Opoutere 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  

​​Ōpoutere School is located north of Whangamata on the Coromandel Peninsula. It provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. Of the 117 students at the school, 42% identify as Māori and 42% New Zealand European/Pākehā.  

​The school vision and values are underpinned by core beliefs of mana|identity, manaakitanga|respect, whanaungatanga| relationships and poutama|excellence. The school aims to provide a curriculum where learning is an adventure.​ 

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 expected to see improved learner outcomes through the provision of tikanga Māori, te reo Māori and culturally responsive teaching practices. 

Findings  

​​Learner progress and achievement continue on a positive trajectory, though achieving equitable outcomes for groups of students remains a priority for the school. The school established a school wide te reo Māori programme. Te reo Māori can be heard throughout the school day. ​Partnerships have been established with the community that strengthen the school curriculum and are reflective of local area and te ao Māori concepts.  

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 ​has a suitable plan in place​ to improve attendance. 
• Regular attendance ​is not yet​ improving towards or beyond the target. 

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 

• ​​Learners are proud of their school and express a strong sense of belonging and are confident in their learning. 
• ​Leaders collaboratively foster a school culture committed to quality teaching and an inclusive learning environment focused on children. 
• ​Structured approaches to the teaching of literacy and mathematics are implemented across the school supporting strong foundation skills for learning. 
• ​Learners experience a broad rich curriculum that combines structured approaches in literacy and mathematics with authentic learning experiences connected to the local stories and environment. 
• ​Regular collaboration amongst staff strengthens knowledge, capability and consistency of teaching practice across the school. 

Key priorities 

• ​​Improve regular attendance.​ 
• Reduce inequity of achievement for groups of learners. 
• Increased scrutiny of data and targeted explicit teaching and learning strategies. 
• Develop and implement assessment practices aligned with The New Zealand Curriculum and assessment requirements. 

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within three months: 

• ​​leaders scrutinise learner progress and achievement information and use evaluative evidence to plan and implement actions with teachers that will bring about equitable outcomes for all learners​ 

Within six months: 

• ​​leaders and teachers review literacy and mathematics assessment practices, align with The New Zealand Curriculum and identify further staff learning priorities​ 

Every six months: 

• ​​leaders monitor the effectiveness of strategies to improve regular attendance and report to the school community  
• ​leaders and teachers monitor and review the effectiveness of their actions, including professional learning, to ensure that outcomes are becoming equitable for all learners in reading, writing and mathematics ​ 
• leaders and teachers review assessment practices schoolwide to ensure they are useful, consistent and accurate 

Annually: 

• ​​leaders and the Ōpoutere School Board evaluate the effectiveness of attendance strategies to see what is working well and adjust those strategies that are not for ongoing improvement ​ 
• leaders review and report to the school Board student progress and achievement information, identify barriers to learning to inform ongoing strategic planning for improvement. 

Expected outcomes 

• Sustained and improved high rates of regular attendance. 
• Improved equitable outcomes for all learners. 
• Consistent high quality teacher practices. 
• Alignment of the school curriculum and The New Zealand Curriculum. 

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 area of non-compliance during the board assurance process: 

• ​​ensure all staff employed have a current police vet 
  [Children’s Act 2014, s 104 Education and Training Act 2020].​ 

The Ōpoutere School Board ​has since addressed​ the area 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​ 

​​15 May 2026​