Ngati Toa 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 4 years to evaluate what is working well for learners and what needs to be improved.  

About the School

​​Ngati Toa School, located in Porirua, Wellington provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The current role of 137 students includes 62% who identify as Māori, 19% of Pacific heritage, 10% Asian and 8% New Zealand European/Pākehā. The school mission is, to provide a safe, stimulating and happy environment where excellent teaching and learning occur. 

​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.

• The small majority of learners attend school regularly.
• The school is ​behind​ 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​ 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 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/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 

• ​​Leaders and teachers actively promote and model an inclusive environment that supports wellbeing; students are engaged in their learning, and a strong sense of belonging is evident.
• ​Teachers know their students well; students learn in a positive and affirming environment that acknowledges and celebrates their cultural identity and individual strengths.
• ​Leaders and teachers are embedding a structured approach to literacy schoolwide; the implementation of structured mathematics is a focus for 2025. A key next step is to further this work in mathematics.
• ​Leaders and teachers work collaboratively to grow professional capability. Staff demonstrate highly collaborative practices and plan, share and apply professional learning to improve outcomes for students.
• ​The school has a strong reciprocal relationship with Ngāti Toa Iwi that enhances students’ learning and the school environment, acknowledging te ao Māori.​ 

Key priorities  

• Set clear expectations for reporting accurate learner progress and achievement to whānau, the school board, and the community.
• Improve the use assessment data to track and report student progress and achievement, including how students are doing in each part of the curriculum.
• Embed structured literacy and mathematics approaches schoolwide.
• Strengthen assessment and moderation practice to improve achievement outcomes for all learners.
• Strengthen the School Board’s understanding of their governance roles and responsibilities.   

Actions to bring about improvement  

Within three months: 

• leaders develop a plan that outlines steps to use assessment data better, including setting up ways to track progress and achievement in literacy and mathematics across the school
• leaders and teachers collaborate with the school community to develop and implement a suitable attendance plan with targets, actions and measures of effectiveness to improve attendance
• the School Board develop their capability to more effectively scrutinize student progress wellbeing and achievement information to guide decision making 

Within six months: 

• leaders and teachers review the alignment of teaching and learning approaches in literacy and mathematics with the new curriculum identifying further actions needed
• leaders and teachers implement the use of reliable assessment practices to track and report students’ progress and achievement across the school
• all Board members undertake training to support understanding of their roles and responsibilities, including requirements to meet legislative obligations 

Every six months: 

• leaders monitor and report schoolwide progress, identifying learners’ needs, trends and patterns of achievement and plan for improvement
• leaders and teachers report to the Board and whānau on progress and achievement, using a range of reliable accurate data
• leaders and the Board review the impact of the attendance plan, including identifying successful strategies and further actions needed to increase student attendance 

Annually: 

• leaders and the Board review the impact of improvement actions, data on student achievement in literacy and mathematics and use this information to report to the school community, plan next steps and identify staff development needs
• leaders and the Board review patterns in attendance for all learners and use this information to identify next steps to continue to increase rates of regular attendance
• the Board review its performance in terms of meeting governance roles and responsibilities and identifies areas for further improvement.  

Expected outcomes

• Improved student attendance, progress and achievement.
• High quality teaching practices in literacy and mathematics for all learners.
• Leaders and teachers knowing how well learners progress and achieve over time.
• Accurate assessment information that is shared with whānau, school board and community.
• Regular monitoring and reporting to the Board and school community on annual improvement targets and key learner-focused priorities.
• The School Board fulfilling its legislative requirements and learner-focused governance role. 

Regulatory and Legislative Requirements 

This section of the report is about how the school meet 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 and the board have​ identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process: 

• ensure the school’s child protection policy is implemented with fidelity, and staff roles and responsibilities are clear and supported by regular child protection training  
  [Children’s Act 2014 Sections 18 and 19]
• ensure satisfactory human resource and safety checking of persons employed by the board, including risk assessments and storage of information
  [Children’s Act 2014, Sections 25, 26 and 27]
• follow the practice and procedure prescribed for notifying the use physical restraint.  
  [Education and Training Act 2020, Sections 99, 100 and 101; Ministry of Education (Physical Restraint) Rules 2023] 

The 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 (Acting)​ 

​​4 September 2025​