Core Learning Areas

We believe it is essential to provide both Support and Challenge for every student throughout their learning. Students should be engaged in the learning process.

English and Mathematics These core subjects are the cornerstones for all curriculum learning. Students make excellent progress in all aspects of their learning. Our students are well-prepared for their secondary education.

Our teachers work hard to support every student with their reading and writing. They do this by identifying the individual strengths and weaknesses of each child and then implementing programmes to further their skills. They are backed up with wonderful resources, catering for both those students who require support and those who will benefit from extension in their learning.

Mathematics is taught with an emphasis on understanding concepts in real life contexts with a balance of targeted skill teaching and group problem solving. Learning should be relevant, connected and authentic.
Our approach allows students to build a deep understanding of both number knowledge and strategies to apply their knowledge. Students develop the ability to think mathematically and strengthen their understanding.

English is taught explicitly as reading and writing, along with oral language. We use school models for teaching and learning that are based on current best practice.  We have had both students and teachers at MRI featured in books published by ‘The Literacy Place’, as our models are engaging and at the cutting edge of educational practice.

Our targeted teaching approach, based on the needs of individual students, leads to accelerated learning for many students at our school.

Inquiry Based Learning

Our focus is on building depth of thinking, challenge and transdisciplinary learning, process, understanding and application.

Social Studies, Health and Science are taught using an Integrated Inquiry approach.

There are exciting opportunities for students to develop their research and thinking skills alongside learning important new knowledge in these subject areas.

Our locally developed curriculum connects New Zealand history and cultural perspectives into learning areas that are relevant to both local, New Zealand and Global issues.
Inquiry skills and learning concepts taught in Year 7 are built on and developed in Year 8, allowing for in-depth understanding.

Our inquiry model allows students to work through a process where they are immersed in and exposed to a concept before choosing an area that interests them for investigation.  They work through a guided process and this enables our students to take responsibility for their own learning and to make decisions about the direction they want to take with their inquiry.  
These are important skills to have as they head into a secondary school setting.