Ngakonui Valley 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 

Ngakonui Valley School provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The school has a roll of 46 students, and 30 percent of students identify as NZ European/Pākehā, 56 percent Māori and nine percent of Pacific heritage. The school's vision is “To Nurture, Blossom and Grow: Ka Whangai Puawai Tupu”. This vision is supported by the school’s REAP values of responsibility, effort towards excellence, achieve with attitude and participate to persevere: “We REAP what we sow”.

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 evaluated how increased learner engagement, learner agency, and stronger partnerships focused on learning impact student progress and achievement. The school expected to see improvements in attendance, engagement, and achievement for all learners.

Findings 

The school has undergone several leadership changes since the last ERO report. The new leadership team strengthened student engagement through the implementation of structured teaching approaches in literacy and mathematics and improving evaluation processes. Partnerships with parents and whānau are developing through clearer assessment and reporting practices, further supporting greater engagement by parents and whānau in their child’s learning. Learning and attendance data show improvements in attendance and achievement for most learners. 

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 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 large majority of students attend school regularly.
• 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 

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 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

• Teachers promote respectful and inclusive learning environments where learners are meaningfully engaged and supported in their learning.
• Structured approaches to teaching literacy and mathematics are well supported by targeted professional learning.
• The school curriculum, developed with the community and whānau, includes strong links to the local environment and provides meaningful learning opportunities for all learners.
• The school fosters partnerships with parents, whānau and the wider community, including mana whenua, to support student success.

Key priorities

• Increase achievement for all learners, especially for boys in literacy.
• Develop and implement a cohesive school-wide approach to assessment, aligned to The New Zealand Curriculum and assessment requirements.
• Embed consistent, structured teaching in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Establish systematic internal evaluation processes.
• Improve regular attendance.

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within 3 months:

• implement the attendance plan
• leaders and teachers participate in professional learning and coaching focused on consistent The New Zealand Curriculum implementation, with priority given to structured literacy and assessment practice

Within six months:

• teachers embed structured approaches in literacy and mathematics, to ensure consistent teaching across the school to accelerate progress for learners at risk and extend achievement for those already meeting or exceeding expectations
• leaders review current data collection practices to align with updates to The New Zealand Curriculum and assessment requirements and identify gaps in achievement and progress data
• leaders continue to build staff capability in data analysis to quickly identify individuals and groups needing support and support teachers to implement initiatives to further accelerate progress
• leaders embed the school wide evaluative process that teachers and leaders use collectively to determine what is working and what is not for who

Every six months:

• leaders collect, analyse and report to the Ngakonui Valley School Board overall achievement, progress, behaviour, wellbeing and attendance information to let them know what is working to improve and sustain high learner outcomes
• leaders evaluate structured approaches to literacy and mathematics, to monitor consistency in teacher practice and improvement to learner outcomes
• leaders and teachers use data to assess the impact of teaching and learning initiatives, report progress to the Board, and identify groups needing additional support in literacy and mathematics

Annually:

• consistent and accurate collection of achievement and progress data to inform teaching and learning and implement targeted interventions that improve outcomes for all students
• leaders review and refine data collection tools and processes to inform targeted improvement
• leaders assess the impact of structured teaching in literacy and mathematics to inform future professional development
• the school Board reports overall achievement, progress, behaviour, wellbeing and attendance information to the community
• leaders analyse attendance data for trends and patterns; report on the effectiveness of the attendance strategies to the school community and adjust the attendance plan as needed.

Expected outcomes

• Increased achievement for all learners, especially for boys in literacy.
• Consistent and accurate collection of achievement and progress data to inform teaching and learning and implementation of targeted interventions that improve outcomes for all students.
• Consistent and structured teaching approaches in literacy and mathematics.
• A consistently applied internal evaluation framework that reviews initiatives and provides clear evidence of impact on student learning.
• Improved and sustained regular attendance.

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

17 April 2026