Curriculum

At Sacred Heart College, we provide a challenging, multifaceted and rewarding curriculum, underpinned by the New Zealand Curriculum Framework.

Through our contemporary approach to teaching and learning, we embolden students to chase excellence and become self-directed learners who take responsibility for their study habits and learning outcomes – with an expectation that all work will be completed on time and to a high standard.

The College has achieved considerable success in national and international competitions, and we encourage our students to extend their learning this way whenever possible.

Year 7 & 8

At Years 7 and 8, students enjoy the structure of a homeroom-based learning environment, while being fully integrated into the College in curriculum matters.
Based in our Pompallier Block, one of the newest academic facilities within the College, our students’ core curriculum is supplemented by specialist teachers in the Performing and Visual Arts, Technology, Languages (Spanish, Chinese, Te Reo Māori), Science and PE/Health.


Year 9 & 10

At Years 9 and 10, our curriculum continues to build on the study foundations students developed in their two previous years, but with a greater dependence on individual-based learning. 

In Year 10, all students follow a common curriculum of core subjects in preparation for choosing more specialised subjects from Year 11. Students will also choose three options from a range of additional subjects: Art, Commerce, Drama and Media,  Languages (Chinese, Te Reo Māori, Spanish), Music, STEAM, and Technology (Materials, Food, Design, Digital).

Sport Institute - Rugby or Football

For boys selected for the Sports Institute (Rugby or Football), one of their additional subjects will comprise of Rugby or Football – with three lessons each week. All other Sport Institute sports happen outside of a student’s timetabled day. View more details on the Sports Institute here

Music Institute

For boys selected for the Music Institute, one of their additional subjects will comprise of Music. View more details on the Music Institute here

Extension study

Depending on their academic performance, some Year 10 students may be accelerated to Year 11 subjects of of Mathematics, English and Science.

Years 11 to 13

From 2024, Sacred Heart College will be offering our own bespoke Year 11 Sacred Heart Certificate. This newly developed qualification replaces the radically modified NCEA Level 1 which NZQA is introducing to all schools next year.

Development of the Sacred Heart Certificate has been underway for the last 2 years in order to establish a programme that will better prepare our students for the demands of NCEA Level 2 and subsequent years of study. An increasing number of schools are choosing not to offer NCEA Level 1, and we believe Sacred Heart College can offer an alternative course of study that better meets the needs of our Year 11 students.  

Please click here to view some Question and Answers.

For Years 12 and 13 we offer many courses covering the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and NCEA Levels 2 and 3. Students also have the opportunity to study at a higher level on the NCEA framework, subject to previous academic performance.

For all the details on our curriculum and the subjects offered in 2025, please view the 2025 Curriculum Handbook.

Religious Education

Sacred Heart is steeped in a rich history of tradition and faith with Religious Education underpinning our curriculum at all levels. We also offer Achievement Standards in Religious Education for NCEA Levels 2 and 3, as well as Scholarship. 

Our Campus
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NCEA
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