Academic Achievement

In 2017: 

83% of our participating Year 11 students achieved NCEA Level 1.

86% of our participating Year 12 students achieved NCEA Level 2.

78% of our participating Year 13 students achieved NCEA Level 3.

We were the best performed state co-ed school in the Hutt Valley for Level 2 and 3

The following New Zealand qualifications are available for International Students.

• National Certificate in Educational Achievement (NCEA)
• National Certificate in Mathematics
• National Certificate in Hospitality (Basic Cookery), Level 3
• National Certificate in Retailing
• University Entrance

International students can also gain TOEFL and IELTS tuition and assessment through the school.

NCEA

• NCEA is awarded at 3 levels by earning credits from a wide range of subjects:
  • Level 1 (normally gained in Year 11)-80 Level 1 credits
  • Level 2 (normally gained in Year 12)-60 level 2 credits + 20 Level 1 or Level 2 credits (20 credits can be gained in a previous year.)
  • Level 3 (normally gained in Year 13)-60 level 3 credits + 20 Level 2 or Level 3 credits (20 credits can be gained in a previous year.)
  • Each Level can be endorsed with Merit or Excellence.
• It is common for students to do multi level courses i.e. a student in a senior year could be studying NCEA subjects at Level 1, 2 or 3.
• NCEA is gained by achieving passes in standard assessments.
• These assessments can be internal - set by the school or external - students sit an exam.
• Standard assessments are given the following grades: Not Achieved or Achieved or Achieved with Merit or Achieved with Excellence.
• Each standard passed or achieved contributes credits towards the certificate as shown above.
• Each subject will contribute about 20 credits to the overall total required.
• A subject can also be endorsed with Merit or Excellence.
• Merit and Excellence endorsements are gained by passing enough standards with Merit or Excellence grades.
• University Entrance is gained by getting NCEA Level 3. At least 42 credits need to be from traditional academic subjects. There is a literacy and numeracy requirement.

Further Information for International Students

• At Heretaunga College, 100% of students who want to go to University gain University Entrance.
• We have free after school tuition to help students make good progress.
• Our school have a broad curriculum offering a diverse range of subjects.
• Our school curriculum teaches students with a diverse range of academic abilities.
• Some subjects lead to University and are known as academic subjects e.g. Chemistry, Accounting, History etc
• Some subjects are not intended for students going to University e.g. Hospitality, Building, Sport.
• Class sizes are small.
• Students can join at any time of the year and gain NCEA credits.
• Credits can be carried forward to the new year. A student who joins in August can get NCEA credits that will contribute to a certificate completed early the following year.
• Many options are available for tertiary study.