Mamaku 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

Mamaku School is in Mamaku village, northwest of Rotorua. The school provides education for 106 learners in Years 1 to 8. The schools’ HEART values of Honesty, Empathy, Achievement, Respect, and Teamwork underpin the vision of E tupu tatau penei a tane - Like the children of Tane, we grow.

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

Expected improvements

The school expected to see aligned structures and frameworks that promote equitable and excellent outcomes for learners, and to grow collective capacity focused on inclusive and adaptive practice to meet the individual needs of all learners.

Findings 

The school strengthened structures to promote equitable outcomes. Standardised planning templates are in place, and the new curriculum is being implemented. Target groups receive focused support, and teachers identify specific actions for each student in reading, writing, and mathematics.

Strategies are with the Mamaku School Board, and achievement in reading and mathematics is equitable across groups. The Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) leads to support for students with additional needs. Structured literacy is implemented schoolwide, and support staff are trained. Targeted professional learning and curriculum implementation enhance teacher capability and strengthen systems for equity.

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 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.

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 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.
• 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 and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau 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 warm and respectful relationships and benefit from a well-resourced school environment. Well-established school values are visible and understood by students and staff.
• Learners, including those with additional needs, experience targeted teaching and learning programmes to promote their progress and achievement.
• Leadership is improvement-focused and ensures professional learning is purposeful and aligned to strategic goals.
• Learners benefit from consistent and structured approaches to teaching literacy and mathematics.
• The curriculum offers a broad range of learning opportunities, and the school is well-placed to implement changes in curriculum.

Key priorities

• Improve achievement outcomes for all learners, particularly boys and Māori students in writing
• Strengthen the analysis, use of data and moderation processes to ensure teacher judgements consistently align with common assessment tools
• Evaluate systems, processes and programmes to guide decision making and school improvement.
• Improve regular attendance.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within three months:

• leaders and teachers implement the attendance plan to improve regular attendance
• Board and leaders use achievement data to identify annual improvement priorities for literacy and mathematics

Within six months:

• leaders and teachers analyse achievement data and identify targeted strategies for boys and Māori learners, particularly in writing
• leaders develop and share clear moderation processes to align teacher judgements with assessment tools
• the leadership team review current schoolwide systems and identify priority areas for improvement

Every six months:

• leaders and teachers review the implementation of targeted writing strategies and monitor progress for boys and Māori learners
• teachers and leaders review achievement data and adapt teaching strategies to accelerate learning
• the leadership team review school systems and processes and refine as needed to improve effectiveness
• leaders and Board review attendance data and initiatives and make changes to sustain improvement

Annually:

• leaders and teachers evaluate the impact of programmes aimed at improving progress and achievement, especially in writing for boys and Māori students
• the school Board and leaders use data to evaluate the impact of interventions on student outcomes to guide improvement planning
• leaders and the school Board evaluate attendance initiatives to inform future planning.  

Expected outcomes

• Improved achievement outcomes, particularly for boys and Māori learners, in writing.
• Consistent and reliable teacher judgements aligned with assessment tools.
• Effective schoolwide systems and processes guide decision making and ongoing improvements.
• Regular student attendance that meets or exceeds the Government target.

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

Actions for compliance

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

• Ensure the schools’ attendance processes and procedures align with policy.
  [Education Regulations 2024: Section 38: Requirements to ensure students attend when school is open for instruction]

The board has since addressed the areas of non-compliance identified.

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

9 February 2026