“High demand” has meant some schools that have ordered maths resources will not receive them by the start of term.
The curriculum is coming into force a year earlier than planned.
Some schools won’t receive their resources to teach the new maths curriculum in time for the start of the school year; a situation deemed both “really disappointing” and “not surprising”.
The new curriculums are designed for primary and intermediate school children between years 0 to 8; the mathematics overhaul will include twice-yearly tests to ensure students are meeting expected standards.
Education Minister Erica Stanford has previously defined structured literacy as being about “getting back to basics” by teaching children to read using sounds and phonics to understand words.
In regard to the new maths curriculum, the Ministry of Education has confirmed that “due to high demand, some schools that have ordered Numicon resources will not receive their orders by the beginning of Term 1.”
Some resources will go on back order and be delivered later in the term.
In a statement, Stanford said all schools would receive their maths orders at some point during Term 1.
“To date 1797 schools, covering 410,227 students, have ordered resources which is fantastic to see.”
She said schools will still be able to access online resources, which become available from mid-December. These include practice games and questions for students, alongside teaching handbooks, lessons, and assessment tools.
The minister confirmed the Ministry of Education “will continue to work with schools throughout this process”.
“The ministry is investigating alternative options to get the resources into the country and distributed to schools as quickly as possible.”
The Ministry of Education’s associate deputy secretary of curriculum, pathways & progress, Pauline Cleaver, said the back order related to Numicon resources only, which had been “very popular” with schools.
“The supplier has already organised for additional stock to be produced and shipped to New Zealand as soon as possible, and delivery will occur during Term 1,” Cleaver said.
Schools that had ordered from both Numicon and another supplier will still receive their other suppliers’ resources ahead of the start of the term.
Education Minister Erica Stanford said schools will still be able to access online resources from mid-December. Photo / Mark Mitchell
NZEI president Mark Potter said the union was “not surprised” by delays to resources reaching schools.
“Principals and teachers are making quite a lot of noise about the heavy load of delivering two new curriculums at once. To not have the resources available in time reflects how rushed through this whole process has been,” he said.
Potter argued the delays could cause unnecessary stress for principals. NZEI’s advice to union members was not to rush.
“These resources aren’t magic bullets anyway,” Potter said. “The most powerful thing is the teacher’s capability to look at what it would take for student success in maths, use their professional judgment, and, when these resources are available, then add them to their repertoire.”
Potter has also questioned the general timeframe of the curriculum changes, suggesting “the cart has actually appeared before the horse in many cases”.
“Schools haven’t had time to either receive or process some of the changes. It will take time,” he noted, arguing schools should “not be pushed” to deliver the curriculum immediately at the start of the first school term next year.
The timeframe of the proposed changes was previously called out by University of Canterbury mathematics education lecturer David Pomeroy and University of Auckland mathematics education lecturer Lisa Darragh.
In an opinion piece, the pair suggested it was “rushing change”.
“But the Government appears to be manufacturing a crisis to justify rushing the changes. The structured maths curriculum and teaching resources are still being developed, and time is running out,” the two academics wrote in August.
Labour education spokeswoman Jan Tinetti said the fact some schools would not immediately get their work books was “really disappointing”.
“It’s been a rushed process by the minister and the Government. They needed this to be in place by the beginning of 2025. They were told at the time that was going to be a really quick turnaround.”
Labour Education spokeswoman Jan Tinetti says it is "really disappointing" some schools wouldn't have their resources for the start of the year. Photo / Andrew Warner
Tinetti said schools were “starting to get their heads around” the new curriculum changes; “and then suddenly, they’re not going to be able to start that at the beginning of the year”.
“The timeframes are unrealistic. If we want true change, if we want to see teachers come on board, we need to give them time and the professional development to actually understand the changes that are being put in front of them,” Tinetti added.
Stanford said the Government is “supercharging schools” in a bid to lift maths achievement by delivering new resources and more support for teachers and students for Term 1 next year.
The changes were announced following an “overhaul” of the Education Review Office’s reporting on schools, in a bid to lift achievement.
Twenty million dollars has been put aside for “professional development in structured maths” for teachers.
Workbooks, guidance, and lesson plans are being “provided into every primary and intermediate school”, at a cost of $30 million across the board, the minister announced earlier this month.
Azaria Howell is a Wellington-based multimedia reporter with an eye across the region. She joined NZME in 2022, and has a keen interest in city council decisions, public service agency reform and transport.
