Our Curriculum


Junior Curriculum

At Papanui High School our junior curriculum (Years 9 & 10) is arranged into a two-year programme that we refer to as the 'Foundation Years'. During the foundation years, students will experience a combination of courses that are compulsory and those that are student selected. The foundation years model has been designed to ensure students gain the foundation knowledge and skills needed to ensure success as they progress through their secondary education. This is balanced with student selected courses where students choose a course that reflects their interests and aspirations.

The school year has been arranged into two semesters, each of two terms in duration. During Year 9 students will have 10 compulsory semester courses. The Year 10 compulsory courses differ from Year 9 to ensure equity across curriculum areas.

Senior Curriculum

Students in Year 11-13 can choose from a wide variety of courses leading to qualifications in NCEA Level 1, 2 and 3, involving Achievement Standards, Unit Standards and National Certificates.

Conventional subjects include: 

Accounting, Art, Art History, Biology, Business Studies, Chemistry, Classical Studies, Dance, Drama, Digital Technologies, Design, Design and Textile Technology, Economics, English, ESOL, French, Food and Nutrition, Geography, Graphics and Design, History, Japanese, Mathematics, Mathematics with Statistics, Mathematics with Calculus, Music, Painting, Photography, Physical Education, Physics, Science, Te Reo Māori, Technology, Text and Information Management.