One hour a day reading, writing and doing maths for students years 0-8

Many schools will already be doing this amount of teaching, but from 1 January 2024 all schools and kura in New Zealand will implement one hour a day on average for each of reading, writing and maths | pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau for students in years 0 to 8.   

Specialist schools with students in years 0-8 will introduce this policy as soon as practicable, but have been given an extended deadline of Term 1 2025. This additional time recognises these schools may have additional complexities to work through relating to timetabling and resourcing.  

Kura with students in years 0-8 run by a specified kura board have been given a Term 3 2024 implementation date. This allows time for kura and the Ministry to discuss the policy and how it can be implemented in ways suitable to these settings.   

All students need regular, deliberate teaching in reading, writing, and maths. Teachers will continue to plan for individual needs as they design learning that recognises and responds to the next learning steps and approaches that are appropriate for the learner. In some cases, planning will be supported through individual learning plans, which may include parent and specialist input.  

Specialist schools are expected to deliberately plan for and seek teachable moments across each day that allow students access to each of reading, writing and maths | pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau for at least an hour. These learning experiences should occur in authentic, meaningful situations that meets the complex health, sensory and learning needs of the students.   

Specialist schools with students in years 0-8 will introduce this policy as soon as practicable, but have been given an extended, Term 1 2025 deadline. This additional time recognises these schools may have additional complexities to work through relating to timetabling and resourcing.  

Many area schools, composite schools, and schools with wharekura have a set timetable where students engage in a particular learning area at specific times with a teacher dedicated to that learning area.   

While English and mathematics and statistics may be learning areas that naturally access reading, writing, and maths respectively, other learning areas also have literacy-rich and numeracy-rich opportunities.   

We encourage teachers to collaborate when planning teaching programmes to ensure that students are accessing an hour of reading, writing, and maths each day and that the level of reading, writing, and maths is at the phase appropriate to the learners’ age, strengths, and needs.  For example, it would be useful when teaching social sciences to purposefully consider when statistical skills are used and to make this clear to students.  

This also applies to Te Reo Māori and Pāngarau, Tīrewa Ako that naturally access pānui, tuhituhi, and pāngarau respectively. For example, it would be useful when teaching Pūmanawa Tāngata or Te Ao Māori to demonstrate when the statistical skills of pāngarau or the literacy skills of tuhituhi and pānui can be used, so that ākonga can understand how to use these essential skills in different contexts.

A suite of practical guidance and resources can be found on this webpage. This includes examples of how a school might timetable the hour a day for each of reading, writing, and maths in a range of contexts.   

Additional resources may be needed to reflect the needs of particular schools, such as specialist schools or kura. The Ministry will work together with these schools during 2024 to develop any required guidance and resources.   

Existing supports, such as curriculum leads, education advisors, and other specialist staff in regional offices, will continue to be available.    

 We encourage school leaders to work closely with their teachers and:  

• use the guidance and FAQs provided here to understand the changes and how good reading, writing and maths teaching can be structured,  
• become familiar with the refreshed English and mathematics and statistics learning areas to support the planning of teaching and learning, and  
• explore and use effective evidence-informed teaching practices.  

Teachers are encouraged to use this opportunity to consider how reading, writing, and maths can be taught during a dedicated time and where these skills can be integrated across the curriculum. During dedicated times for reading, writing, and maths, teachers will engage in a range of learning experiences, including collaborative tasks, investigations, problem solving, and games that support the aim of the lesson.  

When taught as an integrated part of the curriculum, reading, writing, and maths will be deliberately and purposefully planned.   

The teaching approach should be appropriate to the learners’ age, strengths, and needs. This means that teaching may be split throughout the day to ensure students engage in these skills in authentic and meaningful ways. 

The hour a day for each of reading, writing, and maths focuses on students in the class as a whole rather than specific individuals. However, as is currently the case, teachers will adapt their practice to suit individual students’ needs. Some will benefit from additional support and time, which may include more targeted or tailored small group or individual support where appropriate, in authentic and meaningful ways. 

Special events are enriching for students, and the intent of the "one hour a day" policy is not to detract from or limit these events. The policy allows schools to manage the average amount of reading, writing, and maths teaching time through a week. This provides the flexibility required to accommodate days where students may spend time out of the classroom.  

As part of a balanced curriculum, schools may also have a special event that may last for three or more days (such as school camp). While events like this are excluded from the "one hour a day" policy requirements, where there is the opportunity to do so, we encourage schools to plan for and integrate reading, writing, or maths learning into the event. 

All schools with Year 0 – 8 students are required to implement this policy, exemptions are not available. The policy allows schools to manage the average amount of reading, writing, and maths teaching time through a week. 

No. Schools are expected to develop a balanced teaching programme for their students based on all learning areas within the New Zealand Curriculum (see the curriculum statements for the Arts, English, Mathematics and Statistics, Science, Health and PE, Social Sciences and Technology).

Each learning area has rich opportunities for teaching reading, writing and maths skills.

See Materials that come with this resource to download: Planning-and-reflection-tool (.pdf)

This planning and reflection tool can help teachers identify opportunities to purposefully teach reading, writing or maths in a range of contexts provided by each learning area.

We encourage schools and kura to continue using their usual communication methods to help the community understand how the hour a day for each of reading, writing, and maths works in their school and for different year groups.   

 Information for parents and whānau can be accessed at One hour a day information for whānau. 

Rumaki and reo rua schools are already using either Te Marautanga o Aotearoa or The New Zealand Curriculum as the primary guide for their teaching and learning programmes. Settings that have selected Te Marautanga o Aotearoa will be required to teach on average an hour a day each of pānui, tuhituhi, and pāngarau. Settings that have selected The New Zealand Curriculum will be required to teach on average an hour a day each of reading, writing, and maths.

There are several ways we can see if students are doing well with their learning: 

• Schools and teachers already have systems in place to formatively assess their students in reading, writing, and maths that they should continue to use. Assessments need to be inclusive of all learners. The progress of all learners is seen as valued and valid, even though the rate and ways that learners demonstrate this may be different.   
• The Ministry collects data at a national level to monitor overall trends. This independent research, which has been going on for more than a decade, is expanding so more data can be captured. This information will help guide future decisions about resourcing and support.

The Education Review Office (ERO) will monitor and report on compliance with the reading, writing, and maths teaching time requirements through the Board Assurance processes. This process requires boards of state, state-integrated schools and kura, and managers of private schools to provide assurance they are meeting the new obligations. This is then validated by ERO during school visits. If concerns about compliance are flagged, ERO will follow up with the board and the school’s leadership. 

What happens if a school cannot, or refuses to, meet the hour a day requirement? 

In the first instance, the Education Review Office would make recommendations in the school’s report that will outline areas for improvement and next steps. Schools will be supported by regional Ministry staff to make the appropriate adjustments to their teaching and learning programme so they can enact the policy. 

New learning in reading, writing and maths should be taught explicitly and intentionally before being integrated into different contexts.

When reading, writing, and maths teaching and learning occurs within the context of other learning areas, during integrated learning or inquiry learning it should:

• have a clear connection for students to the reading, writing and maths skill they are developing within this context,
• progress and/or enrich the learning objective(s),
• be at the curriculum level appropriate to progress the learner in reading, writing and maths.

If reading, writing or maths has been incorporated deliberately and purposefully in other learning areas, in an integrated topic or inquiry, then this would contribute to the hour a day.

Teachers are asked to be deliberate, intentional, and purposeful in their teaching. Whether during dedicated lessons or integrated work, teaching should be appropriate to the student’s current ability and next steps. 

Additional or specific training is not required to enact this policy, as teachers at all levels already provide quality teaching and learning of maths. Professional development can still be sought as needed, particularly as teachers transition to using the refreshed mathematics and statistics learning area.

The strands of maths are number, algebra, measurement, space, statistics, and probability. Teachers are encouraged to design learning experiences that, during the year, incorporate all the strands of maths, and the maths processes, both during dedicated time for maths and integrated into other learning areas. Purposefully weaving maths into other learning areas can enrich students' understanding of both mathematical and statistical concepts and the content they are learning from other learning areas.

When students are given the opportunity to purposefully engage in mathematical and statistical thinking in other learning areas, they:

• identify opportunities to engage in mathematical and statistical thinking beyond the learning area of mathematics and statistics
• develop the ability to transfer their mathematical and statistical skills and apply them to authentic tasks or real-world contexts
• enrich their understanding of authentic contexts in other learning areas.   

Students who do not have the opportunity to access maths in other learning areas often struggle to connect the maths learning at school with their own lives. 

Literacy and English have a close relationship, however, not all literacy learning happens in the English learning area, and the English learning area includes more than just literacy. Literacy is used and developed in all learning areas to meet students' reading and writing demands. This can involve creating and interpreting texts using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), braille, and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) depending on learner needs.  Learners can build specialised, disciplinary literacy skills alongside their generic skills. The English learning area anchors literacy in the curriculum and describes other learning that cannot be left to chance including knowledge of language and literature.  

Oral language is foundational to reading and writing, and builds vocabulary, syntax, and phonemic awareness. This new policy explicitly acknowledges the importance of oral language or kōrero development for reading.