Curriculum Refresh By Emma Woolford

Te Mātaiaho | The New Zealand Curriculum

Curriculum Refresh Updates, Term 4 2024

The New Zealand Curriculum is currently undergoing a review and refresh. The English and Mathematics and Statistics curricula have been released on 31 October and must be taught from Term 1, 2025. The Ararira Springs Primary staff have been undergoing professional development to understand the changes and support best practice teaching and learning programmes within our kura.

Why refresh?

Internationally, countries review their curricula regularly. NZ’s curriculum has been in action since 2007, so a refresh is due. Our knowledge of the Science of Learning (how the brain learns) and the importance of what skills 21st-century learners need has led to some changes. The refreshed curriculum is underpinned by 5 characteristics of how we learn:

• We learn best when we experience a sense of belonging in the learning environment and feel valued and supported.
• A new idea or concept is always interpreted through, and learned in association with, existing knowledge.
• Establishing knowledge in a well-organised way in long-term memory reduces students’ cognitive load when building on that knowledge. It also enables them to apply and transfer the knowledge.
• Our social and emotional wellbeing directly impacts on our ability to learn new knowledge.
• Motivation is critical for wellbeing and engagement in learning.

What’s changed?

It’s worth noting that this is a curriculum refresh, not an overhaul. Many of the guiding principles and values of the 2007 curriculum remain the same.

Students will be taught in a knowledge-rich environment by skilled teachers following Te Mātaiaho (The New Zealand Curriculum). Learning will occur through local, national and global contexts. 

All learning areas now follow the Understand, Know, Do model. These 3 aspects are woven together so learning builds on previous understanding and is purposeful and relevant.

We now move from achievement levels to phases of learning:

• Phase 1 (Years 0-3): Thriving in environments rich in literacy and numeracy
• Phase 2 (Year 4-6): Expanding horizons of knowledge and collaborating
• Phase 3 (Years 7-8): Seeing ourselves in the wider world and advocating with and for others
• Phases 4 onwards will be covered in secondary school.

English curriculum refresh

• Phases 1 & 2 (Year 0-6) have been released, to be taught from Term 1, 2025.
• Structured Literacy is entrenched in the first two phases released.
• Ararira Springs Primary is placed well to implement the changes. We have been on a Structured Literacy journey for nearly 3 years, with all year groups learning through a scope and sequence.
• Staff have taken part in professional development to understand the changes that impact them.
• Some learning progressions are aspirational.
• You may not notice much difference in how your child is taught due to changes we’ve already implemented.

Maths curriculum refresh

• Phases 1, 2 & 3 (Year 0-8) have been released, to be taught from Term 1, 2025.
• A highly aspirational curriculum: the new expectations are a little higher for each phase of learning.
• Designed to build on previous learning and focus on both knowledge and conceptual understanding.
• The science of learning has informed the changes with teachers using a range of tools and approaches; explicit teaching, group work, problem solving and practice. 
• Maths talks are used to support discussions around mathematical thinking.
• Ararira Springs Primary has been involved in professional development through The Learner First and Ministry of Education-funded consultants over the past 2 years. We are well placed to meet the needs of combining mathematical inquiry with explicit teaching.
• Due to the changes we have already made, you may not notice much change in how your child is taught.

Reporting to whānau

In 2025, you will notice a change in our reporting systems as we move to reporting on phases of learning, not curriculum levels. Comparing previous levels with new phases of learning will be difficult due to the different expectations between the previous and current curricula. We will update you with these changes and support whānau to understand what these changes mean for your tamariki. 

Further release of curriculum areas

The Ministry of Education expects all refreshed curriculum areas to be finalised in 2027. This timeline is indicative only and is subject to change.

He pātai | Questions?

In Term 1, we will be holding a maths whānau evening to inform you of curriculum changes and how home learning can reinforce what is being taught at school. We will provide some games and activities to make math learning fun at home. Literacy open days will also be advertised in 2025. If you have any questions before then, please contact Emma Woolford (Deputy Principal, curriculum) emma.woolford@ararira.school.nz