Naenae 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 

Naenae School is in Lower Hutt in the Wellington region and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6 in Auraki/English medium, and Years 1 – 8 in the Māori Immersion unit - Kōhanga Te Rā. 64% of students are Māori and 20% are of Pacific heritage. There is a Samoan Unit – Tava'e that provides bilingual education for three classes for the Naenae Pasifika community. Pāharakeke provides care and education for students with high needs. The school values are Manaakitanga, Āwhinatanga, Whakaute and Hiranga.

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

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 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. 

• 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 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 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 and pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority.

Rumaki/Reo Rua outcomes and conditions to support learners’ success 

This section of the report provides more detail about the quality of teaching and learning through the provision of te reo Māori in rumaki/bilingual classroom/s within English medium schools.

Learner success and wellbeing

• Mutually supportive kaiako-ākonga relationships, quality te reo Māori, tikanga, and mātauranga Māori promote ākonga engagement and identity.
• Ākonga in Kōhanga Te Rā are currently behind the Government target of 80% regular attendance.
• Ākonga linguistic and cultural identity is enhanced through strong, authentic iwi relationships and regular exposure to iwi narratives and tikanga. 

Conditions to support learner success

• Teaching and learning programmes support ākonga engagement, achievement progress and identity.
• Ākonga in Kōhanga Te Rā are exposed to local Māori contexts and narratives, fostering meaningful. learning opportunities and proficiency in te reo Māori.
• Partnerships that support and promote Māori medium pathway options are available to ākonga and whānau.

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

• Te reo Māori, tikanga Māori, and mātauranga Māori are integrated into meaningful learning opportunities throughout the school.
• School values and a focus on whanaungatanga help students feel they belong and build confidence in their identity, language and culture.
• Leadership fosters an inclusive culture focused on achieving the school's improvement goals and targets.
• The school uses a co-ordinated approach to developing and strengthening the collective capability of teachers.
• Meaningful partnerships with the school, whānau, and wider community support and benefit students.
• Active participation and actions give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi across the school.

Key priorities 

• Review and establish assessment practices that support quality teaching.
• Improve student achievement, particularly in reading and writing.
• Analyse achievement, attendance, and wellbeing data to inform clear targets and actions.
• Extend whānau partnerships by creating opportunities that enable whānau to support the achievement of their Tamariki.
• Develop a learning programme in collaboration with iwi that upholds and preserves local narratives and histories.  

Actions to bring about improvement

Every six months:

• leaders monitor schoolwide assessment practices to evaluate the impact of teaching practices on student outcomes
• leaders monitor and report on rates of progress and achievement to inform improvement plans and actions
• leaders review and report on the impact of strategies used to improve regular student attendance and wellbeing
• leaders engage and collaborate with parents and whānau to implement strategies that support student progress and achievement
• leaders review and report on the impact of Te Kōhanga Te Rā contextualised learning programme on ākonga engagement and progress

Annually:

• the Board use reported information that analyses and evaluates the effectiveness of school improvement actions to inform planning for strategic goals and direction
• leaders and the Board share teaching and learning best practices and successes with whānau and the school community
• leaders and the Board review and evaluate the contextualised learning programmes impact on Te Kōhanga Te Rā learning outcomes by gathering comprehensive feedback from ākonga, kaiako, iwi leaders, and whānau to refine and implement improvements.

Expected outcomes

• Improved schoolwide engagement and achievement outcomes for all students in literacy and mathematics.
• Effective use of assessment data that drives strategic schoolwide improvement priorities, and teaching and learning practices.
• Increased rates of regular attendance.
• Strong home-school collaborations that support improved engagement and achievement outcomes for all tamariki.
• Improved Te Kōhanga Te Rā learner engagement and achievement outcomes for ākonga, whānau and iwi.

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 some 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:

• Following practice and procedures related to the reporting of use of physical restraint including notifying Ministry of Education and reporting to School Board 
  [Section 100 of the Education and Training Act 2020: Rules on use of physical restraint at registered schools]
• Obtaining police vetting every three years of every employer who works at the school 
  [Section 104 of the Education and Training Act 2020: Required Police vetting]
• Ensuring that current practising certificates are maintained 
  [Section 93 (1) of the Education and Training Act 2020]
• Implementing risk management procedures as outline in the school policy and procedures for education outside the classroom
  [Health and Safety at Work Act 2015]. 

The School Board has since taken steps to address 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 

10 October 2025