The world our learners are growing up in is a different place from the one many of us experienced as children. Generation Z and Generation Alpha have seen more change and uncertainty in the world in the last few years than other generations have seen in a lifetime. At AGE, we know that it’s vital that our learners are equipped with the Foundational Skills and tools to be able to thrive in the world they live, and will live, in.

Our approach to education is different from mainstream schools. In recent years the New Zealand education system has become more focused on meeting standards and targets rather than meeting the needs of the students. We meet learners where they are, fostering progress and growth every step of the way.

The AGE Curriculum

SkillED. InspirED. EmpowerED.

The AGE curriculum is designed to equip learners with essential foundational skills, inspiring them to dive-deep into their learning, and empowering them to pursue their passions and projects with confidence. Complementing this is the AGE Universal Life Skills program, which focuses on vital human skills that enhance and enrich the foundation skills, ensuring learners are prepared for life’s opportunities and challenges.

Much of what we do is based on the New Zealand curriculum, although our Learning Coaches also bring their wealth of knowledge of international curricula. Our Foundation Skills curriculum covers numeracy and literacy (including financial and media literacy), but our learners also get to develop their understanding of scientific, digital, and global literacies. Our learners experience explicit workshops in numeracy through PR1ME Maths, and in literacy through a Structured Literacy approach. Alongside these, we design multi-disciplinary modules with a specific theme focus. These modules give our learning coaches the flexibility to design bespoke learning experiences based on learners’ passions and interests.

Throughout their years at AGE, learners are on a journey of Play, Passion, and Purpose. The modules are driven by play, inquiry, and project-based learning and enable learners to access deep and interconnected knowledge, whilst also developing the Universal Life Skills that they will need to be successful. These skills include the development of EQ, resilience, collaboration, managing themselves, learning how to learn, and effective communication.

The AGE Journey

At AGE, we recognize that wellbeing is the cornerstone of unlocking each learner's full potential, and ensuring that it is secure it is the first step to success. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs states that needs lower down the ladder must be satisfied before individuals can focus on their higher needs. The journey of an AGE learner is based on Maslow’s principles, with wellbeing at the base.

The layers of the AGE Journey are:

1. Building Learner Wellbeing: this includes physical, emotional and community wellbeing. Our primary focus is on kids' wellbeing and getting their foundations rock solid. Once they are established we can feed their academic needs and encourage their creative expression. You can't have one without the other. Most mainstream schools have a 90/10 split when it comes to academics and wellbeing. We’re more like 50/50.

2. Developing academics and the arts: Once students have a strong sense of wellbeing, they are able to develop the foundational skills from the curriculum. Like other schools, we focus on building foundational blocks in literacy and numeracy, but just as important for us at AGE are scientific literacy and developing our creative skills in the Arts.

3. Extending beyond the curriculum: We don’t just do book learning. We believe in a much broader education that equips our kids with the traits and skills they will need in the real world. We don’t provide the kids with all the answers. They've got to come up with solutions themselves.

4. Preparing for a sustainable world: AGE School takes a truly future focused approach to learning by helping prepare students to engage in the world around them. We develop skills that will enable students to understand the people and environment they will be interacting with. AGE School is for any kid (or the parents of any child) who want to equip themselves for the future by expressing themselves in the present. These traits are critical for the world our kids will live in, where innovation and an awareness of the environment go hand in hand. Our learning model provides a framework to help students build their knowledge and make an impact on the world around them.

5. Launching your potential: We team up with NZ innovators and inspirational business people to mentor students on projects that stretch them well beyond the four walls of a classroom. This helps students understand how important technology, entrepreneurial thinking and creativity are in the world they’re growing up in, and gives their work that much more meaning.
   

   Students at AGE are not waiting to be citizens of the future, they are actively creating a future for themselves and developing the courage to Dare to Dream.

Learning At AGE

AGE School caters for Years 0 -13. Learners are placed in learning groups based on their social-emotional development rather than their chronological age to support the alignment of the learner skillset with learning group expectations.

Primary 1 & 2 – Years 0-3
Primary 2 & 3 – Years 3-5
Junior High– Years 6-8

Senior College - Years 8-13

Whilst we accept enrolments for all year groups, our program is designed to set up learners for life and this develops over years 11, 12 & 13, therefore if you are considering enrolling your senior-aged child we recommend you do so by the end of year 11.

(Years are a rough guide, as students will move through the groups based on social-emotional development rather than age).

 Learning in the Primary Learning Groups

Our learners in the Primary 1 learning group are introduced to new experiences, learning through play and hands-on activities. This play enables learners to develop their foundational numeracy and communication skills. Short, explicit sessions are also provided for numeracy & literacy throughout the week.

Learning coaches design engaging learning experiences linked to the real world. Learners will work as a team on community projects, learning skills like teamwork, problem-solving, and resilience whilst having a real impact on the local community. This helps students to discover their passions and enables them to dream of how they can make their mark on the world. 

Primary 2 & 3 learners experience daily explicit sessions for literacy and numeracy to build the key foundation skills. Thematic lessons are delivered through play-based and inquiry learning and focus on sustainability, citizenship, globalisation, and innovation. Core STEAM subjects are developed from the rubrics in the New Zealand Curriculum and specialist educators in Science, Technologies, and The Arts extend learners’ abilities. 

Social and emotional development is a core part of learning at this critical stage of a young person’s growth and learners experience weekly Skills Development sessions with their learning coach.

Experiential learning is woven into all aspects of their learning. Once their passions are triggered, they are scaffolded with personalised learning to turn their passions into strengths.

 Learning in the Junior High

At this stage, learners are finding the purpose in their passions. They are encouraged to think deeply and are introduced to industry leaders and experiences where they can be mentored and where their outputs can be meaningfully incorporated into the real world.

Academic and technical skills are nurtured through high teacher-to-student ratios, and working with technology to ensure learning is personalised. Explicit sessions in literacy, numeracy, and inquiry learning are provided each day, as well as weekly Skills Development sessions.

At this stage of adolescent development, learners are able to explore the ethical dimensions of decisions and how the consequences of decisions flow through society. They are encouraged to participate in community events, take ownership of their learning, and begin their leadership journey.

Learning in the Senior College

Senior learners take on more ownership of their learning and develop the knowledge and skills to turn their passions into meaningful projects. Utilising design thinking methodologies, students regularly create and innovate ideas and projects based on real-world issues in their areas of interest. Explicit learning sessions are delivered in Numeracy, Literacy, Science, Skills Development, and Health and wellbeing.

NCEA is achieved through a combination of Project-Based Learning and specialist options. Teacher advisors and a careers specialist help learners decide which standards are best suited to their project and aligned with their pathway. Many of our staff on-site are able to deliver specialist subjects but where we may not have the specialty, tutors are brought in on an as-needed basis.

Skills Development sessions continue into these important years by focusing more on creating a kete of tools for learners to know who they are, how they function best in society, and what they need to be successful in life.

Senior learners are also encouraged to develop leadership skills through designing lunchtime and camp activities for their peers or younger learners. The Duke of Edinburgh programme is also available to these learners.

 Senior College Pathways

As we launch their potential, Senior College learners embark on a variety of different pathways out of AGE. Below are examples of where our learners have taken their pathway into the world:

Academic Pathways

Achieving NCEA Level 2 (for Diploma programmes), Level 3 (for tertiary, including University Entrance), or Scholarship. Learners following these pathways have a vast range of options for tertiary institutions both in New Zealand and overseas.

If Level 3 is completed early, learners have the opportunity to participate in internship programmes or take papers at university through dedicated programmes.

Arts Pathways

Achieving a minimum of NCEA Level 2, with a portfolio and practical experience in the art of choice. Students following this pathway may go on to Performing or Visual Arts Colleges, Bachelor of Arts Degrees, or employment.

Vocational Pathways
Through the Gateway programme, learners are able to access more than 200 different vocational fields where they can also gain credits towards either NCEA Level 2 or Level 3. Learners embarking on this pathway most often leave school for employment or apprenticeship opportunities.