Subjects

The following subjects in year 9 studied throughout the year and have been traditionally called core subjects - English, Mathematics, Science, Social Science, Health and Physical Education.

The following subjects in Year 9 are studied for part of the year and students must select which ones they want to study. They have traditionally been called option subjects - Art, Dance, Drama, Music, Electronics Technology, Food Technology, Textiles Technology, Digital Technology, Te Reo Maori, Japanese, French, German, Spanish and Chinese.

Year-level course descriptions can be viewed on our website: www.burnside.school.nz

Learning Support

Individual learning support is provided for those students who have special needs. The Learning Centre can provide students with specialist reading tuition, assistance with correspondence courses, tutoring in a range of subjects, catch-up opportunities for students who have been off school for a period of time, provision for special assessment conditions and a myriad of other opportunities. Gifted and talented students are catered for within the Learning Support Centre when appropriate.

IT Facilities

The high level of resourcing throughout the school ensures that students benefit from the opportunity to use computers in many of the subjects. The school is equipped with 13 fully networked computer suites to satisfy the needs across all curriculum levels. 

The school has over 100 Chromebooks available for booking in a specially equipped and staffed service area. This allows teachers and students to incorporate ICT into the curriculum subjects without leaving their rooms. The library and research centre are also well equipped with computer technology, including a computer learning suite. Programming, problem-solving, word processing, spreadsheets, internet research skills, and graphics applications are just some of the uses for these comprehensive computing facilities.

The school is continuing to implement cross-curricular blended e-learning classrooms throughout the school. Staff are developing their curriculum-specific content and students are able to use their personal devices to enhance the learning opportunities in conjunction with our online learning management system - Schoology.

English for Speakers of Other Languages

Students with English as a second language receive personal care in the ESOL department where English language tuition is offered. Trained language teachers help students develop the skills they need to adapt to the school community and the New Zealand way of life.