St Francis Xavier School (Tawa)

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

St Franics Xavier School (Tawa) is a state integrated Catholic primary school located in Wellington. The school provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. At the time of the review 156 learners were enrolled, comprising 35% Asian learners, 34% of Pacific heritage, 17% New Zealand European/Pākehā, 6% identified as Māori and 8% of other ethnicities. The school’s vision is, Strength and Gentleness - Tū Māia and Tū Aroha.

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 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. 

• The small majority of learners 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 uses an appropriate approach and reliable practices to find out about achievement against the curriculum.
• Assessment information is used well 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 has 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 meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets set 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 achieve well. Learning programmes are purposefully designed and used consistently by teachers to provide learners with meaningful experiences and a strong foundation in literacy and mathematics.
• High relational trust is evident at all levels across the school. Learners express a strong sense of belonging and connection to the school and are well supported by staff and leaders in an inclusive and caring environment.
• Staff work collaboratively, with shared high expectations for teaching and learning, and to collectively build a culture of continuous improvement.
• Leaders gather, analyse and use assessment information to clearly identify priorities that further improve teaching practice and outcomes for learners. Learners needing additional support or extension are well known and their progress closely monitored.
• The leadership team fosters and sustains relational trust across the school; a culture committed to professional growth, high-quality teaching and equity and excellence in learner outcomes is evident. Targeted professional learning aligns with strategic goals, the national curriculum requirements and strengthening teaching practice.
• Structured literacy is embedded across the junior school and being implemented in the senior school; a structured mathematics programme is being implemented and supported by targeted professional learning.

Key priorities

• Sustain high levels of learner progress, achievement and equitable outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Align current schoolwide teaching and assessment practices to reflect new curriculum requirements.
• Develop a shared understanding of internal evaluation purpose and process across all staff.
• Continue to increase regular attendance for all learners.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within six months:

• leaders and teachers review and refine schoolwide teaching and assessment practices and align with new curriculum requirements
• leaders evaluate the impact of initiatives to improve regular attendance and change practices if needed
• leaders work with staff to establish a well understood, formal process of internal evaluation to inform teaching practice and school operations 

Every six months:

• leaders use well established evaluation processes to monitor the consistency of teaching and assessment practices and learner outcomes to inform next steps for teaching and learning
• teachers and leaders monitor the effectiveness of attendance strategies and adjust as needed

Annually:

• leaders and the School Board review teaching, learning, and assessment data regarding learner progress and achievement in reading, writing, and mathematics to support decision making and determine areas for improvement
• leaders and the School Board evaluate the impact of initiatives to improve regular attendance for all learners, plan next steps as needed and share with the community.

Expected outcomes 

• Sustained high levels of progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics for all learners.
• Consistent schoolwide teaching and assessment practices that align to curriculum requirements.
• All learners regularly attending. 

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

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

17 October 2025