New Zealand's education system enjoys a high reputation throughout the commonwealth countries. Highly qualified teachers, diversified courses and a variety of learning spaces allow each student to develop their strengths.

Both public schools in South Island of New Zealand and schools in other parts of New Zealand belong to this system. This is different from the Chinese education system.

School-age

New Zealand’s South Island is compulsory for children between the ages of 5 and 18. In the New Zealand school system, the free education takes 13 years.

Primary school students are between the ages of 5 and 11. Grades are divided into grade 1 to 6.

Middle school students are between the ages of 12 and 18. Grades are divided into grade 7 to 13.

School types

The public school system of South Island of New Zealand includes:

• Primary school

• Middle school

Schools in South Island of New Zealand include specialized boys’ schools and girls’ schools, comprehensive schools for boys and girls, boarding schools, missionary schools and so on.

Class size and proportions

According to the statistics of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), secondary schools around the world have:

• An average of 24 students per class

• Student/teacher ratio is 13 (OECD, 2012)

The data for the New Zealand South Island Public School is even better. This year in New Zealand South Island Public School:

• The average number of students per class is 21.2

• The student/teacher ratio is 10.4 (DET, 2015)

A typical day at school

Students attend school five days a week from Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. At school students tend to go to different classrooms for interactive classes and sometimes they need to go outside for practical ones.

Academic term

There are 4 semesters in New Zealand's academic year. The academic year usually begins in late January or early February and ends in mid-December. There is a short holiday between each semester and a longer summer holiday between December and January.

School courses and activities

The courses at New Zealand’s South Island Public Schools depend on the grade of students:

•Year 1 to 10 are based on the basic learning standards of the New Zealand Ministry of Education.

•Year 11 to 13 are based on the New Zealand national certificate of education (NCEA).

All public schools offer many extracurricular activities for students to choose from.

Student trainings

Our teaching methods focus on individual students, which leads to better grades and a happier time at school.

All teachers in South Island of New Zealand receive a diploma from the University. This requires them to go to school to participate in an internship program and get practical teaching experience under the guidance.

You usually address teachers by their title and last name: Miss, Mrs. or Mr.

Teachers usually address you by name.

School administration

According to New Zealand education system, the school principal is the leader and administrator and is responsible for the school's educational programs. Each school has a board made up of parents, community representatives and school staff to make the school run better.

Learning Spaces

Advanced learning facilities are the main features of New Zealand's South Island public schools. All schools have learning centers, sports and entertainment centers.

Uniforms

All schools require you to wear a school uniform. There are usually winter and summer uniforms in specific colours defined by the school.

Boys wear:

• Trousers or short trousers

• Shirts and blazers or pullovers (sweaters).

Girls wear:

• Skirts or trousers

• Shirts and blazers.

Students in the South Island Public Schools can wear their own religious or cultural clothes. Muslim schoolgirls, for example, can wear headscarves.

Language classes

Non-English language courses are offered from Year 5 to Year 13. These courses are taught by qualified teachers.

Two languages, Maori and English, are taught in New Zealand's South Island public primary schools and at least five in secondary schools. In public secondary schools, the language courses offered by schools are slightly different according to the actual situation of each school.

Language background of students

In our schools, 5% of our students have non-English background are from schools that are licensed to admit international students, which is why we offer so many courses within English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program.