Curriculum Details
Designed to encourage all students to succeed
At St Benedict’s, we are proud of our consistently high levels of academic achievement across all learning areas. Our curriculum is designed to encourage all students to strive for personal excellence, build confidence and reach their full potential.
We aim to make our curriculum both challenging and engaging, so that every student gains the most from each day. The New Zealand Curriculum and Religious Education Curriculum are adapted to meet the diverse needs of our learners.
We specialise in creating E.P.I.C. tamariki who are engaged and active learners, who enjoy school and are proud to be St Benedict’s tamariki. Our staff are passionate about providing a school environment where all tamariki can thrive. To support this we focus on growing our tamariki social and emotional learning through the KiVa Programme, Positive Behaviour for Learning and Te Whare Tapu Whā wellbeing model.
In 2026, we are excited to introduce the William Pike Challenge Programme – a nationally recognised, year-long youth development initiative for our year 7 and 8 tamariki. Through a mix of outdoor activities, community service and personal passion projects, the William Pike Challenge encourages our senior students to step outside their comfort zones, build resilience and develop essential life skills, preparing them to be confident leaders and contributors within their community.
Programmes such as Kelly Sports provide specialist physical education and sports coaching, while Kapa Haka and te reo Māori enables our tamariki to connect with te ao Māori through tikanga and language. Our partnership with Victoria University of Wellington and Confucius Institute enables us to deliver Mandarin language lessons from Year 4 onwards.
Our extracurricular offerings are diverse and inclusive, with options such as Splat drama, guitar lessons and other music, STEM and creative activities available.
Learning Programmes at St Benedict’s School:
Our programmes are designed to foster curiosity, creativity and critical thinking. They commonly feature:
- Investigative learning – Students explore topics and investigate real-world issues of interest to them and developing problem-solving skills.
- A balanced and engaging curriculum – Emphasising discovery, exploration and higher-order thinking as essential elements of successful learning.
- Real-world application – Opportunities for students to connect learning with practical experiences by considering real-world problems.
- Inclusive learning experiences – Activities both inside and outside the classroom that support success for all students.
- Flexible teaching approaches – Programmes that allow for creativity, spontaneity and the ability to seize teachable moments, rather than being overly prescriptive.
- Better Start Literacy approach – All of our teacher are trained in the Better Start Literacy Approach by the University of Canterbury.
Our commitment is to nurture confident, capable learners who are well-prepared for the next stage of their education and life beyond school. Our students’ strong performance in external competitions and continued success at secondary school reflect the strength and depth of the well-rounded education they receive at St Benedict’s School.