Te Kura o Pakipaki

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 

Te Kura o Pakipaki is a Years 1 to 8 school located in Pakipaki, Hastings and provides level 2 Māori medium education for all 34 students. All students are of Māori descent, with most affiliated to local iwi, Ngāti Kahungunu. Learners are guided by the schools’ values PAKI: persevere to succeed, achieve excellence, kotahitanga/whanaungatanga and I am Pakipaki.

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

Improvement and progress 

This section is about the progress the school has made since the November 2018 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings. 

Expected improvement

ERO and the school identified areas for improvement, including improving the progress, achievement acceleration of learning for targeted groups, establishing a consistent approach to teaching and learning informed by curriculum planning, and strengthening internal evaluation capacity.

Findings 

The school has not made sufficient progress. The school is yet to improve educational outcomes for all learners. Leadership and governance capabilities have remained unchanged, and the school's internal evaluation processes do not demonstrate the impact or effectiveness of its programs and initiatives on learner outcomes. There has been a progressive decline in attendance and achievement in reading and writing over a sustained period. 

Some progress has been made in curriculum planning with the implementation of a Rautaki Reo - Māori language strategy. 

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 limited opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum.

There is a variable focus on supporting learners to gain foundational 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 is taking steps to improve learners’ engagement, wellbeing and inclusion.How well does the school partner with parents, whānau and its community for the benefit of learners?

The school is improving its reporting 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 needs to ensure a physically and emotionally safe learning environment.

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 equitable for all groups of learners.

Mathematics

Almost all 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. 

• Less than half of learners attend school regularly.
• The school is behind the target of 80% regular attendance.
• The school is developing a suitable plan to improve attendance.
• Regular attendance is 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 not yet using an appropriate approach and reliable 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 and/or intervention 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 embrace their culture, identity and language, demonstrating a deep and connected understanding of Mātauranga Māori which supports meaningful relationships with mana whenua.
• Learners demonstrate an understanding of the school values that promotes engagement, inclusion and wellbeing.
• Learners are exposed to skills connected to environmental sustainability through an applied understanding of tikanga Māori protocols and practices.
• Leaders and teachers foster a learning environment that promotes te reo and tikanga Māori.

Key priorities 

• Strengthen the analysis and use of valid, reliable achievement data.
• Refine and enhance effective teaching and learning strategies.
• Improve progress, achievement and equity in reading and writing and accelerate progress for targeted groups of learners.
• Embed a curriculum framework and programme that meets the needs of all learners.
• Ensure learners experience the breadth and depth of the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC).
• Develop an attendance management strategy to improve chronic absences over time and increase regular attendance towards government targets. 

Actions to bring about improvement

Within three months:

• leaders and teachers scrutinise achievement data to identify patterns, trends and barriers
• leaders and teachers review assessment practices to improve achievement data validity and reliability to inform decision making
• teachers and leaders review explicit teaching strategies that are informed by a structured approach to literacy and numeracy
• the School Board and leaders improve attendance management strategies using reliable data to inform strategic priorities and targeted actions

Every six months:

• leaders and teachers extend achievement data to track and report rates of progress of over time, with a focus on identifying trends and patterns
• leaders and the School Board monitor rates of progress through effective analysis of achievement data, and implement appropriate interventions to improve outcomes and progress for targeted learner groups
• leaders and teachers analyse the impact and success of teaching and learning programmes and practices, with a focus on reading and writing
• leaders and the School Board review attendance management strategies through an on-going cycle of inquiry

Annually:

• leaders and the School Board analyse and evaluate achievement data to inform strategic goals and resourcing decisions
• leaders and teachers evaluate and strengthen assessment practices to ensure valid and reliable achievement data drives continuous improvement in student outcomes
• leaders review teaching and learning programmes to identify strengths and areas of further development to improve overall learner outcomes
• the School Board and leaders 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.
• Consistent school-wide teaching and learning programmes that lead to improved outcomes in reading and writing.
• 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

Actions for Compliance

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

• complete the necessary safety checks of all contractors who have unsupervised access to children
  [Schedule 4, number 10, Police Vetting; Education and Training Act 2020; Section 27, 31 Children’s Act 2014; Sections 5 – 8 Children’s (Requirements for Safety Checks of Children’s Workers) Regulation 2015]
• evaluate evacuation procedures and report fire drills to Fire and Emergency New Zealand
  [Section 32 Fire and Emergency (Fire Safety, Evacuation, Procedures, and Evacuation Schemes) Regulations 2018]
• report major incidents to WorkSafe as per the guidance issued by the Ministry of Education 
  [Section 56 and 198 Health and Safety at Work Act 2015].

The Board has not yet addressed the areas of non-compliance identified above.

The Board has since addressed the following areas of non-compliance.

• carried out identity checks of employees, and these are confidentially stored in the schools’ personnel files as per the guidance issued by the Ministry of Education 
  [Section 27, 31 Children’s Act 2014; Section 5 Children's (Requirements for Safety Checks of Children’s Workers) Regulations 2015]
• has a duty to provide a safe physical and emotional environment for students including preventing and reporting child abuse, and the prevention of bullying 
  [Section 123(1) and (2) Education and Training Act 2020; Section 15 Oranga Tamariki Act 1989; Sections 18 and 19 of the Children’s Act 2014]
• given priority to reviewing policies, procedures and school practices for managing challenging behaviour and using physical restraint, and ensure parents, students, schools staff, community, BOT and MoE are informed 
  [Section 99, 100, 101 Education and Training Act 2020; Education (Physical Restraint) Rules 2017]
• developed and implemented disciplinary procedures aligned to school policy to provide a physically and emotionally safe environment for all students and staff [Section 78-89 Education and Training Act]
• followed school policy and legislative requirements regarding the receipt and management of written concerns and complaints. 
  [Schedule 2A Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987; S27 New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990; S15 Education (School Boards) Regulations 2020]

Recommendation to the Ministry of Education 

ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education provide tailored support for:

• the school Board to meet their governance responsibilities, with a focus on health and safety, employment processes and regular attendance
• progressing student achievement
• improving regular attendance. 

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

10 October 2025