Takaro 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 

Takaro School is located in Takaro, Palmerston North and provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school roll is 211, 68% of learners identify as Māori. Takaro School provides Māori medium learning for students in Years 1 to 6. The school values are ‘Care, Actively Participating and Problem Solving’.  Takaro School acknowledges Rangitāne o Manawatū as mana whenua.

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?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 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 is improving its collection and use 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 64% 

65 to 79% 

80 to 90% 

Over 90% 

Reading

A small majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are 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 equitable for all groups of learners.

Rūmaki

 Pānui

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

Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

Tuhituhi

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

Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

Pāngarau

Less than half of 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 school is behind the target of 80% regular attendance.
• The school has a suitable plan in place to improve attendance.
• Regular attendance is not yet 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 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 not extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.
• The school is not making progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau 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 to the Ministry of Education.

Rumaki/Reo Rua Outcomes and Conditions to Support Learners Success 

This section of the report provides more detail about the quality of teaching and learning through the provision of te reo Māori in rumaki/Reo Rua classroom/s within in English medium schools.

Learner success and wellbeing

• Ākonga in Te Reo Pūtahi are exposed to local learning contexts and narratives that affirm their prior knowledge and strengthen their cultural identity.
• Less than a third of learners meet or exceed expected curriculum levels in reo-ā waha and tuhituhi, and less than half of learners meet or exceed expected curriculum levels in pānui and pāngarau.
• Ākonga are yet to make sufficient progress against the curriculum expectations and are not yet achieving educational success as Māori.

Conditions to support learner success 

• Integrating foundational skills and second language acquisition strategies, aligned with the literacy progression levels of Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, is a key focus of the teaching and learning programmes in Te Reo Pūtahi.
• Te reo ā-waha is prioritised to accelerate language proficiency and develop competency when engaging with core curriculum concepts of pāngarau and te reo rangatira.
• Governance and leadership are yet to evaluate and effectively drive improvements for ākonga in Te Reo Pūtahi, while entry criteria and pathways into Te Reo Pūtahi are yet to provide clear and consistent learning progressions.

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

• Neurodiverse students and those with additional learning needs receive targeted interventions with allocated resources that promote inclusion and participation.
• Learners benefit from meaningful experiences with local contexts, knowledge and expertise.
• A behavioural management framework that draws on cultural narratives, strengthens school conditions to support learner engagement and wellbeing.
• Ākonga in Te Reo Pūtahi engage with place-based contexts and narratives that affirm their prior knowledge and strengthen cultural identity.
• Leaders are developing a readiness plan to implement the refreshed curriculum aligned to structured literacy and numeracy approaches.
• Parents and whānau are valued learning partners, drawing on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi to strengthen community relationships and drive improved learner outcomes.
• Responsive and research-informed explicit teaching practices are an embedded expectation across the school to drive improved outcomes.

Key priorities

• Improve learner outcomes with focus on acceleration for learners at risk of not achieving.
• Refine and embed high quality, effective teaching practises across the school.
• Strengthen the use of achievement data to inform strategic planning and goal setting.
• Strengthen assessment practises to produce reliable achievement data.
• Increase regular attendance towards government targets.
• Develop a readiness to learn plan for ākonga and whānau in rūmaki who aspire to achieve through Level 1 Māori immersion.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within six months: 

• leaders and the School Board work together to improve and implement the attendance management strategy and share with the school community
• leaders and teachers review assessment data to highlight and report rates of progress, identify barriers and implement effective targeted action

Every six months: 

• leaders review the impact and effectiveness of teaching and learning programmes, with a focus on numeracy, identify areas for improvement and support
• the School Board and leaders refine attendance management strategies, with a focus on shifting irregular absence and share updates with the community
• leaders and teachers review learner readiness plans with whānau to ensure they understand and are supporting the learning of their tamariki, and the expectations of Māori medium education

Annually:

• leaders and the School Board review achievement and assessment data to measure the impact of teaching strategies and interventions, identify strengths and areas for improvement, and address equity issues to enhance learner outcomes
• leaders and the School Board evaluate the effectiveness of the programmes, strategies, and tools used to promote learner progress in Te Reo Pūtahi
• leaders and the School Board assess the effectiveness of attendance management strategies to increase regular student attendance towards government targets.

Expected outcomes

• Improved progress, achievement and wellbeing for all learners and accelerated progress learners at risk of not achieving.
• High quality teaching and learning programmes, leading to improved outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Improved progress and achievement for all learners in Te Reo Pūtahi, with a focus on accelerating learning for those achieving below or well below curriculum expectations.
• Increased regular attendance.

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 some regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Recommendation to the Ministry of Education

ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education provides tailored support to:

• progress learner achievement
• develop school evaluation capabilities

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

Sharee Hemingway
Director Ākonga Māori

22 October 2025