Holy Cross School (Papatoetoe)

School Report

Tēnā koutou e mau manawa rahi ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Mā wai rā e kawe, mā tātau katoa.

We acknowledge the collective effort, responsibility and commitment by all to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter.

Every New Zealand state and state integrated school has an ERO review at least once every four years to evaluate what is working well for learners and what needs to be improved.

About the School

Holy Cross School (Papatoetoe) provides education for girls in Years 1 to 8 and boys in Years 1 to 6. Of the 559 students currently enrolled, most learners are Pacific or Māori. The school’s Mercy charism underpins its mission to learn and grow in Christ. A new leadership team has been established since 2022.

Education Counts provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement, school enrolments and school zones. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

An explanation of the terms and judgements used in this report can be found here:  Reporting | Education Review Office

What we know about learner success

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing. The judgments are based on the ERO School Improvement Framework and the evidence provided to ERO during the evaluation.

How well are learners succeeding?Success and progress for all learners is increasing.What is the quality of teaching and learning?Learners benefit from high quality teaching practice that improves progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.How well does the school curriculum respond to all learners needs?

Learners have rich opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum.

There is an increasingly consistent focus on supporting learners to gain foundational skills in literacy and mathematics.

Learners with complex needs are well supported to achieve their education goals.

How well does school planning and conditions support ongoing improvement?School planning and conditions to support ongoing improvement to the quality of education for learners are well established.How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing?The school successfully promotes learners’ engagement, wellbeing and inclusion.How well does the school partner with parents, whānau and its community for the benefit of learners?

The school reports usefully and accurately to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress.

The school responds well to a wide range of information gathered through community consultation, to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions.

Student Health and SafetyThe school board is taking reasonable steps to ensure student health and safety.

Achievement in Years 0 to 8

This section is about learner achievement. It outlines how well learners across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level of The New Zealand Curriculum in foundational skills.

Less than a third 

Less than half 

Small majority 

Large majority 

Most 

Almost all 

0 to 33%

34 to 49%

50 to 65%

65 to 79%

80 to 90%

Over 90%

Reading

Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

 

Writing

A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners. 

 

Mathematics

A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

Attendance

This section is about school attendance and the progress the school is making towards meeting the Government target of 80% regular attendance.

• The school is approaching the target of 80% regular attendance.
• The school has a suitable plan in place to improve attendance.
• Regular attendance is improving towards or beyond the target.
• Chronic absence is not yet reducing over time.

Assessment

This section is about how the school assesses learner progress and achievement.

• The school uses an appropriate approach and reliable practices to find out about achievement against the curriculum.
• Assessment information is used well to adjust teaching practices to ensure ongoing improvement in teaching and student progress.

Progress

This section is about how well the school supports all learners to make sufficient progress.

• The school has good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.
• The school has to some extent improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving.
• The school has to some extent extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels.
• The school is making progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets and is likely to meet them by 2030.

Next steps for improvement

This section provides more detail for the school to include in its strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school. It outlines what the school is doing well and identifies actions for improvement.

Areas of Strength

• A culture of inclusion and care based on the school’s values supports students’ sense of belonging, language, identity and culture.
• Teachers plan and implement a rich and meaningful curriculum that reflects the school’s culturally diverse context, faith-based values and whānau aspirations.
• Responsive learning programmes engage students in purposeful and relevant learning experiences that extend their interests, strengths and knowledge.
• Structured literacy is embedded across the school; a structured mathematics approach is being implemented to align with the new curriculum requirements.
• Well-considered professional learning opportunities are targeted, planned and purposefully implemented for ongoing improvement of teaching and learning.
• Leaders foster strong connections with parents and whānau to support their children’s success; achievement information is shared, and parents have regular opportunities to discuss their child’s learning goals and next steps.

Key priorities

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• Embed structured literacy and mathematics approaches aligned with the new curriculum schoolwide through enhancing teaching, learning and assessment practices.
• Refine and strengthen systematic internal evaluation processes to clearly understand the impact of strategic actions that contribute to increasing achievement outcomes.
• Maintain a focus on raising regular attendance rates for all learners to meet the Government’s target.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within six months:

• provide professional learning opportunities for teachers to strengthen the shared understanding and use of effective internal evaluation processes

Every six months:

• systematically collect and analyse learner progress and achievement information to inform next steps in teaching and learning, and report to the board, parents and whānau
• provide ongoing staff professional learning in structured literacy and mathematics to enhance schoolwide teaching, learning and assessment practices
• review the outcomes of attendance initiatives to identify ongoing planning and actions

Annually:

• evaluate the impact of teaching, learning and assessment practices on learners’ progress and achievement; identify initiatives that have been most successful and report the outcomes to the board to inform strategic planning and resourcing
• monitor the integration of the new curriculum requirements for reading, writing and mathematics, and identify future priorities for professional learning opportunities
• evaluate the impact of strategies on raising regular attendance.

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:

• increased and sustained high levels of learner progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
• enhanced evaluative practices that effectively assess the impact of strategic actions and identify ongoing improvements for learner achievement
• improved levels of regular attendance that meet or exceed the Government’s target.

Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

This section of the report is about how the school meets regulatory and legislative requirements.

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

This section of the report reviews the school's policies, procedures, documentation, and checks that it meets all regulations, maintains a safe environment, and supports students' wellbeing.

During this review the Board has attested to some regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Actions for Compliance

ERO has identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

• ensure approval processes for high-risk education outside the classroom (EOTC) activities align with school policy and procedures
  [Health and Safety at Work Act 2015]
• ensure that the staff appointments process includes records of a risk assessment
  [s104 Education and Training Act 2020].

The board has since addressed the areas of non-compliance identified.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Report and is due within four years.

Me mahi tahi tonu tātau, kia whai oranga a tātau tamariki
Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children

Sharon Kelly
Director of Schools

23 September 2025