Kaingaroa Forest 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

Kaingaroa Forest School provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. There are currently 27 learners who all identify as Māori.  

The school’s vision of Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui encourages learners to be strong, brave, resilient and caring through their W.H.I.R.A. values of whanaungatanga, honesty, integrity, respect and aroha. 

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.

How well are learners succeeding?Improvements are required to ensure all learners are engaged, making sufficient progress and achieving well.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 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 foundational 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 reports usefully and accurately to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress.

The school responds well to a wide range 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 1 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.

Less than a third

Less than half

Small majority

Large majority

Most

Almost all

0 to 33%

34 to 49%

50 to 64%

65 to 79%

80 to 90%

Over 90%

Reading

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

Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

Writing

Less than half of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

Mathematics

Less than half of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

Attendance

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

• Less than a third of learners attend school regularly.
• The school is significantly behind the target of 80% regular attendance.
• The school has a suitable plan in place 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 is improving its approach and the reliability of its practices to accurately find out about achievement against the curriculum.
• Assessment information is used well 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 not 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 experience a caring school learning climate that is consistently positive and culturally responsive.
• The principal promotes a positive culture amongst the staff and school Board. They work well together, reflect on their practice and are well informed about strategies needed to raise student achievement.
• The Board provides additional resources and staffing to enable teachers to work with individual learners and are increasingly improving student engagement.
• Structured approaches to teaching are consistently implemented to support progress and achievement for learners. Detailed records show that a small majority make accelerated progress in literacy and mathematics, particularly those with regular school attendance.
• The curriculum was developed with the community and whānau and reflects local culture and aspirations. The curriculum is designed to support teaching and learning in multi-level classrooms.
• Targeted professional learning and a reflective culture strengthens teachers shared strengths and ability.
• The principal and teachers are strengthening their understanding and use of evaluation to inform school improvement. 

Key priorities

• Work with whānau to prioritise improving regular student attendance, especially for learners at risk of not achieving.
• Update school processes and practices to align with recent changes in assessment.
• Strengthen reciprocal learning partnerships with whānau. 

Actions to bring about improvement

Within six months:

• principal and school Board review and refine the attendance plan alongside the community
• principal includes targets in the annual plan that focus on accelerating learning
• principal and school Board use whānau voice to develop an action plan to help increase engagement and learning partnerships
• principal and teachers work together to understand and use new assessment requirements

Every six months:

• principal and school Board monitor the effectiveness of the attendance plan and report progress to the community
• principal and teachers monitor and report to the Board and parents on progress against school targets for acceleration and make necessary adjustments
• principal and teachers monitor and review the use of assessment tools to ensure achievement data is reliable

Annually:

• principal and the Board report on the effectiveness of school actions to improve learner progress and rates of attendance to the community
• principal and school Board consult with and report to whānau on the outcome of planned actions to increase engagement and learning partnerships.

Expected outcomes

• Robust assessment practices and high levels of achievement.
• Increased and sustained rates of regular student attendance and a reduction in chronic absenteeism.
• Meaningful relationships and reciprocal learning partnerships between school and whānau. 

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

Yes

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

24 February 2026