Rotorua 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 

Rotorua School provides dual-medium education for students in Years 0 to 8. The school roll is 410, with Māori learners making up 92% of the total student population. The school’s values are Pukeroatanga, Whakatangata, Mana Motuhake, Tū Rangatira, Hononga and Kaitiakitanga. Teaching and learning in reo rua is guided by the New Zealand Curriculum, while teaching and learning in the full immersion unit is guided by Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. Rotorua School acknowledges Ngāti Whakaue as the paramount iwi. Rotorua School is an Apple Distinguished School. 

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 June 2023 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.

Expected improvements

The school focused on targeted teaching to improve progress and achievement for learners most at risk of not achieving, and on strengthening learner agency. The school expected to see an increase in the number of learners making accelerated progress and more learners able to identify their current achievement and next steps for learning.

Findings 

The school has made some progress towards these improvement priorities. Structured programmes and targeted interventions accelerate progress for learners, particularly those identified as needing additional support. However, some groups of learners are yet to meet curriculum expectations. The school agrees that addressing this remains a strategic priority. Learner agency is well embedded in the junior school but is not yet sustained as learners move into the middle and senior years. 

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 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.

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 a third of learners attend school regularly.
• The school is  significantly 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.
• 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.

Assessment information is used well 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 has 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.

Rumaki/Reo Rua outcomes and conditions to support learner success 

This section of the report provides more detail about the quality of teaching and learning through the provision of te reo Māori in rumaki/Reo Rua classroom/s within in English medium schools.

Learner success and wellbeing

• Taonga are consistently exposed to local Māori narratives and contexts, fostering meaningful learning and te reo Māori proficiency
• Taonga are immersed in a highly inclusive environment that supports and celebrates their culture, language and identity for holistic and academic success. 
• A large majority of taonga meet expected curriculum levels in pānui and tuhituhi, and a small majority in pāngarau. Their regular attendance rates could not be verified.

Conditions to support learner success

• Taonga experience the breadth and depth of the curriculum to ensure they achieve educational success as Māori
• Leadership is deeply relational, culturally fluent and growth focused, creating a strong foundation for student success.
• Leadership and governance actively honour whakapapa and iwi diversity, fostering an environment where whānau voice is seen, heard and valued.

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 confidently embrace their culture, identity and language, demonstrating a deep and connected understanding of Mātauranga Māori.
• Learners benefit from a collaborative learning environment and a unique curriculum that strengthens explicit teaching and learning practices, supporting improved outcomes.
• Neurodiverse students and those with additional learning needs receive targeted interventions, supported by allocated resources that promote their inclusion and meaningful participation in learning.
• Learners engage in rich, motivating learning experiences through the effective use of technology, which removes barriers, encourages creativity and collaboration, and enables learners to participate meaningfully and extend their learning.
• Leaders and staff foster a culturally sustaining environment that enables learners to experience educational success as Māori. 

Key priorities

• Strengthen analysis of achievement data to identify trends and patterns for identified priority groups of learners, informing strategic goals and resourcing decisions.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of strategies and interventions to accelerate outcomes for learners most at risk of not achieving.
• Strengthen whānau engagement to raise rumaki expectations and support the unit’s progression and sustainability as a te reo Māori medium pathway. 
• Increase sustained regular attendance toward the Government attendance target and reduce chronic absence.

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within three months:

• leaders review and implement robust data analysis practices to ensure accurate rates of mid-year student achievement information is reported

Within six months:

• teachers engage in professional development to strengthen teaching practice aligned to an approved structured program
• leaders refine whānau engagement plan and strengthen rumaki entry criteria to improve expectations for learning through the provision of te reo Māori
• leaders and the Rotorua School Board work collaboratively to strengthen and implement the attendance management plan and share with the community

Every six months:

• teachers monitor learner progress through effective achievement data analysis to improve outcomes
• leaders and teachers analyse achievement data through an on-going cycle of inquiry to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching and assessment practices
• Māori medium teachers build capacity and capabilities aligned to a rumaki specific structured programme to improve outcomes for taonga learning through the provision of te reo Māori
• The school Board and leaders refine attendance management strategies, with a focus on reducing irregular attendance and chronic absence, and share progress with the community

Annually:

• Leaders conduct a comprehensive review of achievement data and assessment practices to improve outcomes for learners most at risk of not achieving, refine strategic goals and inform resourcing decisions
• the school Board and leaders evaluate teaching and learning programmes to identify strengths and areas of further development, addressing equity issues to improve overall learner outcomes
• leaders evaluate the effectiveness of structured programmes, strategies and interventions on outcomes for all taonga
• the school Board and leaders evaluate the effectiveness of attendance management strategies to increase regular learner attendance towards government targets.

Expected outcomes

• Consistent use of accurate and reliable achievement data improves identification of priority learners, monitoring of progress over time, and evaluation of teaching impact, leading to greater acceleration and equity of outcomes.
• Improved progress, achievement and wellbeing for all learners, particularly those most at risk of not achieving.
• Improved engagement, attendance and outcomes for all taonga in the rumaki unit.
• Sustained improvement in regular attendance and reduced chronic absence.

Regulatory and legislative requirements

This section of the report is about how the school meets regulatory and legislative requirements. This includes the provision of education for international students.

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:

• an employer may not continue to employ in a teaching position a person who holds neither a practising certificate nor an authorisation if the person is not under the general supervision of a person who holds a practising certificate.
  [section 92 (1) (2) of the Education and Training Act 2020]

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

Provision for international students

This section is about the quality of the provision of education for international students enrolled at the school.

Findings

The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020. The school  has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.

No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.

Recommendations 

ERO’s evaluation of the school’s processes for self-review and the provision of pastoral care, as required by the Code, identified that the school is not undertaking or documenting regular self-review of its provision for international students to ensure it achieves the outcomes set out in the Code.

ERO recommends that the New Zealand Qualifications Authority as Administrator of the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021, follows up with the school on its implementation of the strategic goals and strategic plans described in clause 7 (1) to regularly review the quality of their learner wellbeing and safety practices to achieve the outcomes and practices of this code, at a frequency or by a date determined by the code administration.
[Process 2 (1) Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021; Section 534 Education and Training Act 2020]

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

21 May 2026