Stratford High School

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

Stratford High School is a co-educational high school for learners in Years 9 to 13. The school roll has increased. It currently has a roll of 698 with approximately 77% of students who identify as New Zealand European/Pākehā, 30% as Māori and small percentages of Pacific heritage and Asian learners. 

The school has a supported learning facility, Te Rangimarie. A teen parent unit (TPU) is located onsite, and the school has oversight of an Alternative Education facility. Heart values describe the schoolwide expectations of Honesty/Pono, Excellence/Rawe, Respect/Manaakitanga, and Tolerance/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 November 2022 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.

Expected improvements

The school focused on building an inclusive culture where all learners feel supported and able to take part, ensuring classrooms focused more on students’ needs and improvements in student learning and developing stronger relationships with whānau, the community and iwi. 

Findings

The school strengthened their inclusive culture. Teachers use increasingly consistent approaches and have raised expectations for learning and behaviour. Learners’ outcomes and engagement have improved and environments are settled. Teachers use relational and responsive approaches in the classroom. Students appreciate the support for them to understand new concepts and knowledge, and opportunities to try new things.  

Opportunities for whānau, community and iwi to authentically connect with the school have increased. 

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.

• A large majority of learners achieve National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) at Level 1, 2 and 3. Less than a third achieve University Entrance. 
• Outcomes for groups of learners are improving however, disparity remains evident. Pathway options for learners have expanded. Schoolwide achievement and progress analysis is not yet available for Year 9 and 10. 
• Systems and processes that support the pastoral care of learners are well established. Behaviour data trends show that positive behaviour for learning is increasing. A next step is to systematically gather and analyse wellbeing information to inform decision making. 
• The small majority of students attend school regularly. Regular attendance rates are behind the government target of 80%. The school has implemented a suitable attendance plan; regular attendance is slowly improving. Chronic absence is not yet reducing.

Conditions to support learner success

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

• Senior leaders set clear, learner‑focused annual goals and targets to strengthen relational teaching, inclusive learning approaches, and consistent behaviour management; a next step is to share data analysis more widely across staff to build evaluation capability.
• Senior leaders effectively evaluate the impact of new programmes and initiatives; they seek a wide range of voices to inform their decisions.
• Leaders work closely with the Board to set schoolwide plans and targets and to make resourcing decisions that are aligned with learner needs.

• Teachers and learners have respectful relationships in settled classrooms; teachers use relational approaches and well‑planned lessons that align with schoolwide expectations and support consistent literacy integration across the curriculum.
• Transitions into high school are well managed. New learners are carefully introduced into the environment so that they can quickly settle into learning routines. Transitions out of high school are supported with sound processes that track and monitor individual pathway intent.
• Assessment processes in the senior school are well developed; a more consistent approach and use of effective schoolwide assessment in the junior school is a next step. 
• Learners with additional needs are fully included and supported in the classroom, and those with significant needs are well served by the supported learning environment.

• Community consultation has shaped the curriculum design, and a new, broader learning programme has been refined through ongoing evaluation.
• Teachers build their collective understanding of effective teaching through regular staff development opportunities. 
• Whānau are increasingly contributing to decision making, and the Board’s regular gathering of whānau feedback shows a steady improvement in satisfaction.

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

• Continue to raise achievement and reduce disparities for groups of students, particularly for Māori.
• Further support all teachers to understand and use approaches that positively impact student learning and prioritise the integration of literacy across the curriculum.
• Measure, analyse and use Years 9 and 10 progress and achievement data for reading, writing and mathematics to sharpen teaching and learning responses. 
• Improve regular attendance and reduce chronic attendance.

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within six months:

• leaders and teachers improve assessment methods in Years 9 and 10 to better track learner progress and strengthen teaching and learning responses, with a particular focus on literacy, mathematics, and wellbeing measures
• leaders fully implement the school’s attendance plan

Every six months:

• leaders evaluate and report to the Stratford High School Board about the impact of schoolwide practices on their agreed annual targets
• the Board reviews and adjusts their attendance plan in response to attendance data

Annually:

• the Board reports information about the impact of schoolwide practices on annual targets to the community.

Expected outcomes

• Improved achievement and equitable outcomes for all learners.
• Improved schoolwide measures of progress that includes wellbeing information.
• Consistent, high quality teaching practices with effective literacy integration across the curriculum.
• Improved regular attendance and reduced chronic attendance.

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

8 April 2026