What drives success for school attendance?

The Government has set a target that 80 percent of students will be present for more than 90 percent of the time by 2030. In Term 3, 2024 just 51 percent of students were regularly attending school.

Through this project, we will focus on identifying how changes to school practice can raise regular attendance. This includes how school practice influences parents’ and students’ attitudes, how schools can motivate students to attend school, and how we can support schools to raise attendance and work together on this.

How well is the implementation of the new curriculum going?

The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa (TMoA) are being updated and made available in phases over the next few years.

To help make sure this goes well, the Minister of Education has asked us and the Ministry of Education to do a series of work alongside the curriculum roll outs. We will explore what is happening as schools go about making changes, what is helping, and what more needs to happen. We’ll look for examples of where implementation is going well, and highlight opportunities to strengthen implementation.

How can we improve outcomes for students who are referred to different learning settings?

An increasing number of students are being referred to learning settings outside their local school. Many are not getting the education provision they need, which results in poor education outcomes and, in turn, poor life outcomes. This project focuses on the education provision, pathways and outcomes of four education settings.

  • Te kura (via the Engagement and Wellbeing Gateway)
  • Alternative education
  • Activity centres
  • Residential care (for example, youth justice or care and protection)

We want to know which changes within each setting lead to better outcomes for students.

How well is ‘Phones Away for the Day’ being implemented in schools?

School boards and kura are required to ensure students do not have, or use, cellphones during the school day.

We have been asked to monitor this in our everyday school reviews and also do a national policy review to see what impact has been made since the policy was implemented from Term 2, 2024. Our findings will focus on impacts, challenges, and areas for further support.

What is the best way to group students during everyday lessons?

We are developing practical guidance for teachers and school leaders on effective, flexible grouping practices.

Students bring a range of strengths, abilities, and skills to their classrooms. Adapting universal teaching approaches to be effective across a diverse group of students is a necessary skill, as well as a challenge, for teachers.

This report will align with curriculum guidance from the Ministry of Education and look at options for teachers to consider student achievement information, set expectations, monitor, set active scaffolding strategies, and provide high-quality feedback to students.