Silverstream (South) Primary 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 

Silverstream (South) Primary School provides education for students in Years 1 to 6. The current school roll is 329, including a large majority (74%) of students who identify as Pākehā / New Zealand European and 16% identify as Māori with smaller groups from range of other ethnic backgrounds. 

The school’s vision and motto are Learning to Be the Best That We Can Be / Akoranga Manawanui.

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 August 2022 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.

Expected improvement

The school aimed to become a cultural hub within its community, where Māori learners take pride in their rich cultural heritage and all students deepen their knowledge, understanding and connection to te ao Māori. As a result of the evaluation focus, it was expected that all Māori learners would be able to identify and learn more about their iwi, and that engagement between whānau Māori and the school would increase.

Findings 

The school prioritise hui (meetings) and other events that celebrate student success and actively involve whānau and families in school life. Growth of te reo Māori is supported through the establishment of a dedicated teaching and learning space, Te Pa. Deliberate engagement with mana whenua fosters a stronger appreciation of local tikanga and enhanced understanding of te ao Māori. The school value whānau voice in informing strategic decision-making and continue to proactively seek ways to strengthen community consultation.

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 1 to 6

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.

• The 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 improving towards or beyond the target.
• Chronic absence is reducing over time.

Assessment

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

•  The school is improving its approach and the reliability of its practices to accurately 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 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.

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

• Students learn in calm and settled classroom environments. An active commitment by staff to positive behaviour management and strategies promote learners’ engagement and sense of belonging.
• Students with additional learning needs are effectively supported through strong partnerships with families and well-designed individual education plans, ensuring successful transitions into and through school.
• Teachers increasingly integrate students’ views, interests and strengths into programme design, supported by relationship-based approaches and a sustained focus on developing learners who can lead their own learning.
• Team leaders provide professional leadership through collaborative, improvement-focused discussions and clear expectations for consistent, structured teaching practices.

Key priorities

• Strengthen the use of data to inform strategic and annual planning, targets and actions to accelerate progress and raise achievement for priority groups.
• Implement regular observations of teaching practice, with feedback aligned to curriculum, planning and assessment requirements.
• Evaluate the impact of professional development and other initiatives on student outcomes.
• Improve regular attendance to support positive student outcomes.

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within three months:

• leaders start a cycle of regular observations of teaching practice, with feedback conversations to foster improvement
• the school Board, leaders and teachers analyse end-of-year progress and achievement data to document evidence-based strategic priorities, targets and actions for annual planning
• leaders extend the attendance plan to include the range of actions and innovations currently used to grow attendance and reduce absence

Every six months:

• leaders analyse and report on shifts in progress and achievement, identifying opportunities for further growth
• leaders monitor and review schoolwide consistency in planning, teaching and assessment practices
• leaders analyse and review the impact of attendance strategies in relation to attendance data

Annually:

• leaders evaluate and report on the effectiveness of changes to teaching practices on student learning, progress and achievement to inform planning
• the school Board and leaders evaluate and report on the impact of attendance initiatives over time on student engagement and attendance.

Expected outcomes

• Improved student attendance, progress and achievement, with equity for priority groups.
• Consistently high-quality teaching and learning experiences across teaching teams.
• Evidence-informed strategic planning and evaluation approaches that improve student outcomes.

Regulatory and legislative requirements

This section of the report is about how the school meets regulatory and legislative requirements. This includes the provision of education for international students.

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

Yes

Actions for compliance

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

• strengthen hazard monitoring and control processes to respond to changing levels of risk
  [Health and Safety at Work Act 2015; Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016]
• keep sufficient records of the safety checking process for new employees as evidence of risk assessment, in line with the school’s appointment policy and procedures
  [sections 25-27, and 599 Education and Training Act 2020].

The Silverstream (South) Primary School Board has taken steps to address the areas of non-compliance identified.

Provision for international students

This section is about the quality of the provision of education for international students enrolled at the school.

Findings

The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020. The school  has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.

No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.

Recommendations

ERO’s evaluation of the school’s process for self-review and provision of pastoral care as required by the Code identified the school needs to strengthen its self-review approach.

ERO recommends that the New Zealand Qualifications Authority as Administrator of the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 follows up with the school its implementation of self-review.

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

28 January 2026