Review 16 May 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
Patoka School, a small rural school inland from Napier, has students from Years 1 to 8. Of the 40 students enrolled, 55% are New Zealand European/Pākehā includes, 40% are Māori and 5% are other ethnicities.
The school’s vision for learners is Through our school we are one – Kei te kura Patoka, ka Kotahi ra is underpinned by the core values of Confidence-Whakamahi, Honesty-Katoa, Respect-Whakatahi and Resilience-Whakamahi.
Part A: Parent Summary
How well placed is the school to promote educational success and wellbeing?
| How well are learners succeeding? | The school is working towards high levels of success and progress for all learners. |
| What is the quality of teaching and learning? | Learners benefit from high quality teaching practice that improves progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.
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| 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 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? | School planning and conditions to support ongoing improvement to the quality of education for learners are well established. |
| How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing? | The school reasonably 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 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.
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| Writing | A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.
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| Mathematics | Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.
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Attendance
The school is approaching the target of 80% regular attendance.
The school is yet to have a suitable plan 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 meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets set for 2030.
An explanation of the terms used in the Parent Summary can be found here: Reporting | Education Review Office
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
Leadership is highly collaborative and seeks the views of parents and staff for continuous improvement of learning. High levels of relational trust and communication between students, leadership and staff contributes to respectful classroom interactions that supports learning.
Learners are highly engaged in their learning and a strong sense of belonging and wellbeing is evident. Students learn in an inclusive environment that successfully differentiates learning to meet their needs.
Learners benefit from structured teaching practices in literacy. The implementation of a structured mathematics programme is underway.
Teachers work collaboratively and regularly use achievement information and evidence to inform teaching and learning. They monitor the impact of their actions on learner progress. Their professional learning aligns with the school’s improvement goals and learner needs.
Organisational conditions including leadership, policies, systems and practices align to provide learners with a well-run learning environment.
The current board provides stable stewardship and fulfils its rolls and responsibilities well; this provides the platform to encourage further parental involvement in the governance of their school.
Key priorities and actions for improvement
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
- fully commit to growing teacher confidence, capacity and capability in integrating te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and te ao Māori into the school’s curriculum and to support Māori learners achieve success as Māori
- review and formalise the school's curriculum to develop a cohesive schoolwide plan and use data to strategically address any disparity in achievement
- consider succession management, for the board, and encourage the participation of the community to be part of the school’s governance
- have a clearly planned attendance strategy with specific actions in annual planning, that are regularly monitored for effectiveness in increasing rates of attendance.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within three months:
- explore viable options for integrating te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and te ao Māori in the curriculum and implementing these
Every six months:
- review and report to the board the effectiveness of encouraging parent participation in school governance
- review and report to the school board on attendance, noting the impact of actions on improved outcomes and adjust as needed
- report on the progress made in implementing changes in the school curriculum and the use of te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and te ao Māori and use this information to inform next steps
Annually:
- leaders analyse and report schoolwide attendance data to the board and school community
- evaluate and report on the changes made to the school curriculum and the use of data to address disparity in achievement
- evaluate and report on the impact of integrating te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and te ao Māori into the school’s curriculum
- evaluate the effectiveness of encouraging parent participation in school governance.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
- all students regularly attending school
- consistent and confident use of te reo Māori in all classrooms
- a consistent schoolwide understanding and implementation of the curriculum to inform planning and strategic decision making
- well supported parent representation on the board.
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)
16 May 2025
Education Counts
This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home