A Canterbury primary school is refusing a government directive to implement national standards, saying they do not fit with its curriculum development.
Southbridge School joins a growing number of schools that say they will not introduce the policy until they see proof that it works.
Principal Peter Verstappen told Nine to Noon the board of trustees has made a decision to continue improving student achievement through the national curriculum.
He is calling for a trial of the standards rather than having them put in place untested.
However, Education Minister Anne Tolley says the debate is over and it is time get on with implementation.
She has asked the School Trustees Association to actively work with the handful of schools boycotting the new national standards but says that in the end schools are required to implement the law.
"I think working through those boards of trustees first, to make them aware of what their responsibilities are, is a sensible way to take it," she says.
