Concord School, Dunedin

Key facts

About Concord School

Concord Primary School is located in a semi-rural area of New Zealand.

The school's stated values — confidence, respect, responsibility, and excellence — are referred to collectively using the acronym CARE. Students can earn CARE cards in recognition of these values, both in classrooms and in the playground.

The school's grounds include large grass fields, vegetable gardens, bike and running tracks, two playgrounds, an all-weather court, and a kitchen facility where students learn to cook. School bikes are available for student use during break times.

A community hall with an attached kitchen is available for hire for one-off events or longer-term use.

Curriculum

Concord School follows the New Zealand Government curriculum. The school organises its teaching around several curriculum areas.

Literacy and numeracy are timetabled in the mornings. Senior classes integrate the current topic into reading and writing. The school uses a structured literacy approach, which was introduced over the two years prior to 2024.

Digital Technology is integrated across curriculum areas. Junior classes use iPads; senior classes use Chromebooks.

Cultural and arts activities include Kapa Haka, Polyfest, Matariki celebrations, Ukulele Jam, visiting performers, school production, school singing, and child-led assemblies.

Physical education includes weekly sports sessions and after-school team competition in futsal, touch, netball, and basketball. The school also competes in Greater Green Island Cluster events covering triathlon, cross country, and athletics. Swimming lessons at an external pool are provided free of charge to all students.

Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) is structured by year level. Regular class trips visit local venues including Toitu, Otago Museum, Dunedin Art Gallery, The Otago Marine Centre, and the Beverly Begg Observatory. Year-level camps are as follows:

• Year 4: overnight trip, typically a sleepover at the Otago Museum
• Year 5: three-day camp
• Year 6: five-day camp

The school uses PLAY IS THE WAY® to teach social and emotional skills through guided play and classroom activities, based on a framework of behaviour education and student self-regulation.

Student Support Services

Concord School provides several named support services for students.

• Teacher Aides — experienced teacher aides work across all classes, supporting students either one-to-one or in small groups alongside classroom teachers.
• Reading Recovery — a literacy intervention programme available to students.
• Early Literacy Support — additional literacy support for students at an early stage.
• Rainbow Reading — a reading support programme offered within the school.
• Social Workers in Schools (SWiS) — a free, primary and intermediate school-based community social work service for students and their whānau. It works with the strengths of the child and their family to support school engagement, wellbeing, self-esteem, empathy, and emotional management, with the programme tailored to each child's specific needs.