Review 1 April 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.
About the School
James Cook School provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. Learners are encouraged to use the school’s ‘RICHER’ values of respect, inclusion, cooperation, honesty, endeavour and resolution. A new principal was appointed in Term 3, 2024.
The school roll is 144. The ethnic composition is New Zealand/European 44%, Māori 39%, and Pacific 15%.
Part A: Parent Summary
How well placed is the school to promote educational success and wellbeing?
| 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 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 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 table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.
Foundation Skills | |
| Reading | A large majority of 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 becoming more equitable for all groups of learners. |
Attendance
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 not yet reducing over time.
Assessment
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
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 meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority.
An explanation of the terms used in the Parent Summary can be found here: Guide to ERO school reports
Part B: Findings for the school
This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.
Areas of Strength
Teachers and leaders know their learners well and respond to individual wellbeing and learning needs by tracking and monitoring target group achievement and progress closely. Learners needing additional in-class support are identified and provided with effective assistance; this contributes to a positive and inclusive environment that progresses learning.
Leaders are establishing systematic processes to analyse progress and achievement to inform strategic planning and decision making.
The school is using a structured approach to literacy and planning for structured mathematics will ensure readiness for 2025.
The school curriculum has been adapted to a three-year cycle to provide balanced curriculum coverage. Embedded school values support learner wellbeing, inclusion and self-responsibility.
Targeted professional learning and support from leaders effectively align to the school’s strategic goals.
Leaders promote a reflective culture that support teachers to regularly inquire into aspects of their practice and identify next steps for improvement in teaching and learning.
Key priorities and actions for improvement
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
- refine and strengthen a schoolwide approach to gathering, analysing and using achievement information over time, to build reliability and inform improvements for greater consistency in teaching practice
- further develop the school’s evaluation process to review the most significant initiatives for increasing progress, achievement and equity in outcomes for every student
- increase regular attendance rates of learners and prioritise the decline of chronic absence.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Every six months:
- review, moderate and analyse student achievement information to develop an ongoing and accurate schoolwide picture of learner progress over time, informing next learning steps
- embed a schoolwide evaluation approach that identifies the extent to which professional learning and other initiatives, impact on improved learner outcomes and attendance
- review and report on the effectiveness of changes to teaching practice, through teacher observation, collection of student feedback and analysis of assessment information.
Annually:
- analyse, evaluate and report schoolwide attendance, progress and achievement information to the board to strategically plan actions that will continue to improve attendance and learner outcomes
- collectively review and evaluate the impact of identified initiatives that have been most successful in accelerating learner progress and achievement, with a focus on informing next steps.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
- improved and sustained progress, achievement and regular attendance rates for all students
- embedded systems and processes for gathering and using assessment information to guide schoolwide teaching and learning programmes and inform improvement priorities
- enhanced internal evaluative practices that effectively assess the impact of actions and improve equity of outcomes for learners.
Part C: Regulatory and Legislative Requirements
Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements
All schools are required to promote student health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
During this review the 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
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 three 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)
1 April 2025
Education Counts
This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home