Bluff 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

Bluff school provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school’s roll is 117. The majority of learners identify as Māori. The school’s vison is Tū mai motupōhue, he toka tū - Stand Proud, Determined and Steadfast, like Bluff Hill against the Raging Sea. In April 2025, a Limited Statutory Manager (LSM) was appointed to support the School Board in all functions, powers and duties as an employer, to establish policies and procedures and to manage communications.

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

Expected improvements

The school’s focus has been to strengthen partnerships with parents, whānau and Te Rau Aroha marae. These partnerships provide the context for learning about tikanga, and te ao Māori and create an environment that supports positive outcomes for learners.

Findings

Leaders have had a focus on growing learner-centred partnerships and have connected with the community through whānau hui and community events to build these partnerships. This approach resulted in the co-construction of the 2024 school strategic plan, with the school community including whānau, marae, staff, students and the Board. The plan includes the aspirations of all and informs the strategic direction of the school.

Focused professional development promotes teachers shared understanding of effective structured approaches to literacy and numeracy. Outside agencies have assisted with the development of schoolwide practices that support the wellbeing of 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.

How well are learners succeeding?Improvements are required to ensure all learners are engaged, making sufficient progress and achieving well.What is the quality of teaching and learning?The school is improving teaching and learning.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 an increasingly consistent focus on supporting learners to gain 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?The school is establishing planning and conditions that support improvements in the quality of education for learners.How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing?The school reasonably 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 65%

65 to 79%

80 to 90%

Over 90%

Reading

Less than half of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

Writing

Less than half of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

Mathematics

Less than half of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are becoming more 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.

• Less than half of learners attend school regularly.
• The school is significantly 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 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 not making progress towards meeting the Government reading, writing and mathematics targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority.

Support

During the course of this review ERO had concerns about the quality of education being provided and made recommendations for support and/or intervention to the Secretary / Ministry of Education.

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

• Bluff School maintains strong ties with the local Te Rau Aroha marae, offering students valuable opportunities to deepen their understanding of tikanga and te reo Māori within their learning.
• School leaders and teachers continue to enhance the curriculum by integrating te reo Māori, tikanga Māori, and te ao Māori, ensuring that these elements are woven throughout classroom learning.
• Staff further enrich the curriculum by engaging with the local community, including businesses and service providers, to broaden and enhance students' educational experiences.
• A key focus for leaders and teachers is on improving literacy and numeracy outcomes for every learner. The school provides a variety of targeted interventions designed to support student wellbeing and promote engagement.
• Ongoing professional development ensures that structured approaches to literacy and mathematics remain central, helping teachers strengthen their expertise and capacity across the school.

Key priorities

• Implement consistent, high quality teaching practices and approaches.
• Increase achievement in reading, writing and mathematics for all learners.
• Develop and put into practice a plan to improve regular attendance.
• Improve the collection and use of achievement and progress information.
• Strengthen relational trust and effective collaboration at every level of the school community to achieve the strategic vison and improvement goals of the school.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within three months:

• leaders provide teachers with professional development and implement structured approaches in mathematics, and strengthen structured literacy practices
• teachers identify students who are not making sufficient progress in reading, writing or mathematics and provide targeted teaching to increase their progress and achievement
• leaders and teachers develop an attendance plan and share this with the school community to improve regular attendance
• leaders and the Board establish clear lines of communication for staff and leaders to build a shared understanding of collaborative decision making and teaching and learning expectations

Within six months:

• leaders and teachers Implement monitoring and data collection practices and ensure accuracy and validity of achievement and progress data
• teachers start use progress and achievement information to identify effective interventions and set priorities that improve learner outcomes
• leaders and teachers implement and monitor the effectiveness of attendance plans to improve regular attendance

Every six months:

• leaders and teachers monitor and review progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics, then adapt practices or programmes where required
• leaders and teachers review attendance for trends and patterns and adjust plans as required
• leaders and teachers monitor data collection for consistency of teacher practice and to identify any gaps in data accuracy
• the School Board and leaders review the effectiveness of communication practices and adjust as required to support a consistent and cohesive approach across the school and with the community

Annually:

• the School Board use student progress and achievement information in reading, writing, and mathematics to spot trends, strengths, and areas needing improvement, then plan what actions are needed
• leaders and teachers review which strategies have improved learner outcomes, then share these findings with the Board to help plan for ongoing improvements in teaching and learning
• the Board and leaders review attendance data and report on the effectiveness of strategies to the school community and adjust plans as needed
• leaders and the Board evaluate the extent to which collaborative; cooperative decision-making drives progress towards realising the schools’ strategic vision and improvement goals for learners.

Expected outcomes

• Increased achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.
• All students regularly attending school.
• Cohesive leadership that fosters a culture of cooperation and collaboration for a positive impact on learner progress and achievement.
• Accurate data is used to inform strategic planning and resourcing to improve outcomes for learners.

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 regular training for staff in the Child Protection Policy 2014
  [Children’s Act 2014, sections 18 and 19]
• in consultation with the school’s Māori community, develop and make known to the school’s 
  community policies, plans and targets for improving the achievement of Māori students
  [Education and Training Act 2020, section 127(1)(d)].

The Board has not yet addressed the areas of non-compliance identified.

Recommendation to the Ministry of Education

ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education extend the role of the LSM to include managing and communicating change; this includes developing leadership for change and communication of changes to the staff, the Board and the community.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Report and is due within 4 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

18 September 2025