Review reports and research for Parents

ERO looked at how well the education system is supporting disabled learners in schools. This guide provides practical advice and real-life examples of good practice that will be useful for principals, senior leadership, and learning support leaders.

A quality, inclusive early childhood education is important for all children. It is especially important for children who need support to be fully included, and to learn and play alongside their peers. It helps them have better learning and life outcomes – both today and into their futures.

A quality, inclusive education makes a huge difference for disabled learners. With good education, these children and young people have better learning and life outcomes, and are more likely to complete secondary schooling and go on to further study and employment. ERO looked at how well the New Zealand education system is supporting these learners, to get a good understanding of what’s working and what needs to improve.

This document provides a summary of submissions and a decision on the subject matter and scope of the Education Review Office’s 2022 Long-Term Insights Briefing.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to provide a submission. Your input will help build and strengthen our Long-Term Insights Briefing paper.

This guide for boards draws on findings from ERO’s report Starting School Together: What Do We Know? and provides insights from schools that have changed to cohort entry. 

This short guide for whānau and parents draws on ERO’s new report, Starting Schools Together: What Do We Know? to provide insights about what cohort entry means for how your child transitions from early learning to a cohort entry school.

Starting school is a major childhood event. It can be an exciting time for children and their families. But it is a big change, and so it can also be an uncertain time. A good start at school sets children up to succeed at school. We looked to see how changing to cohort entry impacts on children, their peers, and whānau, as well as their schools and early childhood education services.

Starting school is a major childhood event. It can be an exciting time for children and their families. But it is a big change and can be an uncertain time. Since 2018, schools have been able to have children start in groups at certain dates during the year. This is called cohort entry. ERO found that cohort entry has a range of benefits for children’s wellbeing and learning, schools’ ability to structure transitions more easily, and for teachers due to fewer disruptions and more time to teach.