College Street Normal 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

College Street Normal School is located in Palmerston North and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. The school roll is 600. Students are ethnically diverse and include 36% who identify as Asian, 34% who identify as Pākehā, 18% who identify as Māori, 5% who identify as of Pacific descent and 7% from other ethnic groups. More than 25% of students receive additional support for English Language Learning.

The school’s vision is that students engage, explore and be empowered as learners. The school values are Resilience, Kindness, Respect and 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

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.

• The large majority of learners attend school regularly.
• The school is approaching the target of 80% regular attendance.
• The school has a suitable plan in place to improve attendance.
• Regular attendance is improving towards or beyond the target.
• Chronic absence is reducing over time.

Assessment

This section is about how the school assesses learner progress and achievement.

• 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 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.

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

• The School Board and leaders have a range of policies and programmes that support student wellbeing, help learners feel confident in who they are, and keep them engaged in learning.
• Leadership is shared throughout the school, with many opportunities for staff to lead through coaching, professional learning, and innovation teams.
• The school’s values and competencies are part of everyday teaching and help students grow in a well-rounded approach to learner development.
• Students achieve well in foundational learning areas, which supports their progress in other subjects. The school has introduced structured approaches to teaching literacy and mathematics.
• Leaders encourage ongoing improvement and professional development that contributes to the building of collective capabilities of all staff.
• The Board and leaders are proactive and plan carefully for lasting improvements and innovations based on research.
• Leaders and teachers regularly check and review their actions, using data to plan next steps for school improvement.
• The Board, leaders and teachers build strong educational partnerships with families, Rangitāne as mana whenua and the wider community, collaborating for student success.

Key priorities

• Embed the revised English and mathematics curriculum areas into classroom practices.
• Align changes in assessment requirements with current school wide processes.
• Improve and sustain positive achievement outcomes in reading and mathematics.
• Focus on improving outcomes in writing and reporting rates of progress for specific groups of learners.
• Increasing attendance to meet the Government target of 80% regular attendance.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within six months:

• leaders and teachers build on teaching practices evident in the school to strengthen and refine school processes, especially in writing, in alignment with the revised curriculum

Every six months:

• leaders analyse and report to the Board on specific groups of students’ rates of progress in foundational learning areas to inform decision making
• leaders review the outcomes of attendance initiatives to inform planning and actions to increase regular attendance

Annually:

• the Board and leaders use achievement information in structured literacy and mathematics, including specific groups of students’ rates of progress, to strategically plan and implement improvement actions
• the Board and leaders use reported information about the effectiveness and impact of the school’s attendance plan to review and improve regular attendance.

Expected outcomes

• Sustained high levels of student attendance, and achievement outcomes in literacy and mathematics.
• The revised school curriculum and assessment requirements are embedded schoolwide.

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 School Board has attested to some regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Provision for International Students

This section of the report 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 and has completed an annual self-review of its implementation of the Code.

At the time of this review there was one international student attending the school.

International students experience positive and inclusive relationships with their peers and teachers. They are well provided for with access to appropriate pastoral care within the school. Additional support for English Language Learning is provided for learners who need it. The school has thorough processes for annual self-review.

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)

22 August 2025