Traditionally New Zealand children started school on their fifth birthday. Recently some schools have changed this to children starting school in scheduled groups. Our latest report on starting school has found that children starting school at the same time, called cohort entry, can have many benefits for children, whānau and schools.
Guides to cohort entry when starting school
- Published: 31 May 2022
A Guide for School Leaders Considering Cohort Entry
Traditionally, children in Aotearoa start school on their firth birthday or any school day after that. Recent changes to the Education Act mean schools can now adopt cohort entry: enrolling children in groups on specific days across the year. Schools are choosing cohort entry to support positive transitions, wellbeing, and learning.
- Published: 31 May 2022
A Guide for School Boards Considering Cohort Entry
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.
- Published: 31 May 2022
A Guide for Parents Sending their Child to a Cohort Entry School
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.
- Published: 30 May 2022
A Guide for ECE Services on Children Starting School in Groups
In Aotearoa, children have usually started school on their fifth birthday. These days, that’s not always the case. Since 2018, schools have had the option of cohort entry, where small groups of children start school together, at particular points during the year. This can change how children transition through an early learning service.
Starting school together: What do we know?
- Published: 26 May 2022
Starting School Together: What Do We Know?
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.
- Published: 25 May 2022
Starting School Together: What Do We Know About Cohort Entry? Summary
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.
