Education Minister Erica Stanford.
Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
The final curriculum content for Years 0-10 in English, Te Reo, Mathematics and Statistics, and Pāngarau was released last week. English and maths for some years have been in use all year.
Education Minister Erica Stanford is hailing the contentious draft school curriculum for Years 0 to 10 as a significant step toward delivering a world-leading education system.
The final curriculum content for Years 0-10 in English, Te Reo, Mathematics and Statistics, and Pāngarau was released last week. English and maths for some years have been in use all year.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Education began releasing the remaining draft curriculum content for Years 0 to 10, amid growing criticism and calls from some teacher groups to hold off.
Physical education and arts teachers said the content was far too narrow, and dozen of maths education professors said the already-published maths curriculum was over-crowded with multiple errors.
But Stanford said the draft had been benchmarked internationally against other high-performing education systems and was rigorous and engaging.
“Many teachers are already doing great work… However, we know what is taught varies from school to school and not all young people have the same opportunity to engage with the foundational learning they need,” Stanford said on Tuesday.
“These changes provide a nationally consistent framework that sets out the essential knowledge every student deserves to be taught.”
There would now be six months of consultation for feedback from principals, teachers and educators.
In a series of open letters on Tuesday, maths education experts expresssed “deep concern”. Dance, drama, music, and visual arts teachers said they had been “dealt a significant blow”, and PE teachers asked to pause the release of their draft curriculum.
Highlights
Social Sciences: history covers New Zealand and global history, exploring how people, places, and ideas connect and evolve over time. Students will learn about early explorers, settlers, and migration stories, the Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and key civilisations and figures that have shaped societies and decision-making. New strands include civics and society and economic activity (which introduces financial education to build practical money and economic skills). Geography remains central, deepening an understanding of people and place.
Science: spans the natural world and physical world so that students can explore, investigate and explain the world around them. It includes learning that celebrates prominent scientists, including New Zealanders, who have made influential discoveries or advances, relevant to the content being taught.
Health & Physical Education: develops movement skills, teamwork, and wellbeing through sport, choreography, and the relationships and sexuality strand. A key change is compulsory consent education, ensuring every student can build safe, respectful relationships.
The Arts: provides a structured pathway for creativity and expression, with a strong focus on indigenous art forms unique to New Zealand. A highlight is the new music technology strand, preparing students to create and produce sound across digital platforms. The curriculum provides opportunities for composition, design and creation across multiple art forms.
Technology: focuses on design, innovation, and creation, helping students to solve problems and become capable creators and informed consumers. Learning includes circuits, coding, food technology, design ethics, and sustainable practices, with opportunities to work in both digital and “unplugged” environments.
Learning Languages: offers structured progressions across thirteen languages in five groups, Pacific, Asian, European, te reo Māori, and NZ Sign Language, providing a clear pathway from novice to expert and allowing schools to tailor learning to their communities.
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