Education Minister Hekia Parata has wished Kiwi kids well as they begin heading back to school on Monday.

'Whether starting a new school or returning to a school they already know, a New Year presents exciting possibilities for our kids. There's an opportunity for new skills, new friends and trying out a new sport or club,” says Ms Parata.

'An education has never been more important and we have a world-class education system. I encourage all kids to grasp that opportunity with both hands, and I encourage parents to engage with their children's learning.”

Three-quarters of a million children will be heading back to school from tomorrow. More than 10,000 five year olds will start school for the first time when school opens, and a total of 63,000 will be starting throughout the year.

A very high proportion of the kids starting school will be benefit from a strong start in early childhood education (ECE). The latest figures show that last year, 96.1% of all children who started school had participated in ECE.

'We know that regular participation in quality early childhood education greatly increases a child's chance of future educational success.

'That's why the government has set a target of increasing participation in early childhood education to 98 per cent of children starting school in 2016.

'Participation rates for Maori and Pasifika children in ECE are rising the most strongly. Since 2012, participation has risen 3.3 percentage points for Maori children and 4.4 percentage points for Pasifika children.

'We're also seeing rising achievement in NCEA, which I will be giving more details on in the coming days.

'This is an exciting year for education. The first eleven Communities of Schools are getting underway from this term and I'll be announcing the formation of more Communities as the year progresses.”