Some schools refusing to use the national standards in reading, writing and maths are giving in to Government pressure, official figures show.
The pressure was evident in Otago this week when the Education Ministry refused to let a rebel school host a meeting for local schools.
The ministry's latest figures show 377 schools' charters do not include the standards, down from 416 last week. One hundred charters are yet to be analysed.
A group opposed to the standards says the drop is minor considering the sanctions the ministry has threatened.
The latest action resulted in the ministry refusing to let Pembroke School in Oamaru host a ministry-led meeting for local schools on Monday night.
But principal Brent Godfery says the school will stick to its guns so long as the Government's sanctions do not affect its pupils.
