Staff at John McGlashan recently attended Ministry-led Professional Learning and Development (PLD) sessions focused on the revised Year 9 and 10 curriculum.
This work continues as we collaboratively refine programmes, assessment approaches, and teaching practices to ensure strong alignment with the refreshed Mathematics and Statistics curriculum.
We are currently implementing these curriculum changes across Years 7–10. While much of the mathematical content itself will still feel familiar to parents, there are some important changes in how mathematics is being taught.
One of the biggest shifts is toward what is known as explicit teaching. Parents may recognise this as a more direct and structured approach to learning. In simple terms, teachers clearly explain concepts, model worked examples step-by-step, provide guided practice, and then allow students opportunities to apply and consolidate their learning independently.
The Ministry of Education describes explicit teaching as teachers “explaining and demonstrating mathematics knowledge, practices, and processes” while providing multiple opportunities for practice, review, and consolidation.
This approach is strongly connected to the “science of learning” and aims to ensure students develop confidence and fluency with key mathematical skills such as fractions, algebra, percentages, equations, and problem solving. The refreshed curriculum is also far more specific about what students should learn at each year level, creating clearer progression pathways and greater consistency across schools.
Importantly, this does not mean mathematics has become purely rote learning or endless worksheets. Alongside explicit teaching, there remains a strong focus on what are called rich tasks.
Rich tasks are meaningful mathematical problems or investigations that encourage students to think deeply, apply knowledge, explain reasoning, and collaborate with others. These tasks are designed to develop deeper mathematical thinking and allow students to apply their learning in authentic contexts.
A Year 10 rich task might look something like this:
A group of friends are planning a concert trip. They must compare the cost of travelling separately versus hiring a van together. Students must calculate fuel costs, accommodation, ticket pricing, and shared expenses, then determine the most cost-effective option using tables, equations, graphs, and percentages.
Tasks like these require students to apply multiple mathematical ideas together, rather than simply answering isolated textbook questions.
Overall, the refreshed curriculum aims to strike a balance between:
strong foundational knowledge and fluency
clear, explicit instruction
problem solving and reasoning
real-world application of mathematics
While there is still ongoing discussion nationally around implementation, the overall goal is to ensure students leave school with stronger mathematical understanding, greater confidence, and improved readiness for senior study and future pathways.
We are also very proud of the recent performance of our students in the Junior Mathematics Competition, a nationwide event involving students from across New Zealand. From our 16 participants:
5 students have been invited to the second stage of the competition
Adam D (Year 11) and Tomide A (Year 9) achieved results placing them in the top 50% nationally
In Year 10, Ollie B, Tarn E and Roger Z placed in the top 15% nationally
These results reflect strong engagement, growing confidence, and excellent mathematical achievement across the junior school.
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