The Middle School Curriculum
Marau Kura Waenga
Learning at St Andrew’s College is about teachers and students learning together. It’s about students knowing not just how to improve their knowledge and understanding, but also how to be more effective learners. We focus on quality teaching and learning which equips students with knowledge and skills for life. Recognising the dynamic nature of today's global society, we ensure that each student is equipped with the necessary tools to navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities of the future.
Developing lifelong learners
We recognise that the years from ages 13–16 are vitally important, as students balance the challenges of adolescence with the skills and values necessary to develop. We provide opportunities for students of all abilities, interests, and backgrounds to develop fully as life-long learners. We help young people create healthy relationships with their peers and acquire the skills and values necessary to be the best they can be. Our vision is to build better people, for life.
Key competencies
Having the skills, dispositions, and characteristics to lead your own learning is vital, both at and beyond school. That is why the key competencies of managing yourself, thinking, using language, symbols, and texts, relating to others, and participating and contributing are interwoven with curriculum content and skills. Our aim is for students to understand what it means to be an effective learner. We want them to be independent, life-long learners. We want them to develop into adults who are equipped with the skills and knowledge to navigate their future with confidence. We want our students to flourish.
Manage Yourself | Āhuatanga – Be motivated, disciplined, reliable, resourceful, and resilient.
Think | Whakaaro – Be curious about and critical of information, experiences, and ideas, using a range of processes and strategies.
Use Language, Symbols and Texts | Hangarau me Te reo – Work with and make meaning of the ways in which ideas are expressed.
Relate to Others | Whakawhanaungatanga – Interact effectively with a diverse range of people.
Participate and Contribute | Whai wāhi – Be constructively involved in your community, at a classroom, College, local, national and/or global level.
The Middle School curriculum
The major aims for learning in the Middle School are to give students a sound grounding in the core subjects, give them the opportunity to explore and experience a wide range of other curriculum areas with specialist teachers, and to provide sound preparation in the subjects they are studying for external awards and qualifications.
In Years 9 and 10, the curriculum is structured so that students experience a wide range of subjects, both core and options, through a wide range of learning situations and experiences over these two years. Gaining a broad experience is one of our key principles. In Year 11, students embark on their journey towards external NCEA qualifications, yet the courses at this level are designed to offer a broad foundation, ensuring students have a diverse array of options for their future endeavours.
High educational achievement is encouraged at all year levels in the Middle School. We purposefully keep class numbers smaller to enable our dedicated, highly skilled teachers to closely monitor students’ progress, provide optimum teaching and learning support, and extend their abilities.
Curriculum core and option subjects
The New Zealand curriculum
The St Andrew’s College Curriculum, ‘broad and balanced’, is based on the vision and requirements of the National Curriculum. We interpret this vision in our aspiration that ‘St Andrew’s College students will be active participants in a dynamic community of learners and inspired to become valued citizens and enthusiastic learners for life. St Andrew’s will nurture the development of talent and creative ability through a balanced exposure to academic, cultural, service, social, spiritual, and sporting opportunities.’
At the heart of St Andrew’s College teaching and learning lie the principles of high expectations, the Te Tiriti o Waitangi – The Treaty of Waitangi, cultural diversity, inclusion, learning to learn, community engagement and involvement, coherence, and a future focus. In addition, we cherish and promote our Scottish and Presbyterian heritage which has done so much to make us the College that we are today and will be in the future. In their planning, teachers create programmes of learning that are based on the ‘bigger picture’ aspects of the Curriculum, as well as on the detail from the eight Learning Area Statements, each of which provides a rationale, a broad focus, and key emphases for learning. Teachers develop those into coherent and effective programmes that are experienced by students on a day-to-day basis through a whole range of learning activities.
NCEA
The National Certificate of Educational Achievement or NCEA, is our national qualification for Secondary School students. NCEA offers a broad and flexible framework that is highly regarded worldwide for challenging all students, including the most able and highly motivated. St Andrew’s College NCEA students consistently perform well above national averages at our end of year results. NCEA Standards focuses on learning by inquiry, critical thinking, problem solving and processing information. Rote learning has become insufficient in a system that aims to provide school leavers with knowledge and skills that are transferable in international settings.
This complements our teaching and learning philosophy at St Andrew’s, which encourages learners who are open to challenge, willing to develop their abilities and achieve their personal best, take risks, and accept mistakes, make ethical decisions and enjoy learning.
NCEA results are recognised at universities all over the world. Students enter NCEA Level 1 in Year 11. They are internally assessed during the year and sit end-of-year examinations each year. Subjects are broken up into standards, which assess different areas of knowledge and skill.
