Tararua College

School Evaluation 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

Tararua College is a rural secondary school in Pahiatua, providing education for students in Years 9 to 13. The roll of approximately 380 students includes 82% Pākehā/NZ European, 41% Māori, and 6% Pacific learners. The school motto, ‘Tama Tu Tama Ora; those who strive live fully’ is underpinned by the school values of respect, involvement, and personal excellence. 

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

The school evaluated how well partnerships with parents and whānau and a deeper understanding of successful teaching strategies led to an improvement in achievement levels in Year 9 and 10 literacy and numeracy.

Expected improvements

The school expected to see students benefitting from a curriculum where teaching strategies effectively address numeracy and literacy learning needs across the junior school.

Findings

The school has made progress toward developing a curriculum that addresses literacy and numeracy needs across the junior school. Leadership structures, professional development, and teaching support are in place, creating a foundation for improvement. Further work is required to fully embed effective teaching practices and establish monitoring and evaluation systems to ensure consistent implementation across all classrooms and long-term sustainability.

What we know about learner success 

This section provides a summary of learner success, wellbeing and foundation school conditions, including any education in Rumaki/Reo Rua settings. The judgments are based on the ERO School Improvement Framework and evidence provided to ERO during the evaluation.

Learner success and wellbeing

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing.

• In 2024, less than half of students achieved National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 1, a small majority achieved Level 2, and less than half achieved Level 3, with inequity for Māori learners at Level 2.
• Results across all NCEA levels have declined over the last three years.
• The school gathers some literacy and mathematics data for Years 9 and 10 and is yet to develop a clear understanding about student progress and achievement in literacy and mathematics in Years 9 and 10.
• Less than half of students attend school regularly and regular attendance remains below the Government target. Regular attendance is improving, and chronic absence is decreasing.

Conditions to support learner success 

This section provides a summary of leadership, teaching, curriculum and foundation school conditions for improvement.

• Leadership is building relational trust and fostering professional collaboration across the school to promote collective efforts that enhance student wellbeing and achievement.
• Leaders are strengthening the quality and consistency of teaching and learning to address diverse student needs and improve progress and achievement.
• Leaders and teachers systematically track and monitor senior students’ progress toward improvement targets to raise achievement; embedding this approach consistently at junior levels is a priority.
• School leaders set clear and appropriate goals to improve attendance and achievement outcomes; a next step is to strengthen evaluation of the impact of actions taken.

• Leaders and teachers offer a wide range of learning options, including online, community and tertiary-based learning opportunities, that reflect and support students’ interests, strengths and future pathways.
• Relationships between students and teachers are characterised by mutual respect, fostering a positive inclusive culture that supports engagement, wellbeing, and achievement.
• Students who need additional support are clearly identified on entry. Teachers are strengthening targeted provision to ensure these students continue to make progress.

• Leaders and teachers know their learners well and take an individualised approach that considers academic, social, emotional and cultural needs to support students.
• The school’s pastoral team work collaboratively and use effective strategies to monitor learners’ wellbeing; students’ wellbeing and inclusion is prioritised and promoted.
• Senior students’ vocational pathways are supported through extensive and purposeful partnerships with tertiary and training providers, businesses and careers programmes.
• The school has identified the weaving of Te Tiriti o Waitangi throughout school operations to effectively enhance student engagement and wellbeing.

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 identifies key priorities and actions for improvement.

Key priorities

• Grow consistent, high-quality teaching practices across the school.
• Establish robust assessment and reporting systems for Years 9 and 10 in literacy and mathematics.
• Strengthen school-wide evaluative capability to identify what works best for different learners and use evidence to drive continuous improvement.
• Improve and sustain regular student attendance.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within three months:

• leaders decide on an assessment and reporting framework for Years 9 and 10, including baseline data collection for literacy and mathematics
• leaders implement the plan to raise attendance

Within six months:

• leaders generate reliable data for Years 9 and 10 in literacy and mathematics that informs targeted actions to accelerate progress and achievement.
• leaders and teachers develop and implement expectations for high-quality teaching aligned with the school’s teacher profile
• leaders provide targeted professional learning to strengthen teaching practices and embed curriculum changes

Every six months:

• leaders and teachers review teaching strategies and evaluate their impact on student progress and achievement
• leaders and teachers monitor and track student progress schoolwide and provide professional learning and development as needed
• leaders review attendance data and adjust strategies to address emerging barriers

Annually:

• leaders and the Board review the impact of school initiatives and the consistency of teaching practices; use findings to inform strategic planning
• leaders and the Board evaluate strategies to increase regular attendance and address barriers to learning; use findings to inform next steps.

Expected outcomes

• Established assessment and reporting practices in years 9 and 10 that provide quality insights into student progress and achievement over time.
• Consistent high-quality teaching that benefits all learners.
• Strengthened school-wide evaluation capability to identify what works best for different students and drive continuous improvement.
• Improved and sustained regular student attendance.

Recommendation to the Ministry of Education

ERO recommends that the Secretary for Education consider intervention for specialist help as listed in section 171(1) of the Education and Training Act 2020 in order to bring about the following improvements:

• accelerating progress and raising achievement
• improving attendance.

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

9 February 2026