Attendance, achievement and assessment#

Daily attendance – Data quality#

Thank you for recording and submitting attendance data daily. We are now about to begin regular data quality reporting.

From 23 March, schools that have missing National Student Numbers (NSNs) in their fortnightly data will receive a data quality (DQ) report. This report includes information about all data errors that have been identified for that school over the last fortnight and is accompanied by advice on actions to take to correct errors.

Schools that do not receive a fortnightly DQ report will be advised if they have any data quality issues in the end of term DQ report.

More information and the ‘school data quality report help guide’ can be found at:

Daily attendance reporting – Ministry of Education

Rangaranga Reo ā-Tā and Pāngarau resource availability#

Next term, we will be sending out additional, finalised copies of the Rangaranga Reo ā-Tā and Pāngarau resource packs that were sent to kura last month. Physical copies will be made available from Down the Back of the Chair once those deliveries begin. Access them online at:

Rangaranga Reo ā-Tā resources – Tāhūrangi

Pāngarau resources – Tāhūrangi

Ready to Read Phonics Plus cards available #

A set of 29 new phonics cards for the Ready to Read Phonics Plus series are available and add to the resources that support the use of structured literacy approaches. The resources are available on Tāhūrangi, and printed copies have been sent to schools and kura using The New Zealand Curriculum.

Find the digital versions here:

Ready to Read Phonics Plus Phonics Cards – Tāhūrangi

If you haven’t received your copies by the end of the month, email [email protected].

To order more copies, visit Down the Back of the Chair:

Down the Back of the Chair – Ministry of Education

Curriculum Insights and Progress Study recruitment underway#

The Curriculum Insights and Progress Study was established in 2023 to monitor student achievement and progress against the New Zealand Curriculum at Years 3, 6 and 8. The study gives us valuable insights into learning and teaching, which inform our resources, supports and policy decisions.

We are currently inviting a random selection of schools to take part in the 2025 study, so we have a representative sample. Find more information about the study here:

Curriculum Insights and Progress Study – Otago University

Maths PLD applications#

Applications for Ministry-funded maths PLD days in Term 2 are now closed.

Applications for Term 3 maths days close 29 May and remain open for any other maths PLD days between now and the end of 2026.

More information is available here:

Maths Professional Learning and Development – Ministry of Education

Tahatū Career Navigator rollout#

The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) will roll out the new Tahatū Career Navigator website to all secondary schools from 24 March.

The new site will provide information about how to get into study, training and work and will replace careers.govt.nz, which will be deactivated later this year.

A welcome email will be sent to 600 school careers leads and other secondary education contacts, along with an invitation to attend online onboarding and training sessions.

Schools will also receive a hardcopy onboarding kit with interactive classroom activities and resources.

To support the rollout, TEC has partnered with NZ Careers Expo, giving more than 30,000 students the opportunity to explore the website at expo events.

Health, safety and wellbeing#

Measles guidance for education settings#

Measles can cause significant disruption to education settings from kaiako and ākonga absences due to prolonged illness and isolation or quarantine requirements.

While it is the responsibility of public health services to manage measles outbreaks, they need your support to keep kaiako and ākonga safe.

To learn more, refer to the measles guidance, which includes:

• what to do if you think someone in your setting might have measles
• measles symptoms, who is at risk, how it spreads and testing
• the impact measles can have and what may happen if someone with measles attends your facility
• communicating about measles with kaiako, parents/caregivers and others
• what you can do to prevent measles spreading.

Measles: A guide for education settings – Health New Zealand

Managing health and safety risks of digital devices #

The health and safety of staff and students when using digital devices can involve ergonomic and screen-time considerations.

Our website has been updated to reflect this responsibility:

Health and safety management of digital device use by staff and students – Ministry of Education

More guidance is available here:

Safely using computers at work – WorkSafe

The New Zealand Medical Journal has published recommendations from the Paediatric Society of New Zealand regarding safe use of digital devices. This could support you when making decisions about limiting screen time:

Recommendations for the use of digital technologies – The Paediatric Society of NZ

Workforce and resourcing#

Reminder – Resource Teachers: Literacy and Resource Teachers: Māori consultation#

Consultation on the proposed changes to funding for Resource Teachers: Literacy and Resource Teachers: Māori closes on 21 March. Feedback can be provided by:

• completing the survey in English or te reo Māori

English – Survey Monkey

Te reo Māori – Survey Monkey

• emailing your submission to [email protected].

Submissions can be made as an individual or as a group. Any patai, email [email protected].

Estimated pay equity and collective agreement funding – 1 April#

On 1 April, schools and kura will receive the next instalment of estimated funding for non-teaching pay equity settlements and collective agreements. This instalment will also include funding for approved exceptional translation funding (ETF) and regrading applications.

It will be paid via Pourato under the payment type ‘non-teach support PE and CA funding’.

The funding letter will be made available via the secure data portal (SDP) from 25 March. We encourage you to download and retain a copy of this, as this letter will only be available on the SDP for a 6-month period.

Further information about pay equity settlements and collective agreements can be found here:

Pay equity and collective agreement settlement funding – Ministry of Education

Any pātai, email [email protected].

Confirmed entitlement staffing#

Thank you for the feedback that you would like to receive resourcing information via Pourato. From this year, we will not be publishing a letter on the SDP to confirm your entitlement staffing position. This will be published on the ‘your entitlement’ screen in the ‘staffing entitlement’ tab in Pourato on 27 March (click on the yellow banner to read the advice).

Roll resubmissions or roll audits may result in an update to your school’s entitlement staffing at any time. For all changes, Pourato emails a notification to your school. Please review the updated staffing position in the banner following a roll resubmission or audit.

Operational funding#

The quarter 2 operational funding instalment will be published on 27 March and paid on 1 April.

If you have any questions, email [email protected].

Governance, planning and infrastructure#

Work Required Notice assistance programme expanded#

All schools are now automatically enrolled in the programme. Argest project manages any Work Required Notice (WRN) remediation work, and you can advise them if you have a preferred supplier for the work required.

As a part of the programme, fire alarm panels batteries, emergency lightbulbs and exit signs that need replacing will be replaced by our supplier at the next site inspection at no cost.

If using another supplier for ‘batteries, lightbulbs and signs’, you will need to pay for the work as this cost will not be reimbursed.

For more information, visit:

School building warrant of fitness – Ministry of Education

Fire alarm callouts and resets#

You can choose your preferred supplier for fire alarm callouts and resets. You should also advise your fire alarm monitoring company of the preferred supplier in advance and also have the supplier’s contact information somewhere easy to find for when the alarm goes off (for example, on the wall above the fire alarm panel).

Microsoft agreement and assigned licenses – confirm by 31 March#

Check and confirm you have activated your Microsoft agreement and assigned licenses to staff before 31 March. Schools that have not done so will find their Microsoft licenses will stop working on this date.

To check if your agreement has been activated and licenses assigned to staff do the following:

• Open and sign-in to your Microsoft 365 Admin Centre Portal, with your schools’ admin user credentials.
• Click ‘billing’ on the left-hand side panel of the homepage of the admin centre.
• Click on ‘your products’.

If your licences have been completed, they will show the expiry date ‘01/01/2026’. If your licenses have not renewed, email [email protected] immediately to avoid disruption and loss of access to your Microsoft software.

Any patai, email [email protected].

Buying print technology and services online information session#

We are running online information sessions on buying print technology (such as printers and photocopiers). Staff responsible for buying are encouraged to join to learn how to get best overall value.

These sessions will focus on the all-of-government print technology and associated services contract. You can save an average of 14% by using the all-of-Government contract.

The sessions cover identical content.

Monday 24 March, 3.15pm to 3.45pm – Microsoft Teams

Tuesday 25 March, 3.15pm to 3.45pm – Microsoft Teams

Any queries, email [email protected].