Takapau 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  

​​Takapau School is situated in rural Central Hawkes Bay. The school is a full primary school catering for 106 students in Years 1 to 8. The schools’ vision of developing ‘a community of confident, connected, active learners’ is underpinned by the values of respect, responsibility, relationships and resilience.​ 

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 2022​ ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings. 

Expected improvements 

​​The school expected to see a strengthened curriculum that provided equitable learning opportunities alongside embedded culturally responsive and relational teaching practices. It also expected increased and more active participation from whānau and parents to support improved student progress and achievement. ​ 

Findings  

​​The school has made progress towards culturally enhancing strategies, with differentiated teaching, structured literacy and mathematics and a stronger focus more evident in teaching practice. Integration of te ao Māori through kapa haka, Māori sports and schoolwide te reo Māori lessons has occurred. A variety of communication strategies, including three-way student, parent and teacher learning conversations, contributed to strengthened whānau engagement.​  

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. 

• ​​The small majority of​ ​learners​ attend school regularly. 
• 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 not yet​ reducing over time.   

Assessment  

This section is about how the school assesses learner progress and achievement. 

​​The school uses an appropriate approach and reliable practices to 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. 

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 

• Students learn in a warm, inclusive environment that fosters belonging and pride in their learning and the school.  
• Clear routines and expectations are consistently implemented by staff across the school and teachers know their students well. 
• Students are actively engaged in learning through relevant learning experiences and contexts that reflect their interests. 
• Teaching practice focuses on building foundational skills in reading, writing, and mathematics and students have opportunities to apply these skills across the wider curriculum. 
• Teachers and leaders are committed to engaging in relevant improvement-focused professional development. 
• New leadership is focused on developing relational trust across the school community and strengthening educational partnerships with external providers, community, and whānau. 
• The Takapau School Board represents the community and actively supports the school to achieve its goals. 
• The school continues to strengthen its connections with mana whenua and have developed a schoolwide teaching and learning programme in te reo Māori. 

Key priorities 

• ​​Implement the school’s attendance plan and monitor the impact of initiatives to increase student attendance. 
• ​Align assessment practices and curriculum content to the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum. 
• ​Improve student progress and achievement in writing, with a focus on boys and Māori students. 
• ​Embed schoolwide use of data and internal evaluation systems to support continuous improvement in student outcomes.​ 

Actions to bring about improvement  

Within six months: 

• ​​leaders monitor the effectiveness of attendance planning and initiatives to improve student attendance and adjust where needed 
• ​curriculum leaders review implementation of the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum with a focus on assessment, reporting and teaching and learning 
• ​teachers implement teaching programmes to improve writing 
• ​leaders develop and implement schoolwide information, analysis and evaluation systems, including gathering and use of student wellbeing data​ 

Every six months: 

• ​​leaders review the impact of attendance plan and refine to further improve attendance​ 
• curriculum leaders review implementation of new curriculum and adjust where necessary 
• teachers review writing achievement data and refine teaching strategies to respond to needs of each learner 
• leaders monitor and review how well schoolwide data, analysis and evaluation processes are working and refine systems to ensure alignment and consistency 

Annually: 

• ​​the school Board evaluates the impact of attendance planning and strategies used to improve regular attendance to inform decision making about next steps 
• ​leaders and teachers monitor, review and update curriculum, assessment and reporting practices to ensure ongoing alignment to the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum
• ​leaders review overall progress and achievement data in writing to identify priorities for continued improvement 
• ​leaders and the Board review the school’s data, analysis and evaluation framework to ensure it guides ongoing school improvements in systems and supports learner wellbeing.​ 

Expected outcomes 

• ​​Regular attendance meets or exceeds the 80% Government target. 
• ​Curriculum, assessment and reporting guidelines align with the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum. 
• ​Improved progress and achievement outcomes, particularly in writing for boys and Māori learners. 
• ​Clear schoolwide data, analysis and evaluation systems that focus on improving learner outcomes.​ 

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 area of non-compliance during the board assurance process: 

• ​​ensure the school’s Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) policy is implemented with fidelity, and risk management procedures align with relevant legislation and guidelines 
  [Health and Safety at Work Act 2015; Education Outside the Classroom (Ministry of Education)].​ 

The Takapau School Board ​has since addressed​ 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​ 

​​15 May 2026​