Down the Back of the Chair
Down the Back of the Chair is a Ministry of Education resource catalogue available to home educators. There is a large range of resources which can support you and your tamariki/children on your home education journey. Some resources are provided for free, others may have a cost attached. Please check with Down the Back of the Chair regarding which resources will be most suitable for you.
Note: Excessive ordering of the free resources will likely see your order declined. Please consider whether or not the resource is useful to you and your child before ordering. We recommend that you call Down the Back of the Chair on 0800 660 662 to discuss which resources would be most suitable or use the resource guide below.
Resource Guide:
Click on the chart to see a basic guide of popular resources used in classrooms, with the series level and year learning level shown as well. If you wish to discuss anything about different levels/years/resources, please call Down the Back of the Chair on 0800 660 662.
How to access Down the Back of the Chair:
Email Down the Back of the Chair at orders@thechair.education.govt.nz with your name, phone number, email address, postal address (they will not post to PO boxes), and a copy of your child’s exemption certificate (if you have more than one child with an exemption, you only need to provide a copy of one exemption, not all of them).
You will receive a log in username and password from Down the Back of the Chair, usually within a day or two.
Log in to the website and select your items. If there is an amount to pay then you will be emailed an invoice before your items are posted so that you can remove items you no longer wish to order.
Your items will be posted to you within a day or two. Postage is usually free to any physical address in Aotearoa NZ, including rural delivery. Down the Back of the Chair will not post to a PO box.
The Down the Back of the Chair team are happy to chat with anyone who wants to discuss which resources would be most beneficial to them. It is important that you do not order frivolously and that each item you choose is well-considered so that we do not waste their resources or put so much pressure on their budget that they no longer wish to support home educators. Please also keep in mind that they are busy with schools at the beginning of the year, and order during their quieter times.
Down the Back of the Chair is not co-ordinated by NCHENZ, so if you have any issues please contact them direct – email orders@thechair.education.govt.nz or phone 0800 660 662.