Curriculum updates#

Consultation on draft learning area and wāhanga ako closing soon#

Ahead of consultation closing on 28 April, there is still time for you to have your say on the draft curriculum content for Years 7 to 13 Te Reo Rangatira, and Years 9 to 13 mathematics and statistics and Pāngarau.

Draft maths consultation – Tāhūrangi

Draft Te Reo Rangatira and Pāngarau consultation – Tāhūrangi

Once feedback has been considered, updated content will be released in Term 4 this year and becomes required teaching from the start of 2026.

A reminder also that the consultation for Years 7 to 13 English stays open until 13 June:

Draft English Consultation – Tāhūrangi

We strongly encourage you to provide your feedback – the insights you share will play an important role in shaping the content, so it’s fit for purpose.

Consulting on draft relationships and sexuality education framework#

The draft framework for relationships and sexuality education (RSE) for Years 0 to 13 will be available for public feedback from this Friday 11 April to 9 May. The framework sets out the proposed RSE teaching to be covered in the NZC each year, with a focus on ensuring content is age-appropriate, evidence-informed, internationally comparable, and clear about what to teach and when.

The draft framework isn’t compulsory, and you don’t need to change your plans for health and physical education this year. Instead, your feedback will guide decisions about the RSE teaching and learning included in the updated health and physical education learning area. A draft of that curriculum content will be available for feedback later this year.

RSE content in Te Marautanga o Aotearoa will be included in the updated Hauora wāhanga ako, which is due to be released in Term 4. Keep an eye out for more information on Tāhūrangi from Friday.

Assessment and aromatawai#

Work underway on a new assessment and aromatawai tool#

We’re continuing the work to replace e-asTTle with a new tool for assessment and aromatawai in Years 3 to 10. The new tool will maintain all the best features of e-asTTle, while being fit for the future – bringing more consistency to your testing and giving you a better understanding of children’s progress and achievement in line with the updated national curriculum.

The tool is expected to be ready for use by Term 1 next year, with training and support to help you use it being held during Term 4 this year. Schools and kura can continue to use e-asTTle while the new tool is in development.

Find more information here:

Assessment and aromatawai practices and tools – Tāhūrangi

Sharing your phonics data#

Phonics Checks and Hihira Weteoro have been available to use with your Years 0 to 2 students since the start of the year. We’re encouraging schools and kura to share their results with us this year, to support your teaching and learning and contribute to our national monitoring of student and ākonga progress.

If your kura teaches in and through te reo Māori

Guidance for submitting data to the Secure Data Portal will be available in Term 2 – keep an eye on future newsletters and on Tāhūrangi for more information.

In addition to the starter packs sent out earlier this year, kura that submit their data will receive additional printed sets of the resources available online here:

Te Ara Tohu - Rangaranga Reo ā-Tā – Tāhūrangi

If your school uses The New Zealand Curriculum

Phonics Checks data can be submitted on Excel spreadsheets to our Secure Data Portal, then used to generate school-level reports – which are sent to you to help with structured literacy planning. Read more about how to upload your results.

Phonics checks – Assessment materials – Tāhūrangi

Work continues next year to house the Phonics Checks materials (including all marking and reporting systems) in a single online space.

Reporting to parents and whānau#

Reporting to parents and whānau is essential for developing a clear and shared understanding of children’s progress, achievement, and success. The work to improve our guidance around effective reporting continues into next term, and we will be looking for your feedback on this as a part of that process.

We’ll be releasing updated guidance for reporting to parents and caregivers soon. For now, here’s what’s important for you to know:

• This year, schools and kura must report progress against the new English Years 0 to 6 and mathematics and statistics Years 0 to 8 learning areas, and Te Reo Rangatira Years 0 to 6 and Pāngarau Years 0 to 8 wāhanga ako. You should continue to use your current assessment and reporting systems to do this.
• The use of specific tools for reporting on learner progress is not required - but we encourage you to use Phonics Checks and Hihira Weteoro with your Years 0 to 2 students and ākonga, as well as any other available standardised assessment tools you may already be using.
• For schools and kura using e-asTTle, the content and scoring within this tool will not change. In May, we will be providing supports so that you can use the results to make informed decisions about student progress and achievement as measured against refreshed learning areas and wāhanga ako.

Resources and supports#

Updates to 5-year implementation timeline#

Earlier this year, we released a timeline for the key curriculum, assessment, and aromatawai changes happening between now and 2029, and the supports available.

For an update to this timeline, and for more information, including a list of changes, visit:

5-year implementation timeline – Tāhūrangi

Testing a new review feature on Tāhūrangi#

We’re currently trialling a feature that lets you rate and comment on a select range of Tāhūrangi resources. Your feedback won’t be made public, but it will help us inform the development of future resources and supports. If you’d like to learn more about the new feedback system, or leave a review of your own, you can find out more here:

The new resource review system – Tāhūrangi

For Te Marautanga o Aotearoa#

More Rangaranga Reo ā-Tā and Pāngarau resources arriving next term#

In February, Tau 0 to 8 kura using Te Marautanga o Aotearoa received sample packs of Rangaranga Reo ā-Tā, Poutama Pāngarau and Pāngarau curriculum resources to support structured approaches to teaching te reo matatini and pāngarau.

We’re sending more packs out to kura in Term 2, with the goal to provide every kaiako with one pack each. The resources build on what was provided in the sample packs, with kaiako guidance, lessons plans, activities, and classroom-ready resources to help you hit the ground running with structured approaches to teaching and learning.

When those resources have been delivered in Term 2, you will be able to order additional copies at Down the Back of the Chair. You’ll also be able to access digital versions of the latest resources on Tāhūrangi when they are released next term. Find them here, along with the current resources available to support your teaching and learning:

Te Ara Tohu: Rangaranga Reo ā-Tā – Tāhūrangi

Poutama Pāngarau – Tāhūrangi

Applications open for Poutama Pāngarau PLD#

We’re funding PLD across 2025 and 2026 to help you implement the redesigned Pāngarau wāhanga ako using an explicit teaching approach. The new Poutama Pāngarau PLD will give you a detailed framework for teaching pāngarau, built around the concept of the Mata Ako – which focuses on the important learning across different whenu in the wāhanga ako.

Applications for Term 2 PLD are open between now and April 30 for Tau 0 to 8 kura teaching through te reo Māori. Kura and schools can apply individually, or on behalf of a Kāhui Ako or cluster. Find out more.

Poutama Pāngarau

For The New Zealand Curriculum#

Maths resources clarification#

As more schools complete the Ministry–provided maths PLD, we anticipate you’ll be working more closely with the revised mathematics and statistics learning area – which will continue to influence how you think about and use the new maths resources.

The Maths PLD supports your use of the maths resources by focusing on implementing the learning area and developing programmes in your schools.

Later this year, you’ll have the opportunity to re-order more resources for 2026 – to support your teaching of the new mathematics and statistics learning area into the future. We’ll let you know when orders open in later issues of this newsletter, and on Tāhūrangi.

You can find more information here:

Maths resources and the revised maths curriculum for Years 0 to 8 – Tāhūrangi

Guidance to support accelerating student progress #

Following the release of leadership guidance earlier this year, 'Accelerating Progress in Literacy – Teacher Guidance for Years 0 to 3' is available online now.

This guidance supports Years 0 to 3 teachers to use the new English learning area content and assessment to identify student needs and provide targeted teaching to accelerate literacy progress. It helps you learn more about what accelerated support could look like in the classroom, identify when your students might need it, and know that it’s working for them. You can find it here:

Accelerating progress in literacy: Teacher guidance – Tāhūrangi

More teacher guidance for accelerating literacy learning in Years 4 to 6 and 7 to 8 will be available later this year.

New Ready to Read Phonics Plus cards available#

A set of 29 new phonics cards for the Ready to Read Phonics Plus series is out now, adding to the resources that support the use of structured literacy approaches. The resources are available on Tāhūrangi, and print copies have already been sent to primary schools and kura using The New Zealand Curriculum.

Find the digital versions here:

Ready to Read Phonics Plus cards – Māhuri | Sapling Tāhūrangi Tāhūrangi

If you haven’t received your copies by the end of the month, contact our team at [email protected].

Visit Down the Back of the Chair to order more copies:

Down the Back of the Chair

Positive feedback from maths PLD#

We have received some great early feedback from schools participating in the maths PLD, which is designed to deepen your understanding of the updated maths learning area and support effective classroom practice.

Here’s what some teachers have to say about their experience:

"I really enjoyed the session, especially how the facilitator gave me a clear overview and unpacked the framework. It’s practical, and I can already see how to use it back at school."

"The emphasis on creating positive experiences in maths was a real takeaway for me. The facilitator made it easy to understand, and you felt supported by the resources, material, and PLD that is out there."

"The materials and resources shared were excellent."

Read more about that feedback, including how we’re using it to evaluate the impact and quality of the maths PLD, here:

Positive early findings from maths professional learning days – Tāhūrangi

You can find out how to access the PLD here:

Maths Professional Learning and Development