Year levels, ages and intermediate

New Zealand children usually start school on or soon after their fifth birthday, not all together at the start of the year.^[1] That one difference explains most of the confusion about year levels.

Year 0 and Year 1

A child who starts school early in the year usually goes into Year 1. A child with a birthday later in the year often starts in Year 0, a new-entrant year, and moves into Year 1 the following year.^[1] Some schools take new entrants in a group at the start of each term instead of on their birthday.^[1]

The school years

Primary education runs from Year 1 to Year 8.^[2] How it's split depends on where you live.^[2]

• Contributing primary schools teach Years 1 to 6. Children then move to an intermediate school for Years 7 and 8.
• Full primary schools keep children right through to Year 8.
• Some secondary schools start at Year 7, and area schools cover every year.

Starting intermediate

Intermediate is a big step in a short time: a bigger school, more teachers, and usually more choice of options and activities. It's only two years, so children settle quickly, but the jump in independence catches some out.

• Practise organising. A planner and a regular homework spot help more than extra worksheets.
• Check the basics. Fractions, decimals and written methods carry straight into Year 7 maths. Gaps from Years 5 and 6 are easier to fix before term starts.
• Keep reading. Texts get longer and more technical across every subject.

How NZ years line up with Australia

Australian children start a full-time first year of school (called Foundation, Prep, Reception, Kindergarten or Pre-primary, depending on the state) at about five, and reach Year 1 at about six. New Zealand children reach Year 1 at about five.

So, by age, an NZ child is usually one year level ahead of an Australian child the same age. An NZ Year 4 child is about the age of an Australian Year 3 child.

That doesn't mean NZ children learn everything a year early. The two curriculums put topics in different places. That's why Study Compass doesn't simply shift every lesson by one year. Each lesson is placed in the NZ year that teaches it, and if you move across the Tasman, the plan moves your child's lessons to the right years for the new country.