Schools
and Education in New Zealand
The following is an excerpt from a Ministry
of Education publication called Schooling in New Zealand - A Guide.
A full copy of this guide can be found at the Ministry's website
www.minedu.govt.nz.
Detailed Information
Comprehensive information on New Zealand's education
system is available in our Information
Packs which can be downloaded from our online
store.
Schools in New Zealand - A Guide from the
Ministry of Education
With few exceptions, all children in New Zealand
must attend school from their sixth until their sixteenth birthday.
Compulsory education in New Zealand is divided
into primary, intermediate and secondary schooling.
Primary schools are the first level. They cater for children
from the age of five years - Year 0 - to the end of Year 6.
Children in Years 7 and 8 may either be in a separate intermediate
school or part of a primary, secondary or composite/area school.
Secondary schools usually provide for students from Year 9 until
the end of Year 13. Adult students who return to school enter
in whichever year the majority of their subjects are in.
Area/composite schools, which are usually based in rural areas,
combine primary, intermediate and secondary schooling at one location.
International Students
International students must have a student permit to study in
a New Zealand school for three months or longer. On Arrival has
assisted settling many children into the NZ education system.
Please contact us for details.
Types of schools
While most students in New Zealand attend state-funded schools,
parents or caregivers and students have the choice of a number
of schooling options.
- State schools are co-educational
(mixed sexes) at primary and intermediate level but some offer
single-sex education at secondary level. Lessons are based on
the New Zealand Curriculum. Some state schools offer special
programmes for adult students or run community education classes.
- Special schools are state schools that provide
education for students with special education needs. The curriculum
is the same as at other state schools.
- Integrated schools are schools that used
to be private and have now become part of the state system.
They teach the New Zealand Curriculum but keep their own special
character (usually a philosophical or religious belief) as part
of their school programme. Integrated schools receive the same
government funding for each student as state schools but their
buildings and land are privately owned so they charge attendance
dues to meet their property costs.
- Designated Character schools are state schools
that teach the New Zealand Curriculum but have been allowed
to develop their own set of aims, purposes and objectives to
reflect their own particular values.
- Independent (or private) schools are governed
by their own independent boards but must meet certain standards
in order to be registered. Independent schools may be either
co-educational or single-sex. They charge fees, but also receive
some subsidy funding from the government.
- Boarding schools may either be independent
or part of a state-funded school. All charge boarding fees.
- The Correspondence School (TCS) provides
distance learning for more than 18,000 students across New Zealand.
Students may live a long way from their nearest school, live
overseas, study with TCS for medical reasons or have special
needs. Secondary students may also enrol in specific subjects
if these are not available at their regular school.
Additional Useful Links
The Education New Zealand website http://www.educationnz.org.nz
The Education Review Office website http://www.ero.govt.nz
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