Our Curriculum

Torbay School promotes Quality, encourages Perseverance and empowers each student to create their own pathways to Success.  The school values Commitment, Aroha, Respect, Responsibility and Excellence are an integral part of the teaching and learning programme.  They are expressed in everyday actions and interactions within the school.

In addition we encourage each student to:

  • Develop a positive attitude and work ethic

  • Self regulate their learning

  • Inquire and create new knowledge

  • Develop key competencies to ensure they become a life long learner

  • Take pride in personal and collective achievements

  • Enjoy and be challenged by outdoor education activities

  • Care for the environment

  • Show resilience and respond to change

  • Be creative and strive for excellence

  • Meaningfully use technology in a global community

Our curriculum plan is based on the New Zealand Curriculum document and is underpinned by the key competencies.  This means we are developing and strengthening student’s life long skills.

Key Competencies

  • Managing self thinking
  • Participating
  • Contributing
  • Using language symbols and texts
  • Relating to others

The New Zealand Curriculum specifies 8 learning areas:

  • English
  • The Arts
  • Health and Physical Education
  • Learning Languages
  • Mathematics and Statistics
  • Science
  • Social Sciences
  • Technology

All learning makes use of the natural connections that exist between learning areas and the link of learning areas to the values and competencies.  Inquiry learning is a vital aspect of our curriculum.   We allow students to create new knowledge as they make sense of the world around them. We also encourage students to take positive action as a result of their learning and reflect upon their own strengths and weaknesses as they progress. Using the Multiple Intelligence approach to learning ensures that the diverse learning needs of our students are catered for, allowing them to learn in a variety of ways.

All students are encouraged to develop self-regulated learning skills such as goal setting, self-assessment and reflecting purposely on their learning. We encourage students to take increasing control of their own learning environment as they learn how to learn in order to better understand themselves as learners and to achieve.

Student voice is an important aspect of learning at Torbay School.  There are many opportunities that we offer to Torbay students and they have a voice and both in learning programmes and the life of the school. Student voice and practice based evidence are included as valued indicators of learning.