Unlimited paenga tawhiti

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Unlimited paenga tawhiti is a relatively new state secondary school located in the city centre of Christchurch, New Zealand.

It was established in 2003 by the Christchurch-based Learning Discovery Trust[1] which had earlier setup the primary Discovery1 school, and is one of just eleven schools running under the "Designated Special Character" criteria of the Education Act 1989, Section 156[2]: "...The special character of schools established under this section is not specified in the Act, and parents may propose any desirable special character as long as no other local school is already delivering an education reflecting the same special character...".

This "special character" element is similar in some respects to the "charter school" system in the United States.

The school has a roll of 286 students, aged from 13 to 18 years of age.

[edit] Destinctive Elements

• There are no compulsory subjects at Unlimited. Students pick from a list of courses that change every 5 weeks or so.
• Students can follow their own pathways of learning. Often called Inquiry Learning, this means that students can opt to work outside of classes and courses on their own passions and interests. In practice the amount of time given over to this individual, and often independent, style of learning varies according to the interests and maturity of each student.
• The school year at Unlimited is divided into eight half-term blocks of four or five weeks. Students take courses in subjects for the duration of these half-term blocks, or enrol for longer periods up to a full academic year.
• Students are vertically grouped in homebases (similar to form classes). The homebases have up to 14 students in them.
• Students are given half-an-hour per week to meet with their learning advisor to discuss and progress their learning.
• The school is based directly in the central business district, and has no grounds.

The school is resourced with high-end information and communications technology (ICT), all students have the opportunity to gain qualifications in the New Zealand National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA). There are a range of secondary school subjects for students to attend, including English, mathematics, science, social sciences, holistic programmes, computing, physical and outdoor education, drama, dance.

Courses provided by outside providers are also offered.

[edit] External links

• School Website: http://www.unlimited.school.nz
• ERO report: Education Review Report, May 2006
• Provider details at NZQA