Buller High School

School Evaluation 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

Buller High School provides education for learners in Years 9 to 13. The school has a roll of 370. 87% of students identify as Pākehā / New Zealand European, 22% as Māori and 5% of Asian descent.

The school’s vision is Ākonga are inspired and empowered to develop the skills and confidence they need to build the future they want. The school’s values are Manaakitanga (Respect), Kawenga (Responsibility), Whanaungatanga (Relationships), and Manahau (Resilience).

The school partners with the local Alternative Education Centre and Trades Academy to provide educational and pastoral support for students who have disengaged from mainstream schooling. The school is the base for the Resource Teacher: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) Service for the Buller region.

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 June 2022 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.

Expected improvements

The school expected to see that the monitoring and evaluation of achievement, valued outcomes, and other indicator data would show improved student outcomes in terms of excellence and equity for all students.

Findings

Monitoring of the achievement of senior students is evident. School staff actively support the learning and pastoral needs of individuals to help students understand their strengths and next steps. Newly developed courses and programmes cater for students with identified learning needs.

The school is yet to develop systems for monitoring and evaluating achievement for Year 9 and 10 learners or address achievement gaps across groups of students in the most recent National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) results. 

The implementation of a centralised, schoolwide system to ensure consistent storage, monitoring and evaluation of attendance and achievement data remains a priority. 

What we know about learner success 

This section provides a summary of learner success, wellbeing and foundation school conditions, including any education in Rumaki/Reo Rua settings. The judgments are based on the ERO School Improvement Framework and evidence provided to ERO during the evaluation.

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%

Learner success and wellbeing

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing.

Improvement is required to increase attendance and to ensure all learners make progress and achieve.

• A small majority of learners achieve National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 1. A large majority achieve NCEA Level 2 and 3. Almost all learners achieve the NCEA literacy and numeracy corequisites by Year 13.
• The school is yet to develop a consistent approach to assessing and evaluating student progress and achievement in Years 9 and 10. This is a priority for the school.
• Achievement in writing and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects is not yet equitable for students, particularly boys and Māori learners.
• Students are well-supported to access a range of learning pathways within and beyond the school.
• Less than half of learners attend school regularly. The school use a range of approaches and initiatives to improve regular attendance. 

Conditions to support learner success

This section provides a summary of leadership, teaching, curriculum and foundation school conditions for improvement.

Leaders actively foster the conditions for sustainable school improvement. 

• Leaders build and maintain education-focused relationships that support learner transitions throughout the school.
• The Buller High School Board and leaders work together across the school community to support the achievement of strategic goals and ensuring continuous improvement.
• Leaders and teaching staff promote positive, respectful relationships to enhance learner engagement.
• Middle leaders are developing data gathering and reporting processes to inform decisions about student progress, achievement and guide planning and teaching. 

The curriculum and teaching practices are increasingly responsive to students’ needs, abilities and cultural identities. 

• Learners benefit from calm, orderly environments supported by clear expectations, established routines and explicit teaching approaches.
• Curriculum leaders monitor learners’ literacy and numeracy skills and are taking steps to strengthen and improve outcomes. This is a priority across all levels of the school.
• Students with diverse learning needs are closely monitored and supported to access a range of learning and vocational pathways and achieve their learning goals. 

Schoolwide systems to enhance learning, engagement and wellbeing outcomes for all learners are strengthening. 

• School leaders and teaching staff actively support learners through intentional, positive, relationship-based approaches that cater to a range of learning needs.
• Teaching staff are responsive and well-supported to access targeted professional development opportunities that build professional capability and foster ongoing improvement.
• The Buller High School Board, leaders and teachers work in partnerships with mana whenua and the school community to improve learner sense of belonging and engagement.

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 identifies key priorities and actions for improvement.

Key priorities

• Develop and embed consistent systems for assessing, tracking, and monitoring Year 9 and 10 progress and achievement to enable accurate reporting to parents and informed decisions about pathways and course design.
• Implement schoolwide practices to achieve consistently equitable outcomes for boys and Māori learners.
• Embed strategies for literacy and numeracy teaching across all learning areas.
• Improve and sustain regular student attendance.
• Strengthen and refine review processes to ensure all policies are reviewed regularly. 

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within three months:

• school leaders develop a clear process to ensure all staff are using a centralised, accessible system for storing learner achievement and wellbeing data and use it to inform planning and teaching
• curriculum and middle leaders establish a consistent framework for monitoring and reporting Year 9 and 10 progress and achievement to ensure clarity and coherence in reporting
• the school Board and leaders engage with the school community to explore initiatives to improve regular attendance

Within six months:

• curriculum and middle leaders develop and schedule key assessments to monitor and report on Year 9 and 10 progress and achievement
• curriculum leaders and teachers analyse writing achievement data for boys and Māori learners and implement targeted strategies to address disparities

Every six months:

• leaders provide ongoing professional development and support for teachers to use systems for storing learner achievement and wellbeing data to inform planning and teaching
• leaders and teaching staff review and refine assessment and moderation processes to reflect curriculum changes to drive learner progress and achievement
• curriculum leaders and teachers review and refine approaches to incorporating literacy and numeracy across all subjects and improving writing outcomes for boys and Māori learners
• the school Board and leaders review and refine initiatives to improve regular attendance

Annually:

• curriculum leaders and teachers review and refine Year 9 and 10 assessment practices, data evaluation and reporting to parents
• curriculum leaders and teachers evaluate the impact of writing equity strategies and set new targets
• leaders and teachers assess progress in embedding literacy and numeracy across the curriculum to inform subject planning
• leaders analyse attendance data, report progress to the Board, and set new improvement targets.

Expected outcomes

• Consistent systems for assessing, tracking, and reporting Year 9 and 10 achievements.
• Improved writing achievement and equity outcomes for boys and Māori learners.
• Strengthened literacy and numeracy outcomes across all subjects.
• Increased regular attendance for all learners.

Recommendation to the Ministry of Education 

ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education provide tailored support for: 

• targeted training for teaching staff for literacy interventions
• developing Year 9 and 10 assessment and reporting.

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

11 February 2026