Nau mai, haere mai e te whānau. We know how important it is to understand how children are progressing at school or kura. The report you get from your school or kura might look a little different this year, because of the new curriculum being taught in Years 0-10 in English and Maths, and Te Reo Rangatira and Pāngarau. The aim of the reporting changes is to align reporting with the new curricula and ensure consistent nationwide reporting on student and mokopuna achievement and progress. These changes are designed to make reports clearer, more consistent, and more helpful for you – so you can see exactly how your child is progressing, what they’re learning, and how you can support them at home. In this short video, we’ll walk you through the key parts of the new report, show you what each section means, and explain how these changes support the learning journey for students and mokopuna. Me tīmata tātou - let’s take a look together. From this year, all schools and kura are expected to include five new elements in their reports when they’re reporting on English, Maths, Te Reo Rangatira and Pāngarau – They need to describe your child’s progress using one of five new progress descriptors. There needs to be an explanation about how and why that progress descriptor was chosen. They need to include assessment results from specific assessment tools. There should be a graph showing your child’s progress over time. There needs to be a record of how many days your child attended school. The progress descriptors tell you how your child is progressing against the new curriculum – at the end of the year, children who are proficient or above, show they are ready for the next year of learning. The explanation, or narrative, should explain why the teacher or kaiako chose that particular progress descriptor, giving examples of what your child can do.
It should also include your child’s next learning steps, and advice about how you can support your child at home. The report should include a section that provides assessment results from the specific assessment tools your school is using, including SMART, e-asTTle, P.A.T and others. Each report should have a graph that shows your child’s progress over time. Because this is the first year of this new reporting, it may only show this year’s progress. Every report will show how many days your child went to school for the reporting period. Your child should be at school every day unless they are sick. We know there can be important reasons why children aren’t coming to school, such as long-term illness, bullying, or financial challenges for families. If your child is affected by any of these, talk to your school first. Your school will work with you to remove barriers to attending. There are many kinds of support available that might help make it easier for your child to come to school. Your child’s or mokopuna report may look different to the example given here. Each school will have their own way of doing reporting, and they may just incorporate these new elements into what they’re doing already. We’re aiming for all schools and kura to have all five of these common elements – progress descriptors with an explanation, assessment results, a progress graph, and attendance information – so there is common and consistent reporting to parents and whānau nationwide. If there’s anything that’s unclear in your child’s new report, please contact your school to discuss with them first. Your school will also be able to provide you with the results, and information, about the checks and assessments that they used to write your child’s report. For a parent-friendly explanation of the new curriculum, just google ‘Ministry of Education changes to the curriculum parents' and it’ll take you right to it. Or you can go to the main Ministry of education website, click on Parent Portal, and then Changes to the curriculum and why they matter for your child’.
New reporting has been designed to align to the new curriculum, and to support clear and consistent reporting so you can understand how your child is progressing each year, regardless of which school they attend.
This change means there will be 1 of 5 progress descriptors used to describe your child’s progress in Reading, Writing, and Maths. At the end of the year, children who are proficient or above show they are ready for the next year of learning.
New reporting includes:
a narrative about why the overall progress descriptor was chosen
information about how you can support your child’s next learning steps at home
a visual representation of your child’s progress over time.
In recognition of the important link between attendance and learning, attendance data will also be included.
The diagram below shows how progress descriptors show your child’s progress in their mid-year and end-of-year reports and their level of readiness to engage in the next year of learning.
Describing progress for mid and end of year reporting using 5 descriptors.Download image
The progress descriptors describe student progress across the school year. A student who has achieved proficiency is prepared for the next year of learning.
Progress descriptor:
emerging
developing
consolidating
proficient
exceeding.
Mid-year reporting:
not yet on track to meet expectations: emerging or developing
on track to meet expectations: consolidating, proficient or exceeding.
End of year reporting:
has not met expectations: emerging, developing or consolidating
has met expectations: proficient or exceeding.
If at mid-year a teacher considers your child to be:
emerging or developing, they are still working towards meeting expectations, and their progress is not yet on track to meet end-of-year expectations for their year level. In this situation your child’s school may provide additional learning support.
consolidating, proficient or exceeding, their progress is on track. In this situation your child’s school may provide extended learning opportunities and enrichment activities.
If at the end of a year, a teacher considers your child be:
proficient or exceeding, their progress and achievement has met curriculum expectations
emerging, developing, or consolidating, they have made progress towards expectations and are still working towards achieving the expected outcomes for their year level. They have not met curriculum expectations for their year level. In this situation, your child's school may offer additional support to your child, and their current teacher should discuss a learning plan for next year with their new teacher.
For students with diverse learning needs, or who have individualised progress goals and assessments outlined in their IEP, the descriptors will still be used.
Selecting the right descriptor involves professional judgement, evidence from multiple sources, and a well-rounded understanding of your child’s knowledge and capabilities.
No single piece of evidence can provide a teacher with the full picture of your child’s learning progress. A teacher will bring together multiple sources of information, to gain a clearer, more reliable understanding of your child’s progress and achievement.
This includes information from throughout the year from observations, conversations with students, tasks, and data from assessment tools (Phonics Check, e-asTTle, PATs, SMART).
It is important as parents and whānau that you can access these results if you want them. Schools may include this information in your child’s report, attach the results to the report, or provide you with access in another way such as during parent-teacher interviews or via a school information portal.
At least twice a year, schools are required to provide a written report to you, in plain language, on your child’s progress and achievement across the curriculum. From 2026, schools will be expected to include the following 5 elements. This will be in addition to other information the school currently includes in its reports.
The elements are:
progress descriptors for each of Reading, Writing, and Maths
a visual representation of a student’s progress over time
information about how progress descriptors were selected, and about how you can support next learning steps
assessment results
an attendance record.
These components are not designed to replace current reports, but they need to be included in some way in all reports from the start of 2026 onwards.
Below is an example of how these elements may appear in your child’s report. Existing reports can still be used by schools as long as these elements are included.
A graph of progress over time allows you to understand the progress and achievement of your child, not only within their current year of learning but also across multiple years throughout their schooling.
The example above shows what this could look like for a mid-year report in Year 4. This example image has been designed to show progress against the curriculum expectations for your child’s current year level, rather than comparing to years below or above. This ensures a focus on whether your child is meeting, exceeding, or still progressing toward the expectations for their current year, rather than comparisons across and between years.
The 5 components described above will appear in reports for all children in New Zealand, including those with complex learning needs. The progress descriptors chosen by teachers will show how your child is moving toward the curriculum goals, and the teacher’s narrative will explain this progress in more detail recognising your child’s individual needs and learning plan.
If your child has complex learning needs and requires tailored support for their learning, this does not mean that they are not proficient in the curriculum. They should not be automatically assessed as ‘Emerging’, or ‘Developing’.
For children with additional learning needs, who have individualised progress goals and assessments outlined in their Individual Education Support Plans, reporting should reflect progress toward those personalised goals, alongside curriculum expectations.
You might like to talk with your child about what’s in their school report. Here are some tips that might help you with that conversation.
Choose a calm, positive moment. Pick a time when neither of you is rushed or stressed.
Start with strengths. Begin by highlighting what your child is doing well. This builds confidence and sets a supportive tone.
Ask open-ended questions. Instead of telling them how to feel, gently ask things like “What do you think about this part?”, “Did anything here surprise you?” and “What are you most proud of?”
Focus on effort, not just results. Celebrate the hard work they’ve put in, even if the progress descriptors shown are not what you expected.
Talk about challenges as opportunities. If there are areas that need improvement, frame them as things you can work on together. For example, “It looks like reading is tricky right now, what do you think might help?”
Set simple, achievable goals. Make 1 or 2 small goals together so your child feels empowered rather than overwhelmed.
Reassure and support. End the conversation by reinforcing that you’re proud of them and you’re there to help.
