Science is explored at all levels across the school so that every student has the opportunity to experience working with equipment in a lab and think about the world of science.
Junior students explore topics such as magnetism, floating and sinking, the properties of air and water, insects in the local community, and sustainability topics such as the properties and the use of plastics.
Intermediate science students focus on enquiry. They carry out practical work on environmental issues and prepare exhibits for the Taranaki Science Fair.
Senior science courses include a combination of internal and external achievement standards in physics, chemistry, and biology. Beyond Year 11, students are also offered the opportunity to take scholarship classes.
Technology at Coastal Taranaki School is taught from Years 7 to 10 in a rotation of varying contexts. These include digital, design, food, graphics and electronics.
Design technology teaches higher order thinking and creativity. It asks students to design and create (for example, create a structure for birds), rather than just ‘doing’ technology (for example, use wood and nails to make a bird box).
In the Junior School, Technology is included in class programmes and topics. Students in Years 11 to 13 select Technology as an NCEA subject, where achievement standards are the main assessment tool. Where possible, a personalised programme is created for students to pursue their interests.
We are looking forward to embracing changes in the curriculum. Integrating digital technology into the curriculum is intended to support young people to develop skills, confidence and interest in digital technologies and lead them to opportunities across the IT sector.
Our students are given the opportunity to combine creativity and construction to make their own piece of Wearable Art. We work towards taking our dreams and designs to the stage for the Taranaki Fashion Art Awards.
The show is professional, competitive and inspiring. It gives our students the unique experience of presenting a piece of art for an audience, which is exciting and motivating. Students can also choose to participate in the show by modelling their own costumes.
Together, we explore themes, materials, and technical skills. Coastal Taranaki School students have enjoyed success in the wearable arts — every year, our students extend themselves to create amazing artworks using a variety of recycled resources.
Students’ imaginations can run wild in the world of wearable arts. The sky is the limit.
We offer specialist classes in Visual Arts from years 7 to 13. The visual arts curriculum constitutes a wide range of fields, including sculpture, painting, printmaking, photography, design, and literacy. Students become increasingly literate in the visual arts as they learn from example, practise ways of working to explore and reflect on the conceptual, perceptual, and practical two-dimensional and three-dimensional processes.
NCEA Levels 1, 2, and 3 internal achievement standards are designed to encourage students to problem solve and develop their ideas. These newfound skills will assist students to create their own portfolios for external assessment. The arts are powerful forms of expression that recognise, value and contribute to the unique multi-cultural character of Aotearoa New Zealand, enriching the lives of all New Zealanders.
Health and Physical Education
At Coastal Taranaki School, all students participate in active Physical Education lessons that cover the New Zealand National Curriculum. We offer a broad range of topics that give our students a chance to learn a variety of sports and health modules.
Our students participate in the Swim Safe and Swim for Life programmes during summer, and they have access to a specialist swimming teacher to help them further develop their skills.
Our senior students are being encouraged to think outside the classroom and to their futures. We encourage our students to have a dream and share it with us so we can help achieve it. Our students can choose to follow one of six career pathways; creative, primary and service industries, social and community services, manufacturing and information technology, or construction and infrastructure.
Many of our students have successfully completed first aid and health and safety qualifications, and all of our senior students will have complete their CVs in preparation for their careers. Our students have learned about university study, including a visit to the University of Waikato, where they experienced lectures, the campus life, and halls of residence.
We have welcomed people from the real world into our school to talk to our students about how they got to where they are, and the paths they have chosen along the way. Students who have expressed an interest in the Retail Industry have been attending workshops at Spotswood College, applying the skills they learn in actual workplace situations one day a week. Most recently, we heard a young local man, James Lawn, discuss his dairy industry successes. Before that, we heard of the choices within the Fulton Hogan Business. As well as hearing about opportunities in the defence forces. We will be taking a group of keen students on a tour of BCITO Construction, where we will explore the trades in the booming construction industry.
Our Māori students have been attending the WhyOra course at Taranaki Base Hospital once a month, where they are exposed to various careers in the healthcare industry. They have seen how the lab and pharmacies work, as well as the fast-paced emergency department. They have listened to people in the industry and their career stories. All senior students will attend the New Plymouth Careers Expo which we. This will provide insight into possible career options that they may not have considered.