Paerata School

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

Paerata School in Pukekohe, Auckland, provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The roll is 170, with 50% of students NZ European/Pākehā, 25% identifying as Māori and 25% having Pacific heritage. The school’s vision is Growing Great People, and its values are Respect - Whakaute, Innovation - Auaha, Self-awareness - Hinengaro, and Excellence - Hiranga. A new principal was appointed in Term 3 2025. 

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.

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.

Attendance

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

• A small majority of learners attend school regularly.
• The school is behind the target of 80% regular attendance.
• The school is developing a suitable plan to improve attendance.
• Regular attendance is not yet 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.
• Teachers are developing their use of assessment information 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 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 and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority.

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

• Paerata School provides rich hands-on learning experiences for learners that support engagement in learning.
• The school Board represents and reflects the local school community.
• Curriculum opportunities are linked to community aspirations and connects with the Ngāti Tamaoho education plan.
• Learners enjoy a well-resourced, vibrant and attractive learning environment that reflects the school’s rural heritage and location.
• Structured approaches to reading, writing and mathematics are being extended across the school, and assessments are aligned with these approaches.

Key priorities

• Implement targeted writing interventions to increase achievement.
• Improve outcomes for all learner, including equitable outcomes for Māori and Pacific learners.
• Introduce a cohesive mathematics learning programme across the school.
• Review and refine the curriculum to create clarity around teaching and learning expectations.
• Ensure a consistent focus on foundation skills in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Improve students’ attendance at school.

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within three months:

• leaders develop and implement targeted responses to improve attendance
• leaders and teachers work together to develop clear school expectations for effective teaching and learning strategies

Within six months:

• all teachers focus on accelerating the progress of targeted learners in writing
• leaders collect data and review how well mathematics programmes help students and identify the most effective strategies for schoolwide implementation
• leaders review and refine the curriculum to ensure a focus on foundational literacy and mathematics programmes across teaching and learning

Every six months: 

• leaders and teachers work together to review how well the schools’ expectations for effective teaching and learning strategies are being used across the school, identify areas for improvement and plan next steps

Annually:

• leaders and teachers evaluate the impact of writing interventions on progress and achievement for targeted learners, including Māori and Pacific learners, and plan for the following year
• leaders evaluate the impact of mathematics interventions and programmes on learner outcomes, including Māori and Pacific learners, and plan for the following year
• the school Board work with leaders to align strategic and annual plans with schoolwide expectations for teaching and learning to enable consistency of good practices
• leaders and the school Board monitor and review attendance information, identify strategies for increasing attendance and share with the community. 

Expected outcomes

• A consistent schoolwide writing programme, and targeted interventions, which improve outcomes for all learners.
• An evidence-based approach to implementing mathematics programmes to improve learner outcomes.
• A school curriculum that includes clear expectations for effective teaching and learning programmes.
• Improved attendance.

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 meeting regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

No

Actions for Compliance 

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

• maintain adequate employment records for staff appointments including safety checking, background and work history checks, sighting of certified or original identification checks and risk assessments
  [Section 31 (2) (c) Children’s Act 2014; Section 127 of the Education and Training Act 2020, which requires boards to act as good employers].

The Board is yet to address the areas of non-compliance identified.

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

10 November 2025