Te Pahu 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

Te Pahu School is located in a rural community and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The school roll of 113 includes 65% Pākehā students and 19% of learners identify as Māori. Since the last ERO review there have been significant changes in staffing including a new principal who started in term 3, 2024.

The school’s vision Niwha te ngākau kia eke panuku |attitude determines altitude supports students to reach their full potential. The school values of hauora, kaitiakitanga, manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and wairua auaha encourage all learners to be kind, respectful and safe.

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

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.

How well are learners succeeding?Success and progress for all learners is increasing.What is the quality of teaching and learning?Learners benefit from good quality teaching practice that improves progress and achievement in  reading, writing and mathematics. How well does the school curriculum respond to all learners needs?

Learners have sufficient opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum.

There is a consistent focus on supporting learners to gain skills in foundational skills in  literacy and mathematics.

Learners with complex needs are well supported to achieve their education goals.

How well does school planning and conditions support ongoing improvement?School planning and conditions to support ongoing improvement to the quality of education for learners are well established.How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing?The school successfully promotes learners’ engagement, wellbeing and inclusion.How well does the school partner with parents, whānau and its community for the benefit of learners?

The school reports usefully and accurately to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress.

The school responds well to a wide range of information gathered through community consultation, to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions.

Student Health and SafetyThe school board is taking reasonable steps to ensure student health and safety.

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.

Less than a third

Less than half

Small majority

Large majority

Most

Almost all

0 to 33%

34 to 49%

50 to 64%

65 to 79%

80 to 90%

Over 90%

Reading

Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

Writing

A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

Mathematics

Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

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 students 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 improving towards 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 Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and is likely to meet them by 2030.

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

• Wellbeing data shows the large majority of students are positive about school and benefit from caring relationships with their teachers.
• Leaders and the school Board work collaboratively to improve student outcomes, foster a positive culture for learning and address the school’s strategic priorities for improvement.
• A school-wide approach to the teaching of structured literacy and mathematics is fully implemented and supports students to develop strong foundation skills for learning.
• Leaders and teachers collect and respond to student feedback to broaden opportunities for learning across the curriculum.
• Planned professional learning and regular moderation of assessment practices strengthens teacher capability to better support learners and improve their outcomes.
• Leaders and teachers regularly reflect on strategies and practices to build a shared understanding of evaluation for improvement.

Key priorities

• Increase rates of regular attendance.
• Strengthen collective capability to accelerate and extend student learning.
• Develop the analysis of achievement data to inform effective targeted planning and actions to improve.
• equity and excellence for all students.

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within three months:

• leaders and the school Board set clear targets to shift rates of student attendance from irregular to regular attendance

Every six months:

• leaders and the Board monitor progress against attendance targets and share key insights with staff and families to strengthen collective responsibility for improvement
• teachers engage in professional development to accelerate student progress and explore ways to challenge and extend student learning, with a focus on writing and boys’ achievement in literacy
• leaders monitor consistency of assessment practices to ensure reliable data for planning and improvement
• leaders and teachers analyse school-wide data to identify levels of equity across groups of students and monitor and report on rates of progress

Annually:

• leaders strengthen the attendance plan strategies and work with parents and whānau to address ongoing barriers to regular attendance
• leaders evaluate and report on the impact of school actions and teaching practices on student progress and achievement.

Expected outcomes

• Improved rates of regular attendance meet the Government target of 80%.
• Increased rates of accelerated learning, especially in writing improve equitable outcomes for identified groups of learners.
• Effective use of a variety of data strengthens school evaluation and informs targeted actions for continuous improvement.
• Students supported to excel in their learning through an authentic and inclusive school 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

The board and ERO has identified the following area of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

• in consultation with the school’s Māori community, developed and made known to the school’s community policies, plans and targets for improving the progress and achievement of Māori students
  [Section 127(1)(d) of the Act: Objectives of boards in governing schools].

Te Pahu School Board has taken steps to address 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

31 October 2025