52509 (2024). Hon Jan Tinetti to the Minister of Education

52509 (2024). Hon Jan Tinetti to the Minister of Education: Is the Minister concerned that 85.47% of principals do not support the Government’s directive for all schools to implement the new English and new maths curricula from the beginning of 2025, according to a New Zealand Principals’ Federation poll?

Hon Erica Stanford: I am deeply concerned by the trends in student achievement in New Zealand. I am focussed on delivering as much as possible to principals and teachers that need additional support to implement the new curricula, lift student achievement, and close the equity gap. Our newly refreshed mathematics curriculum that is currently being consulted on will provide teachers with detailed guidance on what is to be taught in mathematics and the progression towards mastery. A clear, knowledge-rich, year-by-year curriculum will provide significantly more support to teachers than the status quo. Alongside this foundational document we have provided additional professional learning and development opportunities and in school resources to support implementation. While I have received a lot of engagement from teachers, principals, and parents in support of our changes, I acknowledge that some schools and teachers need more support to implement this plan sooner than anticipated. Therefore, the updated curriculum will be underpinned by a range of supports for teachers, leaders, and school boards to build capability and embed changes over time. It is also my intention for the Ministry to deliver a full implementation plan to the sector by the end of Term 3. I look forward to working with NZPF on the development of this plan and hope they can bring positive, constructive and solutions-orientated ideas to the table as we work to provide high-quality implementation supports to schools for Term 1 2025.