Flaxmere Primary 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 

Flaxmere Primary School provides education for learners from Years 1 to 8. The school roll is 424. Māori learners make up 64% of the roll, those with Pacific heritage 32%, New Zealand European/Pākehā 6%, and Asian 2%. 

The school offers four distinct learning pathways: Rumaki (Māori immersion), Reo Rua (bilingual), Vasega Ole Gagana Sāmoa (Sāmoan medium), and Aunoa (English medium). Vasega Ole Gagana Sāmoa was established in 2022. 

The vision of Flaxmere Primary School is to empower and inspire our tamariki through the TOA values of KIA TOA – be your best, KIA ORA – be well, KIA AKO – be a learner. 

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 1 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.

• Less than a third of learners attend school regularly.
• The school is significantly behind 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 is improving its approach and the reliability of its practices to accurately 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.
• The school is making progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority.

Rumaki/Reo Rua outcomes and conditions to support learner 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 are consistently exposed to local Māori narratives and contexts, fostering meaningful learning and reo Māori proficiency.
• Ākonga are immersed in a highly inclusive environment that supports them to be secure in their own identity, experience academic progress over time and holistic success.
• Ākonga with additional needs benefit from local specialist and external support agencies that removes barriers and encourages participation.

Conditions to support learner success

• The quality of te reo Māori instruction in rūmaki, embedded structured programmes in reo rua, localised kaupapa, and rich experiences outside the classroom contribute to improving learner outcomes.
• Leadership and governance are highly relational, culturally fluent and growth focused, creating a strong foundation for staff and student success.
• Leadership and kaiako actively acknowledge whakapapa and diversity to foster an environment where whānau aspirations and voices are seen, heard, and valued.

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

• Learners benefit from consistent, data-informed assessment practices that guide targeted teaching and planning. Through a multi-tiered system for tracking progress, teachers respond effectively to learner needs, improving outcomes and ensuring next steps are purposeful and personalised.
• Learners are developing deeper thinking and ownership of their learning through structured literacy and mathematics. They confidently engage in class and are increasingly able to articulate their learning journey.
• Strong pastoral care focus and Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) strategies aligned to the school’s TOA framework supports emotional and physical safety of Learners.
• Robust team hui, high expectations balanced with empathy, and empowering feedback contribute to a positive and growth-focused environment across the school.

Key priorities

• Refine and embed learning approaches for consistent practices and shared languages that support improved progress and achievement.
• Strengthen curriculum integration through kaupapa-focused learning that deepens critical thinking and exposes ākonga to more opportunities of lived cultural experiences.
• Refine Māori-medium targets and actions to strengthen teaching capability, with a focus on targeted staff development in Te Marautanga o Aotearoa and related programmes and assessments.
• Strengthen reciprocal relationships with whānau so they are confident, informed, and actively engaged.
• Formalise and document evaluation planning processes to support long-term, sustained improvement.
• Implement strategies to improve levels of attendance.  

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within six months:

• leadership and kaiako to plan and facilitate hui with whānau to co-design kaupapa driven learning, grounded in local iwi narratives and mātauranga Māori
• leaders and teachers have in place targeted staff development related to Te Marautanga o Aotearoa
• kaiako to collaborate with whānau to provide resources that support learning at home and reflect kura values and curriculum
• leadership and kaiako to co-create an evaluation framework aligned with the school’s TOA values, including indicators for teaching quality, learner outcomes, and cultural responsiveness
• leadership to complete alignment of the Ministry of Education’s Stepped Attendance Response (STAR) to the attendance plan of the school

Every six months

• school leaders evaluate the effectiveness of attendance strategies and report to the School Board to inform response to data
• school leaders report to the School Board progress and achievement information to inform decision making
• leaders monitor and review targeted, ongoing professional learning for teachers, making improvements as needed to strengthen reo Māori capability and enhance teaching and learning

Annually:

• leadership and kaiako evaluate kaupapa-driven learning against ākonga progress
• kaiako evaluate the effectiveness of home learning resources gathering student and whānau views and respond accordingly
• leaders analyse achievement in reading, writing and maths, report to the School Board, and use this data to set teaching and learning priorities for ongoing improvement
• leaders evaluate impact and effectiveness of professional learning opportunities on ākonga outcomes through data analysis, classroom observations and monitoring the rates of progress of all ākonga in rūmaki and reo rua
• leadership to conduct a comprehensive review of evaluation outcomes to inform continued planning for improvement
• leadership track, monitor and report on effectiveness of attendance strategies.

Expected outcomes

• Higher regular attendance levels and reduced chronic absence.
• Improved progress, achievement and equity of outcomes for all learners.
• Increased cultural learning experiences for ākonga.
• Whānau empowered to be active learning partners.
• Embedded evaluation planning processes to support long-term, sustained improvement.

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 meeting regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:

Board administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of health, safety and welfare

Yes

Personnel management

Yes

Actions for compliance 

ERO has identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

• ensure all applicants appointed to teaching positions are registered and those employed to teach are holders of a limited authority to teach 
  [Education and Training Act 2020, sections 599-600, section 93(1)]
• ensure all procedures of the school’s child protection policy are followed.
  [Children’s Act 2014]

The board has taken steps to address the areas of non-compliance identified.

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

23 March 2026