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The national priorities for professional learning and development (PLD) have been refocused to support teachers and leaders, and to align with the focus on curriculum, progress and achievement.

The reset of the PLD priorities supports the Government’s vision of a New Zealand education system that meets the needs of all learners, no matter who they are or where they come from. 

The new priorities

  • New national priorities for English medium settings will focus on cultural capability, local curriculum design, and assessment for learning.
  • Mātauranga Māori and te reo Māori, marau ā-kura and aromatawai are the new priorities for Māori medium settings.”
  • Digital fluency remains a priority for teachers and leaders in all schools and kura.

The new priorities were informed by engagement with people from right across New Zealand’s education system through Kōrero Mātauranga and the engagement led by the Curriculum, Progress and Achievement (CPA) Reference Group earlier this year.

  • The new set of priorities will support teachers and leaders to make sure every student experiences opportunities to learn and progress through a curriculum that values their identity, language and culture, their strengths and aspirations, and those of their whānau.
  • The priorities for Māori medium settings reflect the capabilities that whānau, hapū and iwi have identified for some time as important in the progress within education as Māori.

The new priorities will replace the existing priorities from the beginning of term 3 2020.  This means schools, kura and kāhui ako can apply for PLD under the new priorities from term 3, 2020. 

We still have work to do to make sure our systems, processes and providers are ready for the new priorities which will replace the existing priorities from the beginning of term 3, 2020.

What we’ve heard

Earlier this year we proposed changes to the national priorities for PLD to build curriculum capability and support a focus on student progress across the curricula. We worked with teachers, leaders and providers to develop proposed priorities that relate to themes in the Kōrero Mātauranga and ideas put forward by the Curriculum, Progress and Achievement Ministerial Advisory Group. These priorities were tested with teachers, leaders and providers through online surveys.

Summary report: PLD survey feedback

Quantatative report: PLD survey feedback

More details about the feedback we've received