Foreign students could study in NZ primary schools without the need for a legal guardian if pastoral care rules are relaxed.

Greater powers are needed to censure private schools which are not up to scratch, the Law Commission has recommended.

Only 2 per cent of high schools are ready for an extensive overhaul of the national curriculum in five months, a report says.

Education Minister Anne Tolley has given a stay of execution for a $2.5m scheme that provides therapy at school for disabled children.

Many 5-year-olds are starting school unable to count or complete the alphabet, despite years of pre-school education, principals say.