New Zealand’s education system is world-class, modern and responsive. It combines proven, traditional principles of education with innovation, creativity and fresh thinking to produce leaders and citizens equipped for the 21st century.

We seek a world leading education system that equips all New Zealanders with the knowledge, skills and values to be successful citizens in the 21st century. In the current knowledge age, learners need to know how to problem-solve, synthesise information, work with others, create and innovate.

These goals are at the heart of New Zealand’s education system.

* International Students who do not have English as their first language can expect to be one to three years older than New Zealand students.

The New Zealand school year is divided into four terms, beginning at the end of January and finishing early/mid December. Rangi Ruru has a three week break at the end of Terms 1 and 3, and a two week break at the end of Term 2. Students in Years 11, 12 and 13 who wish to gain a national qualification in that year will need to begin at Rangi Ruru in Term 1 of that year or earlier.

New Zealand’s education system has three levels – early childhood education, schooling and tertiary education – across which students can follow a variety of flexible pathways.

Education is compulsory for all students aged between six and sixteen years, though the vast majority of students begin school at age five and most students carry on to Years 12 and 13.

School education in the early years provides a strong foundation in literacy and numeracy and an introduction to a broad and balanced curriculum, while the secondary years (ages 13 to 17) offer excellent subject-based learning, supported by professional career counselling. New Zealand schools are well resourced with information and communications technology, offering new ways for students to access knowledge and to learn.

from Ministry of Education (www.minedu.govt.nz)

School curriculum

New Zealand has a national curriculum which is compulsory for state and state-integrated schools, but not for independent (or private) schools like Rangi Ruru. Rangi Ruru believes, however, that the NZ Curriculum provides an excellent framework of learning and follows this curriculum.

The NZ curriculum describes the key competencies and learning outcomes people need in order to live, learn, work and contribute as active members of their communities, rather than prescribing what school students must learn or what teachers must teach.

It describes:

• the Vision what we want for our young people
• a set of Principles – the foundations of curriculum decision making
• Values – to be encouraged, modelled and explored
• five Key Competencies – capabilities for living and lifelong learning
• eight Learning Areas – important for a broad general education.

The curriculum gives teachers flexibility to apply their professional knowledge. They can personalise learning to the needs of their students and communities.

A variety of special projects in specific areas of the curriculum are making a difference, especially in ages and groups that have been identified as underachieving.

New Zealand has specific programmes for formative assessment, known as assessment for learning. Assessment for learning includes all those activities undertaken by teachers, and by the students in assessing themselves, which provide information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged. Such assessments become formative when the evidence is actually used to adapt the teaching to meet the student’s learning needs.

New Zealand has a programme of Best Evidence Synthesis (BES), designed to strengthen the evidence base that informs education policy and practice.

For more information on the New Zealand curriculum, go to the New Zealand Curriculum website.

For more information on the New Zealand Education system visit  the Ministry of Education site at www.minedu.govt.nz