What a rural science partnership reveals about online schooling 

By Mark Phillips

Across New Zealand, schools are grappling with persistent shortages of specialist teachers, particularly in senior secondary subjects such as science, mathematics, languages and digital technologies.

Ministry of Education workforce data and sector reporting have consistently shown that these shortages are felt most acutely in smaller and regional schools, where recruitment pools are limited and single departures can destabilise an entire subject pathway.¹ ² ³ 

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For school leaders, the challenge is not simply staffing vacancies. It is the knock-on effect those gaps have on curriculum breadth, student choice, and long-term academic continuity. When a subject disappears, even temporarily, students’ future pathways can narrow in ways that are difficult to reverse. 

In response, some schools are beginning to explore new ways of accessing specialist expertise, not as a replacement for in-person teaching, but as a means of sustaining learning where traditional staffing models are under strain. 

A rural science challenge 

Mangawhai Hills College is a young, fast-growing secondary school serving a regional community north of Auckland. Like many schools of its size, it faces a structural challenge in recruiting and retaining specialist teachers, particularly in science. In a small labour market, even short-term gaps can make it difficult to offer students a complete and coherent science pathway.¹ ² 

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Rather than removing science as an option, the school partnered with a fully online secondary school to provide live, specialist science teaching. This allowed students to remain enrolled at Mangawhai Hills College, stay connected to their local school community, and continue their science studies without interruption. 

The partnership was not designed as an emergency fix. It was intentionally structured to provide continuity,​ ​and a consistent learning experience that could be sustained over​​ the year. 

Moving beyond “remote learning” 

Experiences like this highlight the importance of distinguishing between emergency remote teaching and purpose-built online schooling. During the pandemic, many students and teachers experienced online learning for the first time, often under difficult circumstances. That rapid shift, while necessary, was rarely supported by the pedagogy, systems or training required for high-quality delivery.⁴ ⁵ 

Fully online schooling operates differently. Curriculum design, lesson structure, assessment practices and teacher–student interaction are intentionally adapted for an online environment. Teaching is live and interactive, and student participation is highly visible. In many cases, this increases rather than reduces engagement, as students are consistently required to contribute, ask questions and respond to feedback. 

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International research supports this distinction, showing that when online learning is deliberately designed and delivered synchronously by qualified teachers, students report stronger engagement and clearer learning outcomes than in ad-hoc or asynchronous models.⁴ ⁵ 

What continuity looks like in practice 

In the Mangawhai Hills College partnership, students attend live online science lessons taught by subject specialists, integrated into their weekly timetable. They continue to receive pastoral care and day-to-day support from their school, while benefiting from teaching expertise that would otherwise be unavailable in their region. 

From a student perspective, the most significant outcome is continuity. Science is not paused, compressed, or replaced with a less suitable alternative. Students are able to plan their senior secondary pathways with confidence, knowing their subject options can be maintained despite local staffing constraints. 

Continuity matters. Research into online and ​​blended learning – where students learn through a deliberate combination of in-person and online instruction – consistently shows that sustained teacher–student relationships, clear expectations and consistent assessment practices are critical to student success, particularly during periods of change.⁶ ⁷ ⁸ 

Rigour and flexibility are not opposites 

By the time schools begin exploring online options, many have already accepted that flexibility does not automatically undermine academic standards. The more pressing question is how flexibility can be used to extend learning rather than simply preserve it. 

This is increasingly evident in the way some students and families are engaging with online learning alongside their local schooling. Structured after-school classes in subjects such as mathematics, science and English are being used not as remedial support, but as a means of accessing advanced content or specialist teaching that may not be available within a student’s own school. In these cases, online learning functions as an academic extension, allowing students to stretch while remaining fully connected to their school community. 

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This reframes flexibility as a tool for widening opportunity rather than lowering expectations. When used deliberately, it enables students to engage more deeply with their subjects, develop confidence in managing their own learning, and maintain momentum across senior secondary years, regardless of local staffing constraints.⁷ ⁸ 

Developing learners, not just delivering content 

A further strength of well-designed online schooling is its emphasis on learner capability. Students are supported to become independent, organised and reflective in how they approach their learning. These skills are not treated as optional extras; they are embedded into daily practice. 

This focus aligns closely with what students will encounter beyond school, where self-management, adaptability and a strong foundation of knowledge are essential. Online environments, when thoughtfully designed, can make these expectations explicit and visible, rather than assumed.⁸ 

Importantly, the Mangawhai Hills College example does not suggest that online schooling should replace local schools or classroom teaching. Instead, it demonstrates how different models can work together to support students when circumstances make traditional approaches difficult to sustain. 

In regional and remote contexts, partnerships with purpose-built online schools can provide access to specialist teaching, preserve curriculum breadth and reduce disruption, while allowing students to remain connected to their local school communities.¹ ² 

Looking ahead 

The experience of Mangawhai Hills College suggests that when online schooling is used thoughtfully and with clear intent, it can play a constructive role in maintaining rigour, continuity and equity of access. Perhaps the more productive question for the sector is no longer whether online schooling belongs within the system, but how it can be used responsibly and well, in service of keeping educational pathways open for students wherever they live. 

Specialist teacher shortages are unlikely to be resolved quickly. In the meantime, school leaders will continue to face difficult decisions about how to balance staffing realities with their commitment to student opportunity. 

This article was written for School News by Mark Phillips, who is Principal of Crimson Global Academy and has worked in the education sector for more than 35 years. Prior to joining CGA, he was Deputy Principal of Macleans College, where he led senior academic programmes and supported students to achieve outstanding results at national and international levels. In his current role, Mark focuses on maintaining academic rigour, strong curriculum pathways, and student success within a fully online schooling environment. 

References
¹ Ministry of Education (2024). Teacher Demand and Supply 2024 Report 
https://www.education.govt.nz/news/teacher-demand-and-supply-2024-report-released/
² Post Primary Teachers’ Association (2024). Secondary School Staffing Survey 
https://www.ppta.org.nz/about-ppta/publication-library/document/2409/ 
³ Post Primary Teachers’ Association. Secondary teacher shortage impacts 
https://www.ppta.org.nz/news-and-media/secondary-teacher-shortage-shortchanges-young-people-and-aotearoa/ 
⁴ OECD (2020). Education responses to COVID-19: Embracing digital learning and online collaboration 
https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/2020/03/education-responses-to-covid-19-embracing-digital-learning-and-online-collaboration_21f884d2.html 
PDF: https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2020/03/education-responses-to-covid-19-embracing-digital-learning-and-online-collaboration_21f884d2/d75eb0e8-en.pdf 
⁵ OECD (2021). Schooling during a pandemic: The experience and outcomes of schoolchildren during the first round of COVID-19 lockdowns 
https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/schooling-during-a-pandemic_1c78681e-en.html 
PDF: https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2021/10/schooling-during-a-pandemic_78439adc/1c78681e-en.pdf 
⁶ Education Review Office (2020). Ready, Set, Teach: How prepared and supported are new teachers? 
https://ero.govt.nz/our-research/ready-set-teach-how-prepared-and-supported-are-new-teachers  
⁷ Darling-Hammond, L. et al. (2017). Preparing Teachers for Deeper Learning 
https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/preparing-teachers-deeper-learning 
⁸ Darling-Hammond, L., Flook, L., Cook-Harvey, C., Barron, B., & Osher, D. (2020). Implications for educational practice of the science of learning and development 
https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2018.1537791