Opotiki College

School Evaluation 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  

Opotiki College is a co-educational secondary school located in the eastern Bay of Plenty, serving students from Years 9 to 13. The school has a roll of approximately 309 students and 93% identify as Māori. The school offers both English and Māori medium education. The school’s vision is Connected Learners, Confident Citizens: Tohe nihorau, Tohe rauariki. 

A Limited Statutory Manager (LSM) was appointed in May 2025, to support the leadership of teaching and learning and the School Board’s function to bring about improvement in student outcomes and school conditions. 

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

Improvement and progress 

This section is about the progress the school has made since the April 2024 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.

Expected improvements 

The school has been focused on improving the extent to which leaders and teachers work collaboratively to bring about improved student engagement, retention, and achievement. 

The school expected to see improvements in leadership, with a particular focus on using evidence to inform decisions and drive positive change, alongside stronger communication and more positive professional relationships throughout the school community. Additionally, there was a commitment to enhancing teaching practice, ensuring that it is responsive and consistently addresses the diverse needs of all learners. 

Findings 

School leaders are beginning to use evidence more systematically to inform decision-making and drive improvement. Continued instability in senior leadership hinders driving progress in the school's strategic planning and its implementation to achieve improvement objectives.

The school has made progress in strengthening communication and professional relationships across the school. However, reaching professional expectations and a shared responsibility for learner outcomes remains variable. Establishing a culture of collaborative learning and high expectations for all staff remains a key next step.

The school continues to experience challenges in achieving consistency and coherence in teaching practice. Variability in the implementation of professional learning for staff continues. More targeted support, robust monitoring and alignment between professional learning initiatives and classroom practice are needed for sustained improvement across all areas.

What we know about learner success 

This section provides a summary of learner success, wellbeing and foundation school conditions, including any education in Rumaki/Reo Rua settings. The judgments are based on the ERO School Improvement Framework and evidence provided to ERO during the evaluation.

Learner Success and Wellbeing

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing.  

• Almost all Year 9 students enter the school achieving well below expected curriculum levels in reading and a large majority enter achieving below expectation in mathematics.
• In Year 10 less than a third of students achieve at or above the expected curriculum level in reading and mathematics. ERO was unable to verify the extent to which students in Year 9 and 10 are meeting or exceeding curriculum level expectations in writing.
• In 2024, less than half of students achieved National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 1 and a small majority of students achieved NCEA Level 2. A large majority achieved NCEA Level 3. Less than a third of students achieved University Entrance (UE).
• A small majority of students met NCEA Level 1 literacy requirements in 2024, a small improvement from the previous year.
• There is significant disparity between Māori and New Zealand European |Pākehā learners at NCEA Level 1 and Level 2. Achievement at NCEA Level 3 is equitable between groups of students.
• Less than a third of students attend school regularly. The school is significantly behind the Government target for attendance. 

Conditions to support learner success

This section provides a summary of leadership, teaching, curriculum and foundation school conditions for improvement.

• A thorough scoping and review process by staff and the school community is providing a foundation for leaders to stabilise, reset, and rebuild the strategic direction and leadership capacity within the school.
• Leaders have developed a plan of action that outlines priorities for the school. Ensuring these plans are implemented effectively, with clear, targeted and measurable progress outcomes is a priority.
• School leaders are beginning to use student achievement information to inform decision making and planning for improvement and to develop leadership capability to improve learner achievement and engagement.
• Leaders are beginning to strengthen curriculum coherence and responsiveness through targeted literacy and numeracy strategies and new curriculum leadership appointments to ensure students are sufficiently prepared to access meaningful pathways. 

• School leaders and teachers have developed appropriate action plans to improve literacy and numeracy achievement across the school and recognise the urgency to implement these to bring about improvement in a timely way.
• Staff increasingly work together to plan strategies to improve literacy, numeracy and attendance. Teachers are beginning to use achievement information to inform teaching, learning and targeted interventions aimed at accelerating student progress.
• Planned professional development for staff is appropriately aligned with strategic priorities and focused on improving literacy, numeracy, building assessment capability to inform teaching and Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L). 

• The school board, leaders, community stakeholders and mana whenua have been collaborating to develop a strategic plan. A commitment to inclusive engagement and shared ownership for promoting educational success is evident.  
• Strong relationships between the school, including partnerships with Whakatōhea, local industry and community organisations are in place to enhance student opportunities and access to meaningful pathways.
• School leaders and staff are establishing better ways to work partnership with whānau to reduce barriers to learning and promote student wellbeing and engagement in education. 

Rumaki/Bilingual Outcomes and Condition to Support Learner Success 

This section of the report provides more detail about the quality of teaching and learning through the provision of te reo Māori in Rumaki/Reo Rua classroom/s within in English medium schools. 

Learner success and wellbeing 

• Regular attendance within Maurua is significantly behind the government’s 80% target. A robust schoolwide attendance plan is beginning to be implemented to improve attendance.
• ERO was unable to verify the extent to which ākonga meet or exceed the expected curriculum levels across learning areas for students in Years 9 to 13.
• Kaiako in Maurua are taking steps to design and deliver authentic learning through a te ao Māori lens, strengthening ākonga identity and well-being to promote engagement in learning and raise achievement. 

Conditions to support learner success 

• Kaiako should use consistent assessment practices to track ākonga progress and report on ākonga achievement to senior leaders.
• Kaiako and senior leaders should create and implement a Māori medium pathway plan to support ākonga transitions into, through and beyond Maurua.

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 identifies key priorities and actions for improvement.

Key priorities 

• Urgently improve regular attendance and reduce chronic absence.
• Develop consistent responsive and high-quality teaching and assessment for learning practices across the school to improve learner engagement and outcomes.
• Urgently accelerate student progress in literacy and numeracy with a focus on students needing targeted intervention and support.
• Reinforce and implement consistent expectations for learning and behaviour with staff, students and community, based on the principles of Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) and the school’s values.
• Implement consistent assessment practice in Maurua to track ākonga progress and provide robust achievement information.

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within three months:

• leaders and the school Board develop a plan to establish consistent schoolwide values and expectations for teaching, learning, behaviour and attendance
• leaders and the school Board confirm the strategic and annual planning priorities with the school community
• senior leaders implement the attendance plan strategies and interventions
• school leaders and teachers implement an action plan and programme with clear measurable outcomes to improve school wide literacy and numeracy achievement
• leaders and teachers engage in professional learning focused on literacy and numeracy, assessment for learning, culturally responsive practices, and identified areas of development for high quality evidence informed teaching
• Maurua kaiako establish an assessment schedule and implement consistent practice for tracking and monitoring ākonga progress
• the school Board address non-compliances and establish processes to ensure the school meets legislative requirements

Within six months

• leaders track and monitor strategies for improving attendance, identify areas for improvement and adjust as required
• teachers implement actions to improve literacy and numeracy teaching and learning including targeted interventions to improve Year 9 and 10 learners progress and achievement
• senior and curriculum leaders establish a schoolwide assessment schedule for literacy and numeracy, including consistent monitoring of student progress and achievement
• school leaders and teachers review the effectiveness of professional learning, including the impact on teaching practice, learner engagement and achievement
• leaders establish a structured programme of support and development for provisionally registered teachers (PRTs), new staff and staff with a Limited Authority to Teach (LATs)
• school leaders and the Board collect feedback from kaiako, students, and the school community to assess understanding of school-wide values and expectations; identifying areas for improvement and strategies to support as needed
• the school Board develop their understanding of their role and responsibilities for effective governance to ensure the revised strategic, annual planning and teaching development needs are well aligned, resourced and actioned

Every six months:

• leaders and the school Board monitor the effectiveness of systems and processes for improving student attendance and plan next steps
• leaders and the School Board use student progress and achievement data to review the effectiveness of school wide plans and interventions for improving student outcomes with a focus on accelerating student progress in literacy and numeracy
• school leadership and the Board engage with whānau, and community to share progress made, including opportunities to celebrate student and staff success
• kaiako and senior leaders will review implemented assessment practice in Maurua, checking for consistency, and impact on teaching and learning

Annually:

• the School Board review student attendance, engagement, progress and achievement information to measure progress and refine strategic goals and targets focused on ongoing improvement
• leaders and the Board evaluate the impact of professional learning on improving teaching practices, particularly in the use of assessment information to accelerate student achievement
• leaders and the Board evaluate the extent to which school wide values and expectations are known and understood by the kaiako, students and school community; plan next steps for improvements as required
• Maurua kaiako collate and analyse achievement information and report ākonga progress to senior leaders.

Expected outcomes 

• Improved student attendance, engagement, progress and achievement, for all groups of students.
• Robust achievement data is used to inform high quality teaching and learning practices, with a focus on accelerating student achievement in literacy and numeracy.
• Cohesive school systems and processes drive professional learning decisions and support targeted improvement priorities.
• The school values and expectations are embedded and foster a culture of high expectations and positive behaviour for learning.
• Robust achievement information is used to inform teaching and learning and improved outcomes for ākonga in Maurua.

Recommendation to the Ministry of Education 

ERO recommends that the Secretary for Education maintains the ongoing support of the Limited Statutory Manager, as outlined in section 171 of the Education and Training Act 2020, prioritising:

• strengthening leadership and governance capability
• development of quality teaching and learning.

ERO recommends that the Secretary for Education consider specialist help intervention as outlined in section 171 of the Education and Training Act 2020, prioritising: 

• improve student attendance
• accelerate literacy and numeracy achievement
• strengthen data-driven evaluation practices that focus on improving learner outcomes
• embed consistent behaviour and learning expectations across staff, students, and the community, aligned with PB4L and school values.

ERO will undertake a review to monitor progress within the next year. The next public report on ERO’s website will be within 18 months. 

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                         Sharee Hemingway
Director of Schools              Director Ākonga Māori

17 December 2025