Kaharoa School

Bay of Plenty

Kaharoa School ERO Report

Education Review Office reviews for Kaharoa School in Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.

Review 9 May 2025

Latest

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.

About the School 

Kaharoa School is a rural school providing education for learners in Years 1 to 8. There are 179 students enrolled of whom 18 percent identify as Māori. The school’s motto is ‘Our Best Always - Tā Matou Pai Ake’ is underpinned by the school values of Learning - Ako, Care - Manaaki, Leadership - Rangatira, and being a Guardian - Kaitiaki.

Part A: Parent Summary

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?The school is improving teaching and learning.
How well does the school curriculum respond to all learners needs?

Learners have sufficient 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 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 is improving its collection and use 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 table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Foundation Skills

 
Reading

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

Results are not yet equitable for all groups of learners.

Writing

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

Results are not yet equitable for all groups of learners.

Mathematics

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

Results are not yet equitable for all groups of learners.

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

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

  • Learners are confident and have a strong sense of belonging and pride in their school.
  • Collaborative leadership is increasingly deliberate in their approach to improving outcomes for all learners in reading, writing and mathematics.
  • Leaders of learning work with classroom teachers to inquire and reflect on the effectiveness of classroom practice to raise achievement for all learners.
  • A broad curriculum that includes one hour a day of reading, writing and mathematics along with a wider range of learning opportunities.
  • Structured literacy and mathematics have been implemented across all classes and the school is focused on building collective capability of staff to ensure consistent and effective teaching strategies.

Key priorities and actions for improvement 

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

  • raise achievement through accelerated progress in reading, writing and mathematics for all learners
  • ensure expected teaching and learning practices are consistent schoolwide for improved outcomes for all students
  • strengthen schoolwide evaluation to clearly understand the impacts of strategic actions on increasing student achievement outcomes
  • improve regular attendance to meet the Government target.

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.

Within three months:

  • analyse achievement data for all year levels and groups to understand rates of progress and acceleration to inform next improvement steps
  • review expected teaching and learning practices to ensure shared understanding
  • build capacity in internal evaluation to enable effective analysis and inquiry into strategic actions and their impact
  • refine the school attendance plan to improve regular attendance 

Every six months:

  • monitor and review the effectiveness of actions taken to accelerate progress and lift achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
  • monitor the delivery of teaching and learning practices for consistency across the school
  • implement the inquiry process to determine actions required to improve achievement
  • review school attendance for trends and patterns and adjust the attendance plan as required

Annually:

  • evaluate student progress and accelerated progress in reading, writing and Mathematics to inform ongoing strategic planning for improvement
  • review teaching and learning practices to determine further professional development for staff
  • evaluate strategies designed to improve attendance and continue to adjust accordingly.

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

  • improved learner outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics
  • consistent teacher practice across the school
  • leaders know and understand what is making the most difference to learner outcomes
  • levels of regular attendance that meet the Government target.

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
Director of Schools (Acting)

9 May 2025

Education Counts

This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Read the full report on ero.govt.nz →

ERO report information is sourced from the Education Review Office.