School Years

Everybody wants their children to succeed, and education is seen as the way to achieving success. All New Zealand children must attend school from their sixth until their sixteenth birthday. See Ministry of Education.

Compulsory education is divided into primary, intermediate and secondary schooling. Most New Zealand schools are state and state-integrated schools. These include regular state schools, which are co-educational at primary and intermediate level with some single-sex provision at the secondary level, kura kaupapa Maori, integrated and designated character schools and special schools.

There are also independent (or private) schools and the Correspondence School.

Home-based schooling is also available, for parents and caregivers who want to educate their children at home.

Relevant laws are the Education Act 1989, and the National Education Guidelines, which include the National Education Goals, the Foundation Curriculum Policy Statements, the National Curriculum Statements and the National Administration Guidelines.

It may also be useful to read the Ministry’s Special Education Policy Guidelines.

For research findings go to Special education research.

IHC Advocacy has developed a Code of Education Rights, which summarises rights to education, our philosophy of inclusion and offers suggestions for a way forward.