Te Hapara 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

Te Hapara School provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. The school roll is 214, 73% of learners are Māori, 18% Tongan, 18% New Zealand European/Pākehā and 8% other ethnicities. The school’s vision of a place of learning, of caring, and of soaring for excellence, is underpinned by the values of Perseverance – Hiringa, Respect – Whakaute, Compassion – Aroha, Honesty – Pononga and Responsibility – Kawenga.

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

Expected improvements

The school focused on developing effective teaching practices that improve outcomes in literacy for all learners and ensuring assessment practices were fit for purpose and informed individual learning requirements.

Staff engaged in a review of the established literacy action plan, evaluating its effectiveness and impact on student progress and achievement. Additionally, efforts were made to gather evidence on how professional learning changed teaching practices and helped raise literacy achievement across the school.

Findings 

Literacy outcomes have not improved to the extent the school would like. The focus continues on the teaching practices that make the biggest difference in improving learners’ outcomes in reading and writing. Staff regularly review the literacy plan to make sure the actions taken help students to progress. Strengthening how assessments are used is a priority, so teachers can clearly see where each student is at in relation to the curriculum and better support their learning. As the result of professional learning, teachers and leaders have seen changes in classroom practice that help students achieve in literacy. 

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 6

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 half of students 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 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.
• Teachers are developing 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 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 not 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 for 2030. 

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 demonstrate a strong sense of belonging and pride in their school. They participate in a wide range of sports and cultural activities that enrich their school experience. Warm and caring relationships are evident, fostering a culture that reflects the school’s values.
• Students requiring additional support with learning are well identified and have targeted support focused on literacy.
• A consistent, collaborative and well understood approach to teaching and learning is evident across the school. Learning is well planned, emphasising reading, writing and mathematics.
• The school has integrated a structured approach to literacy schoolwide; the implementation of a structured mathematics approach is underway.
• Students have a curriculum that provides meaningful learning linked to local contexts and connections with iwi and Lea Faka-Tonga (Tongan language) is also provided for all students of Tongan decent.
• Leaders and teachers work collaboratively. Teachers are well supported to build capability through professional learning programmes aligned with strategic goals for learner achievement.
• Parents are well informed about student achievement, progress, and wellbeing through effective school–home communication.

Key priorities

• Strengthen the use of assessment data to track and report achievement.
• Build on structured literacy practices and embed structured mathematics approaches schoolwide.
• Strengthen assessment and moderation practice for ongoing improvement to teaching responses.
• Enhance and build on partnerships with whānau and community to guide curriculum development and strategic direction.
• Further improve regular attendance.

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within six months:

• leaders develop systems to monitor and report schoolwide progress over time
• leaders and teachers re-look at learners’ needs and identify trends and patterns of achievement and plan for improvement
• leaders review the alignment of teaching and learning approaches in literacy and mathematics with the new curriculum and assessment requirements, identifying next steps

Every six months:

• leaders monitor and report schoolwide progress, identifying ongoing learner needs, trends and patterns of achievement and plan for improvement
• leaders and the School Board evaluate the impact of strategies used to further improve students’ regular attendance to guide next steps

Annually:

• leaders evaluate and report on the impact of teaching and learning, highlighting successful initiatives to inform future planning and guide ongoing staff development and resourcing
• the school Board and leaders review student attendance, progress and achievement information to inform ongoing strategic decision making and planning
• leaders and the school Board invite community and whānau input to guide the development of the school curriculum and strategic planning.

Expected outcomes

• The school Board, leaders and teachers know how well learners are progressing and achieving over time, including student wellbeing.
• Effective high quality teaching practices in literacy and mathematics are embedded schoolwide.
• Increased community input about school direction and the curriculum.
• Sustained and improved regular student 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

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

25 November 2025