Kutarere 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 stage 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

Kutarere School is situated next to Ōhiwa Harbour in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. The school provides level 1 and level 2 Māori medium education for 26 ākonga, ranging from Years 1 to 8. All ākonga are Māori, with most having whakapapa to the local iwi. Te Marautanga o Aotearoa is the primary curriculum for teaching and learning for Years 1 to 4. The New Zealand Curriculum guides teaching and learning for Years 5 to 8.

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

Learners have limited opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum.

There is not yet sufficient focus on supporting learners to gain skills in literacy and mathematics.

Learners with complex needs require better support to achieve their education goals.

How well does school planning and conditions support ongoing improvement?The school has not yet established appropriate plans, targets and conditions to support quality education for learners.How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing?The school needs 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 needs to improve its reporting to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress.

The school should improve its collection and use of information gathered through community consultation to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions.

Student Health and SafetyThe school needs to ensure a physically and emotionally safe learning environment.

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.

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%

ReadingERO was unable to verify the extent to which learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.WritingERO was unable to verify the extent to which learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.MathematicsERO was unable to verify the extent to which learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.Pānui

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

Results are not yet equitable for all groups of learners.

Tuhituhi

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

Results are not yet equitable for all groups of learners.

Pāngarau

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

Results are not yet 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 half of learners attend school regularly.
• The school is behind the target of 80% regular attendance.
• The school is yet to have 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 is not yet using an appropriate approach or reliable practices to accurately find out about achievement against the curriculum.
• Teachers should improve 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 does not have good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.
• The school has not improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.
• The school has not 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 and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority.

Support

During the course of this review ERO had concerns about the quality of education being provided and made recommendations for support and/or intervention to the Secretary / Ministry of Education.

Next steps for improvement

This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school. It outlines what the school is doing well and identifies actions for improvement

Key priorities 

• Strengthen teaching, learning, and assessment in pānui, tuhituhi, and pāngarau, with a focus on accelerating progress for ākonga below curriculum expectations.
• Implement a robust behaviour management plan and attendance strategy to support high expectations for learning, wellbeing, and meeting government attendance targets.
• Build leadership and governance capacity to improve schoolwide systems, performance, and outcomes.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within three months:

• leaders identify and address teacher development needs in te reo matatini and pāngarau through targeted professional learning
• leaders and teachers develop and implement an effective behaviour management plan and attendance strategy to support improved ākonga engagement and wellbeing
• school board and leaders engage professional learning support to improve school leadership and governance

Every six months:

• leaders analyse the effectiveness of teaching, learning and assessment in te reo matatini and pāngarau, measuring the impact on ākonga progress and achievement, to respond to individual ākonga needs
• leaders and teachers collect ākonga feedback regarding safety and wellbeing to understand and monitor the impact of the behaviour management plan
• leaders monitor and report on the impact of strategies to improve regular attendance

Annually:

• leaders analyse and evaluate ākonga achievement and progress in pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau and use this information to guide further improvements in teaching, learning and assessment practices
• leaders and teachers evaluate ākonga wellbeing and attendance data to inform and embed on-going improvement of the behaviour management plan and attendance strategy
• the School Board evaluate the effectiveness of school leadership and governance and use this information to improve decision-making, strategic planning and effective sustainable performance.

Expected Outcomes: 

• All ākonga feel a secure sense of wellbeing and safety for themselves and others.
• Ākonga meet expected curriculum levels in pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau.
• Leaders and teachers achieve schoolwide consistency in quality teaching, learning and assessment practices in pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau.
• Rates of regular attendance improve for all ākonga.
• Effective leadership and governance lead to effective decision-making and strategic planning, and successful and sustainable schoolwide performance.

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

No

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Actions for Compliance

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

• to provide a physically and emotionally safe environment for all students and staff
  [Section 127 (1), (2) Education and Training Act 2020; Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 S36].
• to implement foundation curriculum policy statements and national curriculum statements 
  [Section 90 (1) Education and Training Act 2020].
• to complete necessary safety checks of an employee 
  [Section 27, 31 Children’s Act 2014; Sections 5 – 8 Children’s (Requirements for Safety Checks of Children’s Workers) Regulations 2015].
• to follow school policy and legislative requirements regarding the receipt and management of written complaints
  [Schedule 2A Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987; S27 New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990; S15 Education (School Boards) Regulations 2020].
• the requirement to ensure an adequate number of workers are trained to administer first aid 
  [Section 13 (2) Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016].
• to erect clear signs and notices of the school’s fire evacuation procedure 
  [Part 1 Fire Safety, Evacuation Procedures, and Evacuation Schemes) Regulations 2018].
• for training and instruction for emergency procedures and evacuation 
  [Health and Safety at Work Act 2015].
• to meet the criteria for constitution of boards. 
  [Section 119 (1) (a) Education and Training Act 2020].

The School Board has since not yet addressed the areas of non-compliance identified. 

Recommendation to the Ministry of Education

That the Minister consider intervention under section 171 of the Education and Training Act 2020 to bring about the following improvements: 

• school governance that prioritises ākonga and kaiako health and safety, regular ākonga attendance, employment matters, strategic and annual improvement planning focused on ākonga achievement, progress and well being
• a school curriculum that is responsive to the interests, needs and strengths of ākonga
• schoolwide teaching, learning and assessment practices that accelerate ākonga progress and achievement pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau
• community relationships, engagement, consultation and communication.

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 October 2025