It's the first day schools can go back for term 1.

The new Government's making compulsory an hour each of reading, writing and maths at primary school.

Next term schools will be required to have cellphone policies in place, but it's expected most schools will implement them this term.

NZEI president Mark Potter says there's a lot of things competing for children's attention these days.

He says teachers have the added battle of making sure they stay engaging for children, which is one of the most important things for them.

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