Kia ora koutou
The National curriculum refresh reached a big milestone last week.
Curriculum content for Years 0 to 6 English and Te Reo Rangatira, and Years 0 to 8 maths and Pāngarau has been published online, ready for you to start using in 2025. Structured literacy, maths, Rangaranga Reo ā-Tā, and Rangaranga Pāngarau are linked to these learning areas and wāhanga ako.
The valuable feedback we received from you has helped to shape the curriculum content – thank you to everyone who contributed.
As we’ve said before, there is no expectation of perfection on day one, especially for those schools who have not done structured literacy before. It’s just important to make a start. We know people will be at different stages of readiness to implement changes next year, and that these shifts will take sustained focus and investment.
We’re committed to helping you make sense of what’s required and continuing to provide you with access to a range of supports so you can make a start next year and build from there, or go faster if you are ready.
Literacy and numeracy are the key foundations for unlocking learning, and I know that as a sector we have been talking for a number of years about shifting the dial in these areas. The new curriculum content is a significant step to support you and your teams with the hard work you’re doing every day to lift achievement.
Ngā mihi nui
Ellen
Attendance, achievement and assessment
Updated curriculum content available now
The new curriculum content is available on Tāhūrangi, including the next steps for the full implementation of the curriculum areas in 2025 and 2026:
Release of updated learning areas and wāhanga ako – Tāhūrangi
Last Thursday, we sent an information sheet to schools and kura that provides details about the feedback received, as well as the implementation supports and resources available to help you get ready and get started with embedding the new content in your classrooms from the start of 2025.
Find that information sheet here:
Content for Years 0-6 English and Te Reo Rangatira and Years 0-8 maths and Pāngarau [PDF, 304 KB]
NCEA Co-requisite support
Last week the Minister of Education announced targeted literacy and numeracy support for secondary students struggling with NCEA Co-requisite requirements.
We will be offering targeted support to around 160 schools and rumaki units. Students will receive targeted and personalised teaching support, while a Ministry-contracted provider works alongside school leaders and teachers to implement whole-school literacy, te reo matatini, numeracy and pāngarau teaching strategies.
Additional resources will also be created to support the teaching and learning of te reo matatini, pāngarau, literacy and numeracy across the entire school. These resources will be made available to all schools and kura on the NCEA Education website.
More information will be shared shortly.
Order your Ministry-funded maths resources
A reminder that Years 0 to 8 schools using The New Zealand Curriculum should order their Ministry-funded maths resources. Instructions are available on Tāhūrangi:
Ordering Ministry-funded maths resources – Tāhūrangi
Due to high demand, some schools that have ordered Numicon resources will not receive their orders by the beginning of Term 1.
You will be advised by 8 November of the status of your order but you can still access the online resources offered by Numicon.
Te reo Māori settings will receive up to five sample kits of refreshed Rangaranga Pāngarau resources at the start of Term 1, 2025. Additional kits can be ordered from us from Term 2, 2025.
Targeted mathematics acceleration programme
To help you and your staff implement the new Mathematics and Statistics and Pāngarau curricula for Years 0-8, we’re introducing a targeted maths acceleration programme to provide additional tuition and support to students who are preparing to start high-school in the coming years.
In Term 1 and 2 next year, around 2000 Year 7 and 8 students who need extra support in maths will take part in an intensive support programme to bring them up to the required curriculum level. The trial will use small group tutoring and supervised online tuition for 30 minutes, up to four times a week for each child.
Intermediate-aged children have been specifically chosen for this as they will have the least time to benefit from our curriculum and resourcing changes before starting high school.
The trial will be held in a cross section of schools and kura across the country teaching maths using the New Zealand Curriculum and teaching Pāngarau using Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. It will run for 12 weeks and cost around $2 million, including inbuilt analysis and evaluation of which delivery methods or combinations of methods best support student progress.
Schools will be targeted in the coming weeks based on available student achievement data.
More information will be available in due course.
PLD for structured approaches to literacy and te reo matatini closing soon
Applications for the third cohort of new Ministry-funded PLD for structured literacy approaches and Rangaranga Reo ā-Tā (structured te reo matatini) close 13 November.
This cohort is open to Years 0 to 8 teachers, for delivery over Terms 1, 2, and 3 next year. Successful applicants will receive an application reference number (ARN) to enrol with an approved provider. Find out more at:
PLD for structured literacy and te reo matatini approaches – Ministry of Education
School enrolments – health records
The Health (Immunisation) Regulations 1995 require parents/guardians of children born on or after 1 January 1995 to show their child’s immunisation certificate when these children start at an early childhood service and on entry to primary school (Year 1).
B4 School Checks are an opportunity for parents, educators, health professionals to work together to support the health, development and wellbeing of young children. They are a free health and development check for four-year-olds to make sure a child is healthy and can learn well at school.
While it is a ‘requirement’ to present a child’s immunisation status, failure to present evidence of either a B4 School Check or immunisation certificate should be noted on a child’s enrolment record but does not over-ride the child’s right to enrol under section 33 of the Education and Training Act 2020.
B4 School Check – Ministry of Education
Updated Attendance Code Decision Tree
Based on sector feedback, we have revised the Attendance Code Decision Tree, which will be used from Term 1, 2025. The smaller number of codes is intended to be easier to use and enable the collection of more accurate data on attendance patterns overall.
To learn more about these codes and register for a virtual information session, visit:
Refreshed attendance codes from Term 1 2025 – Ministry of Education
Report into student absence
The Education Review Office (ERO) has released a report on chronic absence in school.
Read more on the ERO website:
Read the report here:
Left behind: How do we get our chronically absent students back to school? [PDF, 1.64 MB]
Te Rito connections before end of Term 4
Te Rito is a secure, cloud-based information-sharing platform that enables student | ākonga information to follow them throughout their education.
Connecting your school’s SMS to Te Rito means information can be shared safely and easily when students move from one school to another – it's available for other connected schools to access from the day of enrolment, even if they use a different SMS.
Register for Te Rito before the end of Term 4, when many students are moving between schools:
Connect your SMS to Te Rito – Te Rito
For schools already connected who want to start using Te Rito now, complete the form at:
Early onboarding form – Te Rito
For more information, visit:
Registrations open: Online workshops for NCEA subjects
Between now and the end of the year, we are holding online workshops for some subjects affected by the NCEA review and maintenance updates. The workshops provide teachers with subject-specific support to help understand the changes in the updated Achievement Standards and supporting materials for 2025. They will be offered again in Term 1, 2025 if needed.
Some subjects’ final workshops for 2024 are being held this week. Register at:
Online workshops for some NCEA subjects – NCEA Education
New additions to He Kōrero Tātai available
We have sent printed copies of the latest additions for He Kōrero Tātai to all schools and kura using Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, and digital copies are available on Tāhūrangi:
He Kōrero Tātai contains stories and articles written by Māori authors, designed to support Te Takanga o Te Wā in Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. Online editions are available as Google Slides with audio, accompanying kaiako support materials, and additional digital content. Please check with your kaiako that the printed copies have been received.
More website content moving to Tāhūrangi
We are continuing to add new and updated curriculum content, teaching materials, and resources to Tāhūrangi, so it’s easier to find what you need to support your teaching and learning. Several more websites will have their content moved to Tāhūrangi by the end of the year, at which point they will no longer be accessible.
A list of affected websites is available here:
Health, safety and wellbeing
Pertussis (whooping cough) update
Te Whatu Ora | Heath New Zealand has reported an increasing number of confirmed pertussis (whooping cough) cases. It is highly contagious and particularly serious for pēpi, tamariki and older adults – it can be fatal in some cases. Vaccination provides the best protection against pertussis and is free for children under 18.
Health advice is available here:
Pertussis (whooping cough) public health key messages [PDF, 137 KB]
Pertussis (whooping cough) public health key messages for pregnant people [PDF, 135 KB]
Staff are encouraged to stay up to date with immunisations – in particular pertussis and measles. Health New Zealand are recommending the free Boostrix vaccination for pregnant people.
To book a vaccination visit:
Accessibility and inclusion in outdoor education and recreation guide
Sport NZ, in collaboration with Education Outdoors New Zealand and Recreation Aotearoa, have released a new Accessibility and Inclusion in Outdoor Education and Recreation Guide. Outdoor education positively impacts all ākonga | students, and this guide helps to break down barriers for disabled tamariki and rangatahi by supporting outdoor providers and educators to make outdoor experiences more inclusive and accessible.
You can read the guide at:
Workforce and resourcing
Update for secondary and area schools – part-time teacher allowance
From the beginning of 2025, the 11 per cent salary loading will cease to apply for part-time teachers employed in secondary schools and for part-time teachers who predominantly teach years 7-13 in area and composite schools. From the same date, you will have to provide pro-rated non-contact time for part-time teachers proportionate to that of a full-time teacher.
To support you through this change we are providing a part-time teacher staffing allowance to help minimise the impact. We have reviewed the formula so that we maximise the distribution of the staffing. This has resulted in a change to the formula for secondary schools. The formula for area and composite schools will remain unchanged.
We acknowledge that the level of impact will be different from school to school depending on the number of part-time teachers employed and the school board’s practice. Schools that have previously employed several part-time teachers and provided minimum non-contact time entitlements will have to adjust their timetable from the start of 2025.
You will be able to view the updated 2025 part-time teacher allowance staffing in your provisional staffing entitlement by the end of November.
Resourcing update
Banking staffing 2024
You should try to achieve a nil balance by pay period 22.
Use the balancing period (pay periods 23 to 26) to help manage any outstanding under- or over-use.
The deadline for submitting any funding code change requests for the 2024 banking staffing year is 5pm, 29 November.
If you have had teachers on study/sabbatical award codes during the year, please check that they have been coded correctly.
Reimbursement of underused banked staffing is limited to Kaupapa Māori and Māori Medium Education from the 2024 staffing year.
Managing staffing usage (banking staffing) – Ministry of Education
All staffing applications 2024
The deadline for all staffing applications is 5pm, 29 November. This includes beginning teachers, specialist classroom teachers, staffing transfers and staffing roll increases for 2024.
The five-school day student retention for staffing roll increases should be met before or by this deadline.
Key dates for school staffing and funding – Ministry of Education
Ongoing resourcing scheme applications
Note that there is no end of year deadline for ongoing resourcing scheme (ORS) applications.
We encourage educators to refer to the ORS guidelines, ORS criteria and the School ORS application form factsheet:
Ongoing resourcing scheme guidelines [DOCX, 172 KB]
Overview of the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme – Ministry of Education
School ORS application forms factsheet [DOCX, 55.4 KB]
Applications need to describe students | ākonga well, including what they can do at school and what supports they need to do it. Clear information and current data help to demonstrate that the need for specialist supports will be ongoing at the highest level for the duration of schooling.
Reminder: Sign up to the National EOTC coordinator database
Encourage your Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) coordinator, or person who holds responsibility for EOTC from your school or kura, to register on the National EOTC coordinator database. The database supports the EOTC coordinator in their role to:
- be notified of changes to good practice as it relates to EOTC safety management
- actively build capability within the EOTC coordinator role, helping to make all tamariki safe.
All schools and kura can sign up to this free initiative, and registration is good practice. You may wish to add your SENCO because inclusive education supports for EOTC are also communicated through the database.
Homepage – EONZ
Bargaining initiation notices for non-teaching collective agreements
We have received notices to initiate bargaining to renew the following collective agreements:
- School Caretakers’, Cleaners’, Canteen and Ground Staff Collective Agreement
- Support Staff in Schools’ Collective Agreement
- Kaiārahi i te Reo and Therapists’ Collective Agreement
Employers are required to inform employees covered by a collective agreement about the upcoming bargaining.
We have published a Circular that includes all three bargaining initiation notices that you are required to share with employees:
Initiation of bargaining for non-teaching collective agreements – Ministry of Education
The notices were also shared via Te Whakarōputanga Kaitiaki Kura o Aotearoa | NZSBA on 24 October.
Governance, planning and infrastructure
Changes to education.govt.nz
Our main website (education.govt.nz) will be updated to be more stable and user-friendly, including a reorganised structure, enhanced search and refreshed content.
There are redirects in place for the most visited pages, to help you find content that may have moved.
Note that the old bulletins website has closed. You can find current bulletins along with bulletins dating back to February 2024 on our new website:
Bulletins – Ministry of Education
More information is available here:
Ministry of Education replacement website update - Ministry of Education
Online buying advice sessions
We are running online Q&A sessions this term. Staff responsible for buying are encouraged to join to learn how to get best overall value when purchasing.
Buying electricity
- Wednesday 13 November, 3.15–3.35pm – Microsoft Teams
- Thursday 14 November, 3.15–3.45pm – Microsoft Teams
Any queries, contact [email protected].
In this issue
Attendance, achievement and assessment
- Updated curriculum content available now
- NCEA Co-requisite support
- Order your Ministry-funded maths resources
- Targeted mathematics acceleration programme
- PLD for structured approaches to literacy and te reo matatini closing soon
- School enrolments – health records
- Updated Attendance Code Decision Tree
- Report into student absence
- Te Rito connections before end of Term 4
- Registrations open: Online workshops for NCEA subjects
- New additions to He Kōrero Tātai available
- More website content moving to Tāhūrangi
