Our Curriculum

Our team are an enthusiastic and dedicated group of professional people who work together to provide success for our tamariki. Our Local Curriculum is developed within the New Zealand Curriculum Framework.

Programmes of learning are developed and implemented to meet the identified learning needs of the children. Children are assessed regularly and learning goals are established with the involvement of the children and their families.

Learning and Mindset

Child development includes emotional, physical, social and academic aspects – as we develop these different aspects we are fostering children’s self-belief about themselves as learners and individuals. Learning something new can at times be easy and at other times a struggle.

How one responds to these challenges has a lot to do with one’s mindset.  Mindsets are your beliefs about yourself.  How mindsets are developed is a complex mix of nature – your genes, and nurture – your experiences and environment.  Whatever your starting point everyone has the capacity to grow and learn.  Intelligence is a quality that can be changed and developed.

Learning and Taking Risks

When about children ‘taking risks’ we don’t mean risky daredevil activities like parachuting.  At school ‘Risk-Taking’ can be about trying new things – when we do something for the first time we risk not getting it right.  The fear of failure and what others may say if one is not successful can limit a child’s willingness to persevere with a task or even attempt it. So as teachers when we hear children say “I can’t do that”, we add the word YET.  With time, effort, good thinking and support you will.

At Papanui Primary we develop our local curriculum around the following five themes:

  • Cultural Me – Children will be connected and involved in their community and the wider world.
  • Scientific Me – Children will develop a process to investigate, and build their understanding about their world and beyond.
  • Creative Me – Children will be able to express themselves, and communicate ideas in an imaginative and creative way across the curriculum.

  • Techie/Digi Me – Children will investigate ways to adapt and innovate to solve problems or address needs.

  • Active Me – Children will be able to develop and learn through experiencing an active healthy curriculum.

Papanui Primary students seated at an orange desk doing art