The 2024 Uiuinga ā-Motu o ngā Kura | National Survey of Primary Schools is a pair of reports on principal and teacher perspectives regarding their school and the wider education sector.
This report, focused on principal perspectives, is based on a nationally representative sample of 187 principals from English-medium full primary, contributing and intermediate schools across Aotearoa New Zealand. The report covers all the questions asked of principals, including six survey domains listed below, alongside a section on principals’ working experiences and future plans.
- Support and resourcing
- Collaborative relationships
- Curriculum and assessment
- Teaching and learning
- Inclusion
- Wellbeing
Note: Survey responses were collected between 16 October and 5 December 2024.
Key findings
Support for students with complex needs is a major issue facing schools
- Compared with 2019, fewer principals reported major issues facing their schools, with fewer principals (49%, down from 72% in 2019) feeling that “too much is being asked of schools”. Of concern is that 82% of principals indicated that “Support for students with complex learning, social and emotional needs” is a major issue facing their school.
- Principals identified a growing need for external expertise in mental health, trauma, and differentiated teaching for students with learning support needs, but access to this support was limited.
Some schools are seeing the benefits of the EQI system for resourcing
- Principals had mixed views on the Equity Index (EQI) system, but principals in schools facing more socioeconomic challenges were more likely to see benefits from equity funding changes.
- Three-quarters of principals indicated their schools have sufficient space and buildings in good condition, but nearly half indicated they had unmet property needs.
- Most principals were positive about the advice and support they received from education agencies and organisations.
General support for curriculum changes, but concerns about the pace of change
- Seventy percent of principals supported the direction of the curriculum changes, but a similar proportion (71%) were concerned about the pace of change.
- Nearly half of principals indicated that a structured approach would require changes to their maths teaching, while about a third felt the same for literacy.
- Formative assessment underpinned school assessment practices, and principals continued to trust the assessment information they have access to.
Schools actively promote te reo Māori but have challenges finding kaiako
- Most schools actively promoted te reo Māori, with a potential to involve whānau more in planning and implementation.
- Most schools do not offer opportunities for ākonga to learn in a reo Māori bilingual or immersion setting. Of the 33 schools that offered this opportunity, a third could not accommodate all ākonga who applied.
- Most principals reported challenges in finding kaiako to teach te reo Māori.
More information and support on AI would be welcomed
- Two-thirds of principals were having conversations about AI, with many expressing a need for more information and professional learning and development (PLD) on this topic.
Principals shared what they found effective for improving equity and inclusion
Most principals reported that students had good access to assistive technologies at school, although digital access at home remained inequitable.
Most schools have practices in place that affirm ākonga Māori identities, but there has been a slight decline since 2019. Compared with 2019, there were also fewer schools that used practices that affirm the identities of Pacific students.
In an open-ended question, principals were asked to describe the most effective thing their school has done in the past 5 years to achieve equitable outcomes for four groups of students:
- For ākonga Māori, principals emphasised the importance of engaging whānau, and embedding tikanga, te reo, and te ao Māori values into school-wide practices. Professional development for staff was equally critical.
- For Pacific students, the principals who responded highlighted the effectiveness of teachers using culturally responsive pedagogies.
- For students with additional learning support needs, the most common response was employing additional staff and engaging with specialist staff.
- For students with complex social and emotional needs, most principals highlighted the importance of supportive collaborations with in-school specialist staff, teacher aides, and specialist services such as psychologists.
Student wellbeing continues to be a priority
- Around half of schools had well-embedded systems to identify individual students with social or mental health needs.
- A similar proportion (53%) reported that support for the wellbeing of students with disabilities or additional learning support needs was well embedded, a decrease from 74% in 2019.
- Most schools had embedded approaches for promoting positive student behaviour.
- The main reason for schools not using support services was a lack of access, rather than a lack of need.
Increases in schools working with hapū and iwi, and nearly all schools work with whānau and communities to improve attendance
- Nearly all principals indicated that Te Tiriti o Waitangi was enacted in their school values and activities, and ongoing teacher learning and self-reflection were practised in their schools.
- Schools’ interactions with local hapū and iwi have increased since 2019, while working collaboratively with Pacific families and communities could be strengthened.
- Nearly all schools were working with whānau and communities to improve attendance, although some require better access to good support.
Principal hours remain high
- Most principals (89%) enjoyed their job, but 40% disagreed or strongly disagreed that their work-related stress was manageable. Consistent with the 2016 and 2019 surveys, almost all principals (93%) worked more than 50 hours per week. Many (71%) of principals worked 56 or more hours a week.
Many principals plan to stay in their current roles, but principals continue to want more time for leadership
- We asked principals what they would like to change about their work as a principal. Consistent with previous surveys, they continued to want more time for leadership, reflection, and innovation.
- Many principals planned to stay in their roles, with fewer planning to lead another school but more considering a career outside education than in 2019.
- Two-thirds of the 31 new principals felt well prepared for their role.