Some primary school teachers are using scripted lessons as they adjust to new maths and English curriculums introduced this year.

The government is promoting more structured teaching with step-by-step instruction to ensure consistent content delivery, though it states it does not require script use and does not produce scripts itself. Some teachers are using new government-funded maths resources as the foundation for teaching, while certain reading and writing programmes require close adherence to scripted methods.

George Street Normal School principal Robyn Wood said her teachers initially relied on slides when the new maths curriculum began. "We did start off with slides and all of that and I believe that was necessary to get the consistency and the knowledge of what we needed to include," Wood said. "That was a big pedagogical shift for us and we needed to have that as a scaffold for our teachers."

Wood said her school has since moved away from scripted elements. "Sticking to a script, you're kind of stuck there whereas once you know what you're doing and you're really confident in what you are required to teach and how it aligns with the curriculum you are much more easily able to pivot to the needs of the children in front of you," she said.

Literacy expert Carla McNeil, who works with schools, described structured lesson guides as temporary support for teachers learning new methods. "Used well, they help novice teachers develop confidence, fluency and professional judgement before gradually adapting and refining their practice," McNeil said.

Wellington Regional Primary Principals Association president Shirley Porteous raised concerns that pressure on teachers could lead some to work through maths resources mechanically rather than adapting lessons to student needs. "Effective teaching is not reading from a script with kids but I would say the outside pressure is probably causing some of this in terms of the speed of change," Porteous said.

Porteous said principals want to prevent overseas practices from becoming embedded in New Zealand schools. "It's absolutely something that we're aware of is happening overseas and it's really important we don't let that happen here," she said.

Andrew King from the Rural Schools Leadership Association said principals and teachers have been discussing highly-scripted lessons, with some observing such practices in Australian schools. "Personally I have huge concerns on that because the focus is and should be about upskilling our teaching workforce to know the content and the knowledge to teach at each year level," King said. He noted that rural schools with multi-year-level classrooms face practical barriers to single-script teaching.

Teacher educators had warned the curriculum changes bore similarities to UK and Australian approaches where highly-scripted lessons are common. At least one principal chose not to order government-funded maths resources, concerned teachers would rely on them directly rather than developing their own lessons.