The Government has announced changes to regulations that will reshape how schools plan, report and communicate with parents, sharpening the focus on pupil attainment and introducing a requirement for standardised, twice-yearly reports to families.
Stronger emphasis on educational achievement
Under updates to the Education (School Planning and Reporting) Regulations 2023, school boards will be required to set a minimum of three strategic goals. At least one of those goals must target educational achievement in reading, writing or mathematics. The move is presented as an effort to simplify planning obligations and to make the link between school priorities, pupil outcomes and measurement clearer.
The reforms sit within a wider package that, the Government says, will make educational achievement the primary objective for school boards and will introduce twice-yearly assessment in the core areas of reading, writing and mathematics.
Changes to how national strategies are used
Boards will no longer be obliged to demonstrate explicitly how their strategic goals support national education strategies such as Ka Hikitia, the Action Plan for Pacific Education and the Oranga Tamariki Action Plan. Schools and kura, however, may continue to draw on those national plans when developing their strategic documents. The Government reiterated its commitment to delivering equitable outcomes for Māori and Pacific learners and described those strategies as important for setting long-term priorities across the education system.
Standardised reporting to parents from 2027
From 1 January 2027, regulations will require schools to provide parents with reports twice a year that follow national expectations. The prescribed content will include:
- assessment results
- progress and achievement information
- attendance
- next learning steps
- details of support being provided where a pupil is well below curriculum expectations
The changes to both planning and parent reporting regulations are due to be published by the start of Term 4, 2026. The Government has said it will supply updated guidance, templates and other support to help schools implement the new requirements.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Strategic goals | At least 3; at least 1 focused on reading, writing or maths |
| Parental reporting frequency | Twice-yearly reports from 1 January 2027 |
| Regulations published | By start of Term 4, 2026 |
What this means for classrooms and boards
For school leaders and boards the changes are likely to mean tighter alignment between strategic documents and measurable pupil outcomes, with greater emphasis on core literacy and numeracy skills. The requirement to include at least one achievement-focused strategic goal will concentrate planning time on attainment targets, while the national consistency of reporting seeks to ensure parents receive comparable information across schools.
For parents the twice-yearly reports are intended to provide clearer, more consistent information about their child’s learning and the support being provided where pupils are falling behind. The inclusion of next learning steps aims to make reports more actionable for families and support conversations between home and school about progress.
Officials will need to balance standardisation with the local autonomy schools currently exercise in setting priorities and working with national strategies that aim to close long-term inequities for Māori and Pacific students. The Government has signalled continued support for those strategies even as it removes the formal requirement for boards to map their plans to them.
Details of the regulations and the implementation guidance will be awaited closely by boards, principals and parent communities as schools plan for the new reporting timetable and the tighter alignment of strategy and measurable pupil outcomes.
