Supporting learners in years 7–10
Welcome to The New Zealand Curriculum Update
Curriculum Updates support school leaders and teachers as they work to design and review their school curriculum in line with the New Zealand Curriculum and with current knowledge and understandings about effective classroom teaching.
Curriculum Updates are published in the Education Gazette and are available online.
This Update is designed to help schools ensure positive transitions, with continuity and clear direction, for learners in years 7–10.
How can schools review their curriculum to ensure effective learning pathways for students in the middle years of schooling?
The New Zealand Curriculum describes the middle school years as a time of great change for learners as they move from childhood to adolescence. Most learners in these years also transition between different school settings. Rural students may move from a small country school to a large area school. Urban students may change schools twice – from their primary school to an intermediate school and from there to a secondary school.
Schools support students through these transitions by designing a curriculum that is responsive to their individual needs, strengths, interests, and stages of development:
During these years, students have opportunities to achieve to the best of their abilities across the breadth and depth of the New Zealand Curriculum – values, key competencies, and learning areas – laying a foundation for living and for further learning.
A responsive curriculum will recognise that students in these years are undergoing rapid physical development, becoming increasingly socially aware, and encountering increasingly complex curriculum contexts. Particularly important are positive relationships with adults, opportunities for students to be involved in the community, and authentic learning experiences.
Some students may need more support than others to grow and achieve as confident and connected lifelong learners. Schools need to pay particular attention to ensuring successful transitions for Māori students, Pasifika students, and learners with special education needs.
This Update could be explored alongside Update 9, which focuses on effective learning pathways for students in secondary schools.