain no. of students & so they can’t take everybody. (Every year for quite awhile they have been taking more students than the govt funds them for, and that is unsustainable.)

“University Entrance” is supposedly 42 credits (with various conditions, eg in at least 3 diff subjects)
http://www.macleans.school.nz/faculty/careers/2008/uni_entrance_ncea_cie.pdf
but the reality is that if you want to do a degree you need significantly more.

Eg at Manukau Inst of Technology (MIT)
http://manukau.ac.nz/
to get into the Engineering degree, you need 65 credits.
http://www.manukau.ac.nz/programme-data/engineering-computer-electrical-electronic/bachelor-of-engineering-be-and-be-hons-electronics-and-computer-engineering

At the University of Auckland you need 70 credits to get into their least-restricted course (a Bachelor of Arts). And to get into their Engineering degree you will need 80 credits – with an avergae of Merit.
http://www.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/
http://ebooks.auckland.ac.nz/entry_requirements_brochure/ ( it takes a while to load)

It is getting harder & harder to get in – but forewarned is forearmed. :-)

By marianne | Posted in qualifications | Comments (0)
Aug272010

More on work requirements for DPB

By marianne | August 27, 2010 | Posted in government liaison | Comments (7)

Exemptions under Section 105

The key piece

In determining whether to grant an exemption from some or all of a person’s work test obligations on the ground that subclause (2)(c)(ii) applies to the person, the chief executive may consider, among other things, whether— ”(a) there are particular needs )/ reasons that prevent the child from attending school (for example, the child has special needs or has been excluded or expelled from school):
“(b) there are other mitigating circumstances involved (for example, home schooling is a reasonable option because the nearest school is a significant distance away).”

What other mitigating circumstances should be considered ?

By marianne | Posted in government liaison | Comments (7)
Aug262010

Mr. Gatto podcast

By admin | August 26, 2010 | Posted in Around the web | Comment (1)

157. ‘We don’t need no education. We dont need no thought control. No dark sarcasm in the classroom. Teachers leave them kids alone.’.

By admin | Posted in Around the web | Comment (1)
Aug242010

Entry to University

By marianne | August 24, 2010 | Posted in qualifications | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

One suggestion from Madeleine Flannagan :

Have her/him do the Tertiary Foundation Certificate (1 year, costs a total of about $540) the year before she wants to start her degree.

Pass this and you have as much shot as anyone with good NCEA or Cambridge results at any Auckland Uni degree program – even restricted entry ones. Of course what helps with restricted entry courses are A’s so tell her to pass it well ;-)

The TFC course is an excellent intro to Uni – it is more hands on so there is a lot of guidance, here is how to write essays to Uni standard, it is on campus, run by Uni lecturers, so it is way better than NCEA or Cambridge.

My homeschooled daughter was accepted to Auckland Uni’s TFC program one month after her 16th birthday on the strength of her diagnostic test scores (they run this test twice a year – it is free to sit).

The other way to get into Uni without NCEA or Cambridge is to sit a few no-requisite, easy entry papers at Uni, pass them well, then simply point to them on your application.

The purpose of tight entry criteria is to weed out applicants who do not have what it takes to pass at Uni – Uni does not care so much about NCEA or Cambridge, they care about whether or not you can do the course, handle the workload so TFC and passes in other Uni papers are fine because they answer that question.

By marianne | Posted in qualifications | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)
Aug022010

Report on ERO/NCHENZ liaison meeting

By marianne | August 2, 2010 | Posted in ERO | Comments (0)

All notes now on this page: click the link below

Report on the ERO and Liason Meeting June 2010

By marianne | Posted in ERO | Comments (0)
Jul282010

Protected: Information for members

By marianne | July 28, 2010 | Posted in Uncategorized | Comment (1)

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:


By marianne | Posted in Uncategorized | Comment (1)
May312010

Some great podcasts

By marianne | May 31, 2010 | Posted in Links | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

http://www.homeschool.com/podcast/

Looking to listen to something about home education/homeschooling try these wonderful podcasts.

By marianne | Posted in Links | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)
May272010

AHE meeting with MOE

By marianne | May 27, 2010 | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

You can find notes from the Auckland Home Educators meeting with Ministry of Education regarding the exemption process.

http://www.ahe.org.nz/2010/05/meeting-with-moe/

By marianne | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)
May202010

Reply from Paula Bennett

By marianne | May 20, 2010 | Posted in government liaison | Tagged , , , , | Comments (3)

Please find linked the response from Hon Paula Bennett  to the NCHENZ email of 29  April 2010.

from Paula Bennett

By marianne | Posted in government liaison | Tagged , , , , | Comments (3)
Apr282010

We are asking for homeschooling to be considered mitigating circumstances

By marianne | April 28, 2010 | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (6)

“From September 27, DPB claimants whose youngest child is six will have to be available to work at least 15 hours a week.

Failure to comply will see their benefit cut by half, but they will retain additional assistance.

Exemptions will be available for those in fulltime study or with mitigating circumstances such as special-needs children.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/3498073/Unemployed-face-work-tests

We welcome your comments.
We are asking for homeschooling to be considered mitigating circumstances.

Please join us in emailing Paula Bennett . Her email address is paula.bennettmp@parliament.govt.nz

——————-

Update

The reply from our email so far:

Hello Tarnya

The Hon Paula Bennett, Minister for Social Development and Employment, has asked me to thank you for your email.

Consideration is currently being given to the matters you raise and you may expect a reply at the Minister’s earliest opportunity.

Kind regards

Nicky Uriaro

Private Secretary, Office of Hon Paula Bennett

Minister for Social Development and Employment | Minister of Youth Affairs

—————————

the email we sent:

Good Morning Paula Bennett

We ( National Council of Home Educators www.nchenz.org.nz) request thathomeschooling be considered as mitigating circumstances in regard to the work requirements for DPB claimants. We request that a home educating parent who holds, for their child/ren, an exemption from attendance at a public school also be issued an exemption from these work requirements.

We submit to you that a home educating parent is involved in full-time work, albeit unpaid.

“We understand that exemptions will be available for those in fulltime study or with mitigating circumstances such as special-needs children.”
from
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/3498073/Unemployed-face-work-tests

Regards
Penny Bilton, Tarnya Burge Maddy Maxwell, Dawn Jones and Michelle Campbell
NCHENZ executive committee

www.nchenz.org.nz

By marianne | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (6)