Kia ora koutou!
We have some important updates to share about changes in the national curriculum and how we are supporting student learning at Mairangi Bay School. In this article, we outline key points from a recent update by the Minister of Education, explain how we assess student progress, and share ways you can support your child’s learning at home - including upcoming whānau hui at school.
Updates from the Minister of Education
The Minister of Education, Hon. Erica Stanford, recently provided an update on upcoming changes to the New Zealand Curriculum and support for schools. She highlighted that the new curriculum will have a clear, structured focus on rich knowledge and skills.
The Mathematics and English curriculum in particular will be taught using evidence-based methods aligned with the science of learning, and teachers will be supported with ongoing professional development to implement these approaches. These changes will be introduced gradually over a five-year implementation plan, acknowledging that a phased roll-out is needed for such a significant shift.
The Minister also noted that the Ministry of Education is developing a new national assessment tool, aiming to have it in place by 2026. She stated that current assessment platforms like AsTTle are considered outdated, so the government is looking at modern alternatives – potentially including options such as updated PATs – that align with the refreshed curriculum.
In terms of learning support, she acknowledged that the current system for helping students with additional needs is not working as well as it should. The government is planning changes to focus on early intervention – getting the right support to children at the right time – and is rethinking processes to achieve better outcomes.
More funding is on the way to assist with learning support - the 2025 Budget will prioritise this, which could mean additional resources in classrooms such as more teacher aides.
Hon. Erica Stanford emphasised the urgency of having structured, well-planned teaching of Mathematics and English in every classroom, so that core skills are explicitly taught and not left to chance. Finally, she noted that the Ministry will soon be communicating with families (whānau) about these curriculum changes – including new expectations and how student progress will be reported under the revised curriculum.
We expect to receive further information from the Ministry by the end of the year, and we will be sure to share these details with you once they arrive.
Assessing Student Progress at Mairangi Bay School
At Mairangi Bay School, we use a mix of summative and formative assessments to understand each child’s progress and plan the next steps in their learning. Summative assessments are the more formal tests that provide snapshots of how students are performing at set points in time. The Ministry of Education has asked schools to use several of these tools to monitor progress, and we have implemented them as follows:
- PAT Testing (Years 3–6): We administer Progressive Achievement Tests (PATs) at the beginning of the year and again at the end of the year for students in Year 3 and above. These standardized tests measure achievement in areas like reading comprehension and mathematics, helping us gauge each child’s growth over the year.
- Structured Literacy Assessments (Years 0–6): All students take part in regular Structured Literacy testing. This involves checking how they are progressing in foundational reading and writing skills (such as decoding, vocabulary, and comprehension) as we move through our literacy program.
- Phonics Progress Checks (Years 0–2): For our younger students, we conduct phonics assessments around the 20-week and 40-week marks of their first year at school. These quick checks help ensure our Year 0–2 tamariki (children) are securely developing early literacy skills like letter-sound knowledge and blending.
- Mathematics Baseline and Post-Tests (Years 0–6): In maths, we use Oxford baseline tests at the start of each new topic for Years 0–6, and then follow up with a post-test after teaching the topic. This pre- and post-testing approach lets us measure how much students have learned in each unit (for example, a unit on fractions or measurement) and identify any areas that might need revisiting.
These summative assessments, conducted at key points, give us valuable data to track progress over time and to see how our students are performing relative to national expectations. We analyse the results to identify trends, strengths, and areas for improvement across the school.
Alongside these, our teachers use formative assessment strategies every day in the classroom. Formative assessments are the on-going observations, quizzes, and check-ins during lessons that help teachers understand how well each child is grasping new concepts. This might include watching a student read aloud, reviewing their written work, or asking questions to gauge understanding. Teachers use this information to adapt their daily planning – for example, re-teaching a concept if many students found it difficult, or providing extra challenges if students have mastered something quickly.
We record a range of assessment evidence for each child to build a comprehensive picture of their learning. Teachers regularly take assessment samples (such as running records from reading, writing samples, or maths check-up results) and use them to plot each student’s progress against Hero Milestones. Hero is our online learning platform where we track individual progress in key areas of the curriculum. By updating these milestones, we can clearly see how students are advancing through curriculum levels over time.
Furthermore, we firmly believe in “assessment for learning” – using assessment not just to measure students, but to inform our teaching and give feedback that helps students improve. Your children receive feedback on what they are doing well and what their next steps are, so they understand how to reach their goals. By combining summative and formative assessments, we ensure that we know each learner’s strengths and needs, and we tailor our teaching to help every child reach their potential.
Upcoming Opportunities for Whānau Engagement
We value a strong partnership between home and school, and we have some upcoming opportunities for you to get involved and informed. This term, we will be holding two Principal’s hui (information meetings) to help whānau understand our teaching approaches in literacy and maths. These sessions will focus on explaining the Structured Literacy approach we use for reading and writing, as well as introducing our new Mathematics programme. You’ll get to see how these evidence-based programs work, what the classroom experience looks like for your child, and how these tie into the curriculum changes mentioned above. We will send out details soon about the dates and times for these hui – we hope many of you will attend and find them useful.
In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns about your child’s learning or wellbeing, please reach out to their teacher. Our teachers are always happy to discuss your child’s progress, clarify anything from reports or homework, and work with you to support your child. Open communication between home and school helps ensure that small issues are addressed early and that we’re all on the same page regarding your child’s learning journey.
As noted, we are also expecting further communication from the Ministry of Education about the curriculum changes. The Ministry has indicated they will provide information to families explaining the new curriculum content, the revised achievement expectations, and how assessment and reporting will work as these changes take effect - likely from 2025 onward. Once we receive these official updates, we will share them with our community and help explain what they mean for your child. We understand there may be changes to how progress is reported - for example, new formats or terms used in reports, and we will make sure you are informed and comfortable with these changes well before they roll out.
Supporting Your Child’s Learning at Home
Learning doesn’t stop at the school gate – whānau can make a huge difference by supporting children’s learning at home. Here are some ways you can help reinforce your child’s literacy and numeracy skills in everyday life:
- Read together every day: Encourage a love of reading, by reading with your child or listening to them read aloud. Talk about the story, ask questions - “What do you think will happen next?” or “Why did the character do that?”, and explore new words together. Making reading a fun, daily routine builds your child’s vocabulary and comprehension.
- Encourage writing: Look for real-life reasons for your child to write – for example, writing the grocery list, a diary entry, a thank-you card, or a story about their day. Praise their writing efforts and celebrate their ideas, not just spelling or neatness. This helps them see writing as a meaningful activity and practices their spelling and grammar in a natural way.
- Make math part of daily life: Involve your child in everyday mathematics at home. You can have them help measure ingredients when cooking or baking - great for practicing fractions and units, count and sort objects - like counting out coins or sharing toys equally, or read the clock and talk about time. When shopping, you might practice simple addition or talk about how much things cost and how to give change. These practical activities show children that math is all around us and build their confidence with numbers.
- Practice basic facts through play: Help your child practice important basic math facts - like addition/subtraction or times tables, in short, fun ways. This could be through flash cards, online learning games, or apps, or even quiz them for a few minutes each day in the car. Keep it light and positive – for example, you could challenge them to beat their previous score or time, or turn it into a game with rewards like stickers. Regular practice of these fundamentals can greatly boost their speed and accuracy in math.
Most importantly, please keep a positive mindset about learning and assessments. Children take their cues from adults: if you show interest and optimism about their learning, they will too. Celebrate your child’s efforts and progress, no matter how small. If they encounter difficulties, reassure them that making mistakes is okay – it’s how we learn and improve. Keep communication open with your child about school each day; ask them what they learned, what they found interesting, or if anything was challenging, and really listen to their responses. And remember to stay in touch with your child’s teacher – together, we can share insights and strategies to support your child. By working as a team – student, whānau, and school – we can help every child at Mairangi Bay School enjoy success in their learning journey.
If you have any questions about this pānui, please contact me at nathanj@mairangibay.school.nz.
He nui ake tō mātou mana i te kura anahe - We are more than just a school
Nathan Janes MEdLM
Tumuaki/ Principal Mairangi Bay Kura
Galaxy Drive Mairangi Bay, Auckland 0630
Tel: 09-478 8424
Learning together to create a better tomorrow
Ako tahi mō āpōpō kia pai ake - #iLOVEMBS
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