Curriculum Policies
NAG 1 – CURRICULUM POLICIES
1. Curriculum
2. Gifted and Talented
3. Maori Achievement
4. Pacific Island Achievement
5. Special Needs Programmes / Equity:
6. Taha Maori / Bi-culturalism:
7. Assessment & Evaluation:
Revision
Author / Reviewed By
Comments
Date Ratified
1
2
Date Ratified
Chair Name
Chair Signature
Review Schedule
Triennially
Date of Next Revision
1|P age
Curriculum Policies
1 - CURRICULUM
Introduction:
The focus of an effective school is student progress and achievement. We recognise the
need to create conditions which enable the teachers to be increasingly effective and the
students to meet or exceed their learning goals.
Purposes:






To aim for all students to achieve to their potential, especially in Literacy and
Numeracy.
To ensure effective professional development so that teachers are part of our learning
community.
To collaboratively prioritise curriculum focus areas and prioritise school goals and
targets for achievement through an annual review
To ensure funding and resourcing to support focus areas and priorities, and then other
curriculum areas.
To continually review student achievement, especially in focus areas, and to
collaboratively plan to meet identified needs.
To communicate progress and achievement effectively to the Board of Trustees.
Guidelines:










Teaching and learning programmes within the school will be based on student needs,
data collected and the New Zealand Curriculum
Priorities for curriculum development and resourcing will be planned prior to the
beginning of each new school year, in conjunction with the preparation of the budget
and in consultation with the staff.
Professional development will be aligned with school focus areas and school goals
and targets.
Budget allocation will be planned annually to support school goals and targets.
Teaching and learning effectiveness, including time allocation, resources, professional
development and assessment data, will be reviewed and discussed regularly.
Selected planned data will be collected, collaboratively discussed and analysed to
inform future teaching, learning and school direction forward.
Teacher and student teaching and learning goals will take into account National
Standards, school curriculum requirements, equity and Treaty of Waitangi issues and
be based on individual needs and the cultures within our school.
Teachers will be delegated areas of responsibility for curriculum areas, within the
curriculum monitoring, support, guidance, resources and reporting.
The Principal and staff will report to the Board of Trustees regularly on aspects of
curriculum progress and achievement.
Assemblies are an expected part of the curriculum
2|P age
Curriculum Policies


Students will have access to technology as a tool for enriching the curriculum.
Computers and their software are only a teaching aid and as such their benefits to
learning and teaching will be achieved when they are integrated into the classroom
programme.
The school recognizes the value of enaging parents and actively seeks parents
participation in classroom programmes.
Conclusion:

Carefully planned, effective curriculum delivery will ensure that the individual learning
needs and abilities of our students are met and that all students have every
opportunity to achieve to their potential.
3|P age
Curriculum Policies
2 - GIFTED AND TALENTED POLICY
Introduction:
National Administration Guidelines ((NAG) 1 (iii)c) requires boards, through their principal
and staff, to use good quality assessment information to identify students who have special
needs (including gifted and talented), and to develop and implement teaching and learning
strategies to meet the needs of these students.
Purpose:





To ensure that Gifted and Talented students are identified while at Peninsula Primary
School.
For all Gifted and Talented students to have access to a rich curriculum that extends
and challenges them
To provide for effective professional development for the teaching of Gifted and
Talented students.
To communicate effectively to the families of Gifted and Talented students about
progress and support of these students.
To communicate with the Board of Trustees about provision for and progress of Gifted
and Talented students.
Guidelines:



Gifted and Talented learners are those students with exceptional abilities relative to
their cohort. These students have certain learning characteristics that give them the
potential to achieve outstanding results.
Peninsula Primary recognises that students with exceptional gifts are in our population
and we have a responsibility to provide opportunites for children to develop areas of
strength
The school will manage and mainten of the Gifted and Talented policy and procedures
will;
o Actively support all staff and ensure resources are available
o Report to the Board termly on Gifted and Talented
o Keep parents informed of the learning opportunities available for students
o Keep up to date with current best practice in the provision for Gifted and
Talented students
4|P age
Curriculum Policies
3 - MAORI ACHIEVEMENT POLICY
Purposes:



Peninsula Primary School aims to have all Maori students reach their full potential.
We ensure opportunities are provided for Maori students to give expression to their
unique language, culture and beliefs.
Monitor, analyse achievement and engage with Maori will help with find ways to
improve Maori achievement.
Objectives and Guidelines:








Peninsula Primary School takes responsibility for initiating and maintaining a process
of consultation with whanau of Maori students.
In order to help identify important learning needs of our Maori students, consultation
will operate on an individual, family by family and hui basis.
During the consultation process, the parents will be given the opportunity to share
information about the learning needs of their children.
Home –school partnerships to support children’s education progress and raised
student achievement will be encouraged.
As a result of consultations, directions for improving the achievement of Maori
students are set.
Peninsula Primary School reviews the achievement of its Maori students and reports
this to the Board of Trustees and whanau.
Peninsula Primary School provides opportunities where the cultural identity of Maori
students is valued and respected through eg Ka Hikitia, Kapa haka, Tikanga lessons,
Marae visits, class and school environment.
Maori Language Week is an opportunity for a major emphasis of Tikanga Maori.
5|P age
Curriculum Policies
4 – PACIFIC ISLAND ACHIEVEMENT POLICY
Purposes:



Peninsula Primary School aims to have all Pacific Island students reach their full
potential.
We ensure opportunities are provided for Pacific Island students to give expression to
their unique language, culture and beliefs.
Monitor, analyse achievement and engage with Pacific Island families will help with
find ways to improve Maori achievement.
Guidelines:




Peninsula Primary School will make Pacific Island family members feel welcome to
start worthwhile steps that will help boost achievement.
A Pacific Island representative will be co-opted onto the Peninsula Primary School
Board of Trustees if one is not elected.
Staff members, with skills in Pacific Island language and culture, will be resource
teachers for Pacific Island students and their families.
Resource Teachers will be available at parent interview times to enable parents to talk
in their home language if that is requested.
6|P age
Curriculum Policies
5 – SPECIAL NEEDS PROGRAMMES/EQUITY POLICY
Introduction
 It is the right of every child to receive instruction commensurate with their ability. It is
also the right of every child to receive extra instruction to redress matters of inequality,
lack of opportunity and a lack of previous access. Every child also has the right to
receive extra instruction conducive to reaching their full academic potential. Special
programmes of instruction will therefore be put in place to address these issues.
Guidelines:













Where possible identify children from disadvantaged backgrounds and attempt to cater
for their needs.
Provision will be made to enable all students to take part in programmes and activities,
regardless of social and cultural background.
Sports programmes may be modified to include all students, regardless of ability.
Where appropriate families will be contacted and involved in their child’s schooling.
A teacher from within the school’s staff will be delegated responsibility for coordinating all
programmes of a special needs nature.
Special funding is made available by the Board of Trustees to mount programmes.
Needs and methods of delivery are outlined to the Board each year so that budget
allocation can be made for necessary resources.
The Principal reports to the Board of Trustees about delivery of these programmes. The
Board of Trustees reports to the Ministry of Education, whenever required, about funding
of special needs prorammes has been implemented in meeting the identified needs of the
pupils.
Staffing organisation is managed so that withdrawal is made available for both teacher
and pupil if this is required.
Parents are fully informed and consulted prior to any pupil being placed on a special
programme.
All staff are fully informed of the nature of any special interventions and these are
coordinated and timetabled.
Students requiring assistance are identified by assessment. Class Teachers will confer
with Special Needs Co-ordinator regarding the identification of apparent problems, and
special assessing will be undertaken by the Special Needs Team. Teachers make referral
directly to the Resource Teacher of Gifted and Talented.
Group Special Education (G.S.E.) are notified, if necessary of any special assistance
that may be required by the school.
The Resource teacher of Learning Behaviour
(R.T.L.B) is involved.
A Special Education Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) will keep file / register of special
needs programmes and students.
7|P age
Curriculum Policies
6 – TAHA MAORI / BI-CULTURALISM POLICY
This school sees cross-cultural awareness, knowledge and understanding as essential to
harmony between the different ethnic groups in New Zealand. As a consequence it has a
commitment to the concept of Taha Maori. Within this we recognise and understand the
multi-cultural make up of our school.
Process:

We endeavour to develop cultural awareness in the students and an appreciation of our
dual cultural heritage with an emphasis to:
o Understand, experience and appreciate Maori culture, attitudes and values.
o Integrate cultural perspectives as an integral part of the school programme.
o Encourage the use of the Maori Language as part of the daily programme.
o Staff Development should include Te Reo Maori, Tikanga Maori, and cultural
sensitivity.
o Kaumatua and resource personnel should be invited to the school to support
programmes and representatives should be involved in any decisions affecting
Maori students and programmes.
o The school should provide a welcoming atmosphere for all parents by reflecting all
cultures.
Taha Maori will be integrated with other curriculum areas adding a further dimension to
teaching and learning.
The school will, whenever possible, make full use of Maori resources in the community and
capitalise on the experiences and perspective of the tangata whenua.

A Maori Representative should be co-opted on to the Board of Trustees should one not
be elected.
8|P age
Curriculum Policies
7 – ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION POLICY









Peninsula Primary School will develop a system for assessment and evaluation of
students work. These processes will endeavor to help the school to be accountable
and focus on improvement.
Assessment tasks given should primarily be designed to foster student
Where possible, assessment should be an integral part of the normal teaching and
learning process.
Teachers should ensure that assessment tasks focus on important learning outcomes
Assessment tasks, as much as is possible, should be of the ‘authentic’ type. They
should be planned for at the outset of a unit of work.
A variety of assessment forms should be used, including diagnostic, formative,
summative and programme evaluation.
The school’s assessment procedures will relate to “New Zealand Curriculum
Framework”.
Each teacher will keep a record of individual achievement related to specific learning
outcomes.
Teachers should ensure that a range of assessment practices and procedures are
used which recognise the varied learning styles of students, and difference in gender,
culture and background which students bring to their learning. Year level consistency
of assessment is encouraged where suitable.
9|P age