Review 27 May 2025
LatestSchool 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.
About the School
Okiwi School is a full primary school located on Aotea, (Great Barrier Island), in the rohe of Ngati Rehua Ngati Wai ki Aotea. The school’s roll is 31, 65% of whom are Māori. The school’s vision is to provide education which reflects the relationship to the environment and the community, in particular the marae at Motairehe and Kawa and the values of Awhinatanga, Manaakitanga,Whanaungatanga.
A new principal and presiding member were appointed during Term 4, 2024.
Part A – Parent Summary
Progress since January 2023 ERO report
ERO and the school have been working together to evaluate the effectiveness of professional learning and development in mathematics and literacy on the use of teaching and learning strategies which raise achievement for all ākonga.
During the course of the evaluation, it was found that systems and processes had not been adequately maintained effectively to show learner progress, achievement and attendance. The school has set targets for 2025 to accelerate achievement, increase the use of digital technologies and further increase whānau partnerships.
How well placed is the school to promote educational success and wellbeing?
| How well are learners succeeding? | The school is working towards high levels of success and progress for all learners. |
| What is the quality of teaching and learning? | Learners benefit from good 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 some opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum. There is an increasingly consistent focus on supporting learners to gain 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? | The school is establishing planning and conditions that support improvements in the quality of education for learners. |
| How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing? | The school is taking steps to improve learners’ engagement, wellbeing and inclusion. |
| How well does the school partner with parents, whānau and its community for the benefit of learners? | The school is improving its reporting to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress. The school is improving its collection and use of information gathered through community consultation to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions. |
| Student Health and Safety | The school board is taking reasonable steps to ensure student health and safety. |
Achievement in Years 0 to 8
This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.
Foundation Skills | |
| Reading | A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners. |
| Writing | A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are 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
The school is behind the target of 80% regular attendance.
The school is yet to have a suitable plan to improve attendance.
Regular attendance is not yet improving towards or beyond the target.
Assessment
The school is improving its approach and the reliability of its practices to accurately find out about achievement against the curriculum.
Teachers are developing assessment information to adjust teaching practices to ensure ongoing improvement in teaching and student progress.
Progress
The school is developing 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 since the previous review.
The school has to some extent extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.
The school is making progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority.
An explanation of the terms used in the Parent Summary can be found here: Reporting | Education Review Office
Part B - Findings for the school
This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.
Areas of Strength
Okiwi School has a strong and long-standing relationship with whānau, hapu and iwi; learners demonstrate a strong sense of identity, connection and belonging.
Teachers know their learners well and effectively engage them in purposeful learning; te ao Māori is woven throughout the teaching and learning.
Teaching and learning programmes reflect the local Okiwi and Aotea context in ways that build on learners’ experiences, knowledge and understanding.
New leadership in the school and on the Board is leading to significant progress in a short amount of time; the principal is leading the implementation of new literacy and mathematics requirements.
Key priorities and actions for improvement
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
- implement the national curriculum to ensure coherent and structured teaching and learning programmes are in place
- develop systems to collect and analyse achievement, attendance and wellbeing data
- extend the level te reo Māori in the school so that learners leave Okiwi School with a raised level of fluency
- work with the local community to implement a plan to improve regular attendance.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within three months:
- develop curriculum implementation plans in mathematics and literacy that focus on strong foundational skills, digital fluency, the acceleration of progress for those learners at risk of underachievement and set year by year achievement expectations
- establish a schoolwide assessment overview that ensures teachers, and the board have timely information about achievement, attendance and wellbeing, and that this is regularly reported to parents
- use the Poutama Reo self-evaluation tool to evaluate current strengths and develop a plan to further strengthen mātauranga Māori within the school
- develop an attendance plan in conjunction with the community
Every six months:
- monitor teaching planning and practice to ensure the implementation of structured mathematics and literacy programmes
- collect and analyse a range of achievement, attendance and wellbeing data and use this data to focus learning and implement interventions that accelerate learning
- review the provision of te reo Māori to ensure that there is a progression of learning across the school
- monitor the effectiveness of the attendance plan
Annually:
- review and refine school curriculum documents to ensure they support progress and achievement of all learners
- use a range of data including achievement, wellbeing and attendance data, to evaluate the effectiveness of programmes, and report to parents and the school board
- assess the levels of te reo Māori used within classrooms
- evaluate the impact of attendance initiatives.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
- accelerated progress and raised achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
- teachers and leaders accessing appropriate and high-quality assessment information to plan for, evaluate and report the progress and achievement of learners
- increased fluency in te reo and te ao Māori effectively woven through all aspects of the school curriculum
- most students attending school regularly.
Part C: Regulatory and Legislative Requirements
Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements
All schools are required to promote student health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
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
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 three 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
Acting Director of Schools
27 May 2025
Education Counts
This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home