There is an opportunity for your child to participate in external assessments. We offer ICAS and the University of Canterbury Centre for Assessment and Monitoring Kiwi Competitions. Both are optional and have a fee/assessment.

ICAS Assessments are online voluntary assessments and designed to recognise and reward academic excellence. These exams are of a higher order thinking and problem-solving so this might look similar to what you'd expect in extension classes or gifted & talented programmes. They are standardised in exam conditions and help prepare some students for exams, which are more relevant in some schools than others. There are over 1 million students completing these assessments across Australasia and parts of SE Asia each year! The assessments available are Digital Technology, English, Maths, Science, Spelling Bee and Writing.

Is ICAS suitable for my child?

Practice - to help make the right decision, you can download and try sample ICAS questions. Each paper comes with an answer sheet. Available for all subjects. Families may choose to purchase old test papers but this is not compulsory.

More information can be found here.


The annual CAM Kiwi English, Mathematics and Science competitions are skills-based and closely aligned with the New Zealand Curriculum. New Zealand teachers design tests for New Zealand students.

More information can be found here.