Learning at Hutt Valley High School

Our Connected Curriculum

Hutt Valley High School’s learning environment focuses on a New Zealand Curriculum-centred vision for our students. Each of the Essential Learning Areas of the New Zealand curriculum addresses a core component of learning to be a young adult in a modern New Zealand, where students learn to interact with issues affecting their world, becoming culturally aware, and where each learns the skills needed to contribute purposefully to their society.

Each key competency in the New Zealand Curriculum contributes to those skills. The curriculum content from the Essential Learning Areas provides the specialist subject underpinning for robust intellectual development and the possession of knowledge.

Our curriculum is structured under ten Learning Areas – English, Languages, Learning Pathways, Mathematics, Physical Education and Health, Science, Social Sciences, Technology, The Arts and Te Ao Māori.

Specific subjects sit under one Learning Area umbrella but often draw on learning outcomes and assessment from more than one Learning Area.

Our curriculum offerings include courses we have developed as a part of our learning philosophy. This philosophy centres on student choice and on shaping the school to fit the student, not squashing the student into a school-shaped box. Our students are at the heart of our systems. All students will have the opportunity to select courses based on individual abilities, interests and talents and career or work goals.

For more information on learning at Hutt Valley High School please see the reports and plans listed below:

Reporting at Hutt Valley High School

At Hutt Valley High School, we believe students’ interests are best served when we work together, in a partnership with our parents, caregivers and whānau.

Communication of progress and learning information is one of the keys to happy and successful schooling.  Equally important are the opportunities we offer to you to tell us about your student’s aspirations, interests, strengths, values and motivations.

Learn more about Hutt Valley High School’s systems and practices to connect with and inform parents and caregivers about their student’s progress here

Timetable

Our timetable provides equity across the Learning Areas. Students in Years 9 and 10 have three spells per week from each of the Learning Areas. Students can begin to specialise more from Year 11. Students take 5-6 subjects in their senior years (Years 11-13).

English, Maths, Physical Education and Health, Science, and Social Sciences will be taught in form class groups. The Arts, Languages (including Te Reo Māori) and Technology will be taught in elective groups.  This allows for subject choices within these Learning Areas. 

Literacy and Numeracy programmes are available to support all students to become critically literate and numerate and to be able to realise their full learning potential.

Our timetable provides dedicated time for explicit work on the key competencies of the New Zealand Curriculum, further than what is embedded within Learning Area work. All students will have one spell of mentor time per week.

Our timetable provides regular and consistent start and finishing times for families. All students will start school at 9:00am and finish at 3.15pm except for Wednesdays when all students will start at 9.30am after staff professional learning. There will be one hour spells on all days except Wednesday mornings.