The school day

Most secondary schools have a longer school day than primary/intermediate schools. Students often start at 8.40am and end at 3.20pm. The day normally starts in a form, home or whānau class with a roll call and daily notices.

Students then break into subject classes, moving to different classrooms and different teachers for each subject. In larger schools, teachers teach only their specialist subject(s) and teach hundreds of students each week.

Lessons (called periods) can be 50 minutes to an hour long, and in an average day students will have five or six periods.

Each school has a different timetable system. Schools change their timetable each term and some schools have several different timetables which they rotate weekly throughout the year. Your school will let you know about any changes you need to know about.