Curriculum
Literacy
At St Brigid’s School, we are proud to deliver structured literacy that aligns with the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum and reflect current best practices in literacy education. Our approach builds strong foundations for all learners and fosters a lifelong love of reading and writing.
We have high expectations for every learner and support them to become confident, capable communicators through explicit, evidence-based teaching.
​
Years 0–3: Learning to Read and Write
In the early years, our focus is on teaching children how to read and write through:
-
The Better Start Literacy Approach (BSLA) developed by the University of Canterbury
-
Daily phonological and phonemic awareness instruction using the Heggerty programme
-
Explicit teaching of spelling
-
Use of decodable texts to support early reading success and build confidence
-
Introduction to authentic texts to support vocabulary and language development using Code Ed resources.
​
Years 4–6: Reading and Writing to Learn
As students move through the school, the focus shifts to reading and writing to learn, with a continued emphasis on structured literacy:
-
Explicit spelling instruction
-
Continued development of phonics, morphology, and vocabulary knowledge
-
A balanced use of decodable and authentic texts to support fluency, comprehension, and engagement across the curriculum
-
Rich writing experiences that allow students to express their ideas, opinions, and knowledge.
Our structured literacy approach is consistent across all classrooms, ensuring every learner is supported to thrive. It is explicit, systematic, and responsive, empowering students with the skills they need to become confident and capable readers and writers.
Mathematics
At St Brigid’s School, our mathematics programme is designed to ensure every learner develops a strong understanding of mathematical concepts, confidence in problem-solving, and the ability to apply their knowledge in real-life contexts.
We align our teaching with the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum, with a clear focus on: Developing number knowledge and skills, building deep conceptual understanding and encouraging mathematical thinking and reasoning.
Our learners are supported to explore mathematics through authentic, real-world problems that make learning meaningful and relevant. We incorporate hands-on experiences, manipulatives, and collaborative tasks to engage and excite our tamariki.
Our approach also recognises that every learner brings unique strengths and ways of thinking. By fostering mathematical conversations, encouraging risk-taking, and using rich tasks, we create a learning environment where all students can thrive and make progress.
STEAM
STEAM is the teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics in schools. It aims to increase participation in these learning areas by asking children to find the solution to exciting and engaging real-world problems. Our children love using creativity and problem solving to find solutions to problems that are out of the box and unique. Our children are the leaders of tomorrow and STEAM education gives them the skills to find solutions to problems that may not even exist yet.
​
Digital Technologies
We are very fortunate to be an extremely well-resourced school. We have 1:1 Chromebooks from years 4-6 and 1:2 iPads in years 1-3. In addition to this, all our classrooms are equipped with state of the art Android TV’s to give our children the best possible learning experiences. As a Google Apps for Education school, our children are regularly working with docs, sites and slides. In addition to this, our children have presented learning experiences which encourage the understanding of computers as well as how to write computer code both on devices and through unplugged activities.
It is our vision that all children leave St Brigid’s with a good understanding of how technology can be used to enhance and enrich their education.
​Sport
At St Brigid’s, we believe in the value of sport for building teamwork, confidence, and wellbeing. In 2025, our tamariki will have the opportunity to participate in both school and local sports competitions. We offer a variety of sporting options including Touch Rugby, Netball, Miniball, Cricket, and Futsal.
We also take part in key annual events such as Athletics Day and Cross Country, encouraging all children to set personal goals and give their best effort.
Our senior students take on the important role of Physical Activity Leaders. They lead and support physical activity sessions, helping to keep our school community active, connected, and having fun.
Religious Education
At St Brigid’s our Catholic Character is very important to us. Each classroom undertakes a series of Religious Education lessons each week which focus on teaching our children to care for each other and the world through Bible stories. We also have a strong Social Justice programme which is focused on caring for those who need our help as Jesus taught us to. Our children leave St Brigid’s with a love of helping others and taking care of the world just as Jesus asks us to.
Sacramental Programme
At St Brigid's we are proud to be part of the Mercy Parish. The sacramental programme is a Parish-School partnership and is facilitated by the Parish Priest and the school's Directors of Religious Studies. Children undertake the sacramental programme in Year 4 starting with their First Reconciliation and moving on to complete both Confirmation and First Holy Communion.
​
Parent meetings are held to assist parents and children taking part in the programme.​​
The Arts
At St Brigid’s we love providing our children with opportunities to be imaginative and creative through The Arts. We also offer Choir and Kapa Haka programmes, a whole school production (every second year) and learning experiences enriched with dance, drama, art and music opportunities. The Arts is strongly integrated throughout our curriculum.
Music Lessons
Every Friday, Joel from Music Hub comes to our school to offer music lessons. He is able to teach guitar, drums, ukulele, piano, and keyboard. If you’re interested in finding out more about pricing or available lesson times, please contact Joel directly on 027 562 9830.
EOTC
Education Outside the Classroom is an important part of the curriculum at St Brigid’s School. Each year a comprehensive EOTC plan is developed to enhance and enrich our curriculum delivery and includes a Year 5 and 6 Camp held every second year. Our children love taking part in these real world opportunities to widen their education.
Cultural Diversity
Celebrating our rich cultural community is something that we take pride in at St Brigid’s. We offer many opportunities for tamariki to share their culture and to take part in learning about and valuing different cultures in authentic ways.