Review 2 September 2025
LatestSchool 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
St John Bosco School in New Plymouth, is a special character Catholic state-integrated school. It provides education for children from Years 1 to 6. The school has 264 students. 88% are Pākehā / New Zealand European, 18% are Māori, 13% are Asian and there are a small number of students who identify as other ethnicities.
The school’s vision for learning is Foundations and faith for the future. The school values are Aroha (Love), Mahitahi (Co-operation), Ratonga (Service), and Manawaroa (Resilience).
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? | Learners experience high levels of success and make excellent progress; outcomes are similarly high for all groups. |
| What is the quality of teaching and learning? | Learners benefit from excellent 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 rich opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum. There is a consistent focus on supporting learners to gain 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 high quality education for learners are driving excellent school performance. |
| 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 Safety | The 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 | Almost all learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners. |
| Writing | Almost all learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners. |
| Mathematics | Almost all 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 large majority of students attend school regularly.
- The school is approaching the target of 80% regular attendance.
- The school is yet to have a suitable plan to improve attendance.
- Regular attendance is improving towards or beyond the Government target of 80%.
Assessment
This section is about how well the school supports all learners to make sufficient progress.
- The school uses an appropriate approach and reliable practices to 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 learners.
- 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 meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets set for 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
- Leadership is focused on maintaining excellence and the effective conditions for quality teaching and learning. They share and communicate high expectations for learning and behaviour.
- Learners benefit from a rich curriculum and a broad range of opportunities within a culture of care and support. They are well known by teachers and leaders and exhibit a strong sense of belonging and connection to the school.
- The school has embedded an effective approach to teaching literacy across all levels, and teachers are exploring new programmes and methods to improve mathematics instruction.
- Strong, coherent systems and conditions support high-quality curriculum delivery. These systems prioritise literacy and mathematics while enriching the curriculum through school values.
- Teachers, students, and parents collaborate to maintain high levels of engagement and achievement in learning.
- Leaders and teachers build trusting relationships and work collaboratively to ensure positive learner outcomes and sustain quality practices and effective learning conditions.
Key priorities for the school
- Sustain current systems and processes to support high-quality learner outcomes.
- Fully implement the refreshed English and mathematics curriculum requirements.
- Review how changes to the curriculum impact student achievement, progress, and acceleration, especially for those most at risk of not achieving.
- Improve regular attendance.
Actions to bring about improvement
Within six months:
- leaders and teachers work in partnership with the school’s community to develop a plan to sustain and improve regular attendance at school
- Leaders and teachers develop and use measures to clearly show the impact of curriculum development for learners most at risk of under achieving
Every six months:
- teachers and leaders collect, analyse, and report on student achievement, progress, attendance, and engagement to inform their planning
- the Board use reporting from leaders to monitor progress towards annual and strategic goals for ongoing improvement
Annually:
- the Board report to the community on achievement, progress, acceleration progress, attendance and engagement using the school’s annual reporting mechanism.
Expected outcomes:
- Improved and sustained levels of attendance, achievement and progress across the school.
- More refined reporting of progress and achievement that details the positive impact made for learners most at risk of under achieving.
Regulatory and Legislative Requirements
This section of the report is about how the school meet 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.
As part of the review process, ERO asks the school board of each school to complete the Self-Audit Checklists and Board Assurance Statement (BAS).
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 (Acting)
2 September 2025