New Zealand to Phase Out Open-Plan Classrooms

Once hailed as a modern approach to teaching and learning, open-plan classrooms have fallen out of favour with teachers and principals.

Children pictured in a classroom at Waterview Primary School in Auckland, New Zealand, on July 4, 2018. Phil Walter/Getty Images

New Zealand will phase out open-plan classrooms, hailed just over a decade ago as a modern alternative to traditional teaching environments, after growing criticism from educators and evidence that the model may hinder student learning.

Education Minister Erica Stanford announced the change in response to widespread concerns from principals and teachers, confirming that no new open-plan classrooms will be built, and existing ones will be subdivided for phased out at the end of their natural life.