Introduction

The purpose of this website is to provide you with the necessary information to choose the subjects you wish to study next year.

We want you to choose a course that is appropriate to you and allows you to achieve success. So we have included all the subjects that we offer in Year 11, NCEA  Level 2 and 3 (except the non-optional ones of e.g. Religious Education, Core PE). You do not have to confine yourself to studying at any one level. You may choose a combination of subjects across NCEA levels if that is going to better help you achieve your career goals.

We list all of the subjects available at the time of release. However, occasionally the number of students selecting a subject is too small to offer a subject. This course may be available via special arrangement with the Correspondence School (Te Kura) as distance learning. However, this option requires a high degree of independence in your study habits. Enrolment is at the discretion of the Options Committee Chairperson (Mrs Judy Maw).

We have divided this programme into Learning Areas and then levels so you can see where the subjects lead. Some subjects list prior knowledge requirements for learning at an earlier level.

We recommend that you take the time to map your course of study for the current year and how this could lead to subsequent levels, ensuring you know where you are going and what you need to get there. 

New Zealand’s major assessment system for secondary education is the National Certificate in Educational Achievement (NCEA). Please read the information carefully as Achievement Standards and Unit Standards are specific, in content and assessment, for each subject. 

General Guidance for Course Selection

• Choose the subjects that you 

  • are good at

  • which you enjoy

  • may need for the future

• Keep your options open. If you are unsure of your career area, keep a balance of Arts/Humanities, Science and Mathematics subjects.

• Think carefully before dropping a subject you have studied for several years. It can be a challenge to take a new subject each year.

• Look at your overall programme (both within and outside the classroom). Are you making choices that are right for you?

• Check with the Careers Advisor, Mrs Ritchie (sritchie@shcs.school.nz) whether a planned career pathway has any compulsory subjects, and that you are choosing the most appropriate course.

  • Discuss your proposed course selection with:

  • your parents/caregivers,

  • this year’s teachers, 

  • your Whanaungatanga teacher,

  • the contact teacher(s) named in the section on course information,

  • your Dean, the Careers Advisor. 

• Map your course selection through to the end of your secondary schooling.