Sometimes it’s hard to work out the ‘Years’ and ‘Levels’ at school as they have changed since many of us were there.

School years are ranked numerically from Year 0 (formerly Primer 1 or J1) to Year 13 (formerly Form 7). If your child starts school in the second half of the year, and is aged between five and six, they will be classed as Year 0. If they start school in the first half of the year, they will be classed as Year 1.

Click here to view a larger version of this diagram.

New Zealand’s curriculum is child-centred and not tightly tied to year, level or age. The diagram illustrates that, for example, while the majority of Year six students will be at level three, some will be at level two and a few at level four. A level represents a stage of learning.

Each child’s rate of learning will vary by age and curriculum subject. Your child will progress to the next level when they have shown mastery of most of the skills, knowledge and understanding of each level. Examples of what your child could be learning in each level are included in school curriculum.

The curriculum areas, English, Health and PE, Language and languages, Maths, Science, Social Studies, Technology and the Arts, all focus on developing children’s social skills.