Review 24 March 2026
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.
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
Tiniroto School is a small rural school located between Gisborne and Wairoa. It provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. Its vision is to create confident children with strong values, prepared for future success. The school is underpinned by the values of Respect, Integrity, Self-Management and Empathy.
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 January 2023 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.
Expected improvements
The school focused on building understanding the content structure of the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum as well as analysing and refining existing local curriculum to further incorporate meaningful opportunities for learning. Staff prioritised establishing educationally powerful connections with the wider community to support learning partnerships.
Findings
The school aligned its local curriculum with the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum framework. Teachers and students explore local histories through their environment, with plans to integrate roading history and infrastructure projects in future learning.
The curriculum is strengthened by incorporating authentic, place-based experiences linked to Tinirototanga and local iwi and hapū. Activities are environmentally and culturally focused and include community-led initiatives. Students’ learning is meaningful.
The school build strong partnerships through marae engagement, whānau involvement in strategic planning, and community contributions. Collaborative projects reflect a commitment to reciprocal, learning-centred relationships that support student 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.
| 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 good quality teaching. practice that improves progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics. |
| 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 skills in 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 successfully 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 responds well to a wide range 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 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.
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 large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners. |
| Writing | A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are not yet equitable for all groups of learners. |
| Mathematics | A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more 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 not yet improving towards or beyond the target.
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 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 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
- Learners demonstrate high levels of engagement and a strong sense of belonging to the school community. They experience an inclusive environment where respectful and reciprocal relationships between them and teachers thrive.
- The school benefits from robust systems and processes to sustain improvement maintained over recent leadership changes. Current school leaders and teachers ensure that professional development aligns closely with the school’s strategic direction.
- School leaders work closely with the Tiniroto School Board to set a clear strategic direction and strengthen conditions that support student success. The Board makes well-considered decisions about resourcing to ensure staff are well resourced to promote effective teaching and learning.
Key priorities
- Align school planning and delivery to The New Zealand Curriculum and assessment requirements.
- Embed structured literacy and mathematics approaches schoolwide.
- Develop an attendance plan to improve regular rates.
- Embed systems to analyse achievement data to inform reading, writing and mathematics teaching across the school.
- Strengthen the school’s review and evaluation processes at all levels, with a focus on addressing specific learning needs for equitable outcomes.
Actions to bring about improvement
Within three months:
- the principal and teachers analyse achievement data to inform next steps for learners
- the school Board, principal and teachers develop and implement an attendance plan and inform the community
Within six months:
- principal and teachers evaluate the delivery of structured literacy and mathematics and evaluate the effectiveness on student outcomes particularly for targeted learners
- principal and teachers align teaching and learning approaches in reading, writing and mathematics with the new curriculum and assessment
Every six months:
- leaders and teachers review progress and achievement data and adapt teaching strategies to accelerate progress
- leaders and teachers evaluate the effectiveness of approaches for targeted learners in reading, writing, and mathematics and use this information to inform teaching actions and report to the school Board
- principal and teachers review the effectiveness of strategies in the attendance plan and adjust accordingly
Annually:
- principal and teachers review the extent to which practices aligned with curriculum and assessment updates impact on student progress and achievement
- principal and the school Board use achievement data to identify barriers to learning, set goals, and take action to improve outcomes
- the school Board and leadership team review how well attendance initiatives are working to improve students’ rates of regular attendance and respond accordingly.
Expected outcomes
- Greater progress and achievement for all learners and equitable outcomes.
- High quality, evidence-based teaching in literacy and mathematics.
- Teaching practice aligned with curriculum and assessment requirements.
- Higher levels of 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
Actions for compliance
The board and ERO has identified the following area of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
- review and update physical restraint policy within three years
[Education (School Planning and Reporting) Regulations 2023].
The Tiniroto School Board has since addressed the area 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
24 March 2026p