Maraenui Bilingual School (Napier)

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

Maraenui Bilingual School is a Years 1 to 8, full bilingual primary school located in Napier and provides Rūmaki (full immersion Māori) and Reo Rua (bilingual) education. There are 60 students in Rūmaki and 82 students in Reo Rua. All students are of Māori descent, with most affiliated to the local iwi, Ngāti Kahungunu. Learners are guided by the schools' values of Mana, Manaaki, Manako and Mākoha.

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.

This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

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 half of learners attend school regularly.
• The school is significantly behind the target of 80% regular attendance.
• The school is yet to have a suitable plan to improve attendance.
• Regular attendance is not yet improving towards or beyond the target.
• Chronic absence is not yet 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 should improve their use of 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 does not have good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.
• The school has not 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/or 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.

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 confidently embrace their culture, identity and language, demonstrating a deep and connected understanding of Mātauranga Māori.
• Leaders and staff foster a culturally sustaining environment that empowers learners to experience success as Māori.
• Leaders and teachers provide a stimulating learning environment that promotes te reo and tikanga Māori proficiency.
• Leaders and teachers are using a range of assessment tools that reflects the unique context of the school curriculum.
• The school curriculum prioritises local context, history and a cultural narrative unique to Maraenui that encourages quality teaching and learning through the provision of te reo Māori.
• Whānau engagement and participation is authentic, drawing on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi to strengthen the relationship between the school and stakeholders.

Key priorities

• Strengthen achievement data analysis with a focus on accelerating outcomes for targeted groups.
• Refine and enhance effective teaching and learning programmes to improve progress, achievement and equity in pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau.
• Strengthen the use of valid and reliable achievement data to inform strategic goals and targets.
• Improve regular attendance towards the Government targets.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within three months:

• leaders and teachers develop and implement an attendance management plan to improve ākonga attendance
• leaders identify and address teacher development needs in pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau through targeted professional learning
• leaders and teachers will collaboratively review current data analysis practices, and implement consistent use of valid, reliable achievement information to inform teaching decisions and set measurable strategic targets for priority learner groups

Every six months:

• leaders and teachers extend analysis of achievement data to show rates of progress over time
• leaders analyse the impact and effectiveness of teaching and learning programmes, with a focus on pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau
• leaders and the School Board monitor progress through effective achievement data analysis to improve learner outcomes
• leaders review attendance management strategies through an on-going cycle of inquiry

Annually:

• leaders and the School Board analyse and evaluate achievement data to identify barriers, inform strategic goals and implement effective targeted action
• leaders and the School Board evaluate teaching and learning programmes to identify strengths and areas of further development, addressing equity issues to improve overall learner outcomes
• leaders and the School Board evaluate the effectiveness of attendance management strategies to increase regular learner attendance towards government targets.

Expected outcomes

• Improved progress, achievement and wellbeing for all learners, with a focus on accelerated learning for targeted groups.
• School-wide teaching and learning programmes that are high quality and effective, leading to improved outcomes in pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau.
• 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 meeting 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 bring about the following improvements:

• using achievement information to inform teaching and learning
• progress student achievement.

The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Report and is due within 4 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

Sharee Hemingway
Director Ākonga Māori

11 September 2025