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

From the beginning of term 1 2024, schools and kura with students in years 0-8 will spend an average of one hour a day teaching each reading, writing, and maths, pānui, tuhituhi, and pāngarau. This could be in dedicated lessons and in other learning areas as students read, write, and engage with maths in a variety of purposes and contexts.   

Teachers will deliberately and purposefully dedicate time to teaching these core skills. Teaching techniques like investigations, collaborative learning, and games will continue to be used so students stay engaged with their learning.  

This change sets a clear expectation that all year 0-8 students should receive regular, focussed instruction in these core areas. Many schools and kura are already teaching an hour of reading, writing, and maths each day.

Learning to read, write, and do maths is important in everything we do. Daily teaching has been shown to lift student progress, when coupled with a high-quality curriculum taught using evidence-informed teaching practices.    

Extended deadline for specialist schools 

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

Supports

There is a range of guidance to help teachers deliver an average of one hour a day of reading, writing, and maths. Our curriculum lead service, education advisors, and other specialist staff in regional offices are also available to help.

Read the National Curriculum Statements (for the time requirements) and the Foundation Curriculum Policy Statement (for implementation detail) in the "About this resource" section.