Opiki 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 

Opiki School is a rural, full primary school for 137 students of whom 58% are Pākehā/ New Zealand European, 24% identify as Māori, 16% Asian and 2% from other ethnicities. 

The school vision is to 'Inspire students to be the best they can be - Kia whakamana i ngā tauira mō te eke ki ngā taumata ō rātou mahi’.  The school seeks to develop learner’s skills, values and competencies that will fully equip them to achieve their shared vision and be 'Future Ready Learners’.

The Opiki School Board appointed a new principal and deputy principal in 2025, and a new presiding member was recently elected. 

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 focused on promoting ways that all ākonga can achieve educational success in a manner that supports the development of, and sustains their language, culture and identity.

They expected to see ākonga, hapū/iwi and community knowledge, language, cultures and identities embodied in curriculum materials and the enacted curriculum and teaching practices consistent with culturally responsive and relational pedagogies.

Findings 

Learners benefit from an inclusive, culturally responsive environment. They engage with Māori concepts and kupu to deepen their collective understanding of school kawa for pōwhiri and mihi whakatau. Through contextual waiata, karakia, and kapa haka, learners affirm their cultural identity. They explore inquiry units reflective of local contexts, which strengthen their understanding of tūrangawaewae and kaitiakitanga 

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 approaching 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.

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 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 a strong sense of belonging at school; they experience a positive and inclusive environment, reflective of their school values.
• Leaders work collaboratively with all stakeholders to pursue the shared vision for learner success in collaboration with their community.
• Leaders and teachers have embedded relevant practices to effectively deliver structured literacy and are taking well considered steps to embed structured mathematics; delivery of reading, writing and mathematics is meeting the one hour per day expectation.
• Teachers’ participation in professional learning is suitably matched to relevant curriculum priorities aligned to the needs of learners.
• Parents and whānau are welcomed into an inclusive environment, with appropriate opportunities to participate in school events and access relevant information that supports a meaningful learning partnership.
• The school Board receives sufficient information to support their decision making, providing relevant resources that benefit outcomes for learners.

Key priorities

• Improve attendance to meet the Government target of 80% regular attendance.
• Raise achievement in writing and mathematics and address identified disparities.
• Revise annual implementation planning to include clearly defined targets that support effective evaluation of the school’s actions in achieving its identified priorities.

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within three months:

• the School Board implement their attendance plan
• leaders implement a consistent and effective approach to tracking and monitoring the progress and achievement of English language learners
• leaders and the School Board identify and document achievement targets for priority learners 

Within six months:

• leaders work with teachers to develop shared expectations that supports the consistent delivery of effective practice in writing and mathematics
• leader’s collaborative with teachers to redesign their professional growth framework and use evidence from observations of practice to identify priorities intended to enhance teaching strategies that raise achievement

Every six months:

• leaders analyse and report attendance information to the school Board showing their progress toward the Government target
• leaders analyse and evaluate the progress of targeted learners and report to the school Board

Annually:

• leader’s statement of variance provides the Board with evaluative evidence of the impact of the school actions on accelerating learner progress, improving attendance, and enhancing engagement to guide next steps for improvement
• leaders’ findings from observation of teacher practice determines how well intentional teaching strategies are meeting the diverse needs of learners and providing relevant feedback to identify areas for further improvement.

Expected outcomes

• Learner attendance achieves the Government target of 80% regular attendance.
• Student achievement in English and mathematics is improved and equitable.
• Teachers are highly capable and reflect agreed school expectations in delivering curriculum priorities, resulting in positive outcomes for all learners. 

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

26 November 2025