Totara Park 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

Totara Park School provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. At the time of the review there were 215 students on the roll. The majority of these are New Zealand European/ Pākehā with 18% identifying as Māori. The school’s values of porihanga: community and participation, aroha: love and empathy, rangatiratanga: leadership and determination, and kaitiakitanga: guardianship of taonga reflect the aspirations of whānau and the community.

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.

How well are learners succeeding?The school is working towards high levels of success and progress for all learners.What is the quality of teaching and learning?Learners benefit from good quality teaching practice that improves progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.How well does the school curriculum respond to all learners needs?

Learners have some opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum.

There is an increasingly consistent focus on supporting learners to gain skills in literacy and mathematics.

Learners with complex needs are well supported to achieve their education goals.

How well does school planning and conditions support ongoing improvement?The school is establishing planning and conditions that support improvements in the quality of education for learners.How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing?The school reasonably promotes learners’ engagement, wellbeing and inclusion.How well does the school partner with parents, whānau and its community for the benefit of learners?

The school reports usefully and accurately to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress.

The school is improving its collection and use of information gathered through community consultation to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions.

Student Health and SafetyThe school board is taking reasonable steps to ensure student health and safety.

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. 

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%

Reading

A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are not yet equitable for all groups of learners.

Writing

A small majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are not yet equitable for all groups of learners.

Mathematics

A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are not yet equitable for all groups of learners.

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 not yet 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 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 some progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets 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

• A well embedded student transition processes, along with high levels of relational trust, support learners and their whānau to confidently transition into school, across the year levels and through to the next stage of schooling.
• Established systems identify, support and monitor the progress and achievement of students with additional learning needs.
• Leaders with expertise in literacy guide and support teacher professional learning in structured literacy. The school is well resourced to implement structured mathematics.

Key priorities

• Progress the achievement for all learners in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Focus on accelerated progress for those not yet meeting curriculum expectations.
• Strengthen consistency of quality planning, teaching, learning and assessment practices in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Strengthen the use of internal evaluation to make better use of information about student achievement to set clear school goals and guide improvements.
• Implement a plan to improve regular attendance for all students to meet Government targets and increase student engagement.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within three months:

• leaders and teachers formalise schoolwide expectations for curriculum planning, assessment and delivery
• leaders identify teachers’ strengths and development needs within literacy and mathematics and provide professional learning to support consistency of high-quality teaching and learning
• leaders review schoolwide systems of internal evaluation and use of achievement information; identify areas for refinement and implementation
• the school Board and leaders establish and implement a plan to improve regular attendance

Every six months:

• leaders and teachers review the consistency of planning, teaching, learning and assessment practices in literacy and mathematics programmes, and their impact on learners’ progress and achievement
• leaders monitor and report to the Board on the accelerated progress of identified learners at risk of underachieving in literacy and mathematics
• leaders and teaches review the implementation and impact of internal evaluation systems on learner progress and achievement outcomes
• leaders monitor and report to the Board the impact of specific strategies used to improve regular attendance rates for all learners and further actions needed to support improvements

Annually:

• leaders and teachers evaluate improvements in reading, writing and mathematics outcomes for all learners, identify what is having the most impact for learners and what areas need further strengthening
• the Board and leaders analyse accelerated progress and achievement for learners at risk of not meeting curriculum expectations and identify the most effective and responsive teaching practices to support further development
• leaders and teachers review how well internal evaluation is working to find out which practices help learners most
• the Board and leaders evaluate patterns in attendance for all learners and use this information to identify next steps to continue increasing regular rates of attendance.

Expected outcomes

• Equitable and improved progress and achievement outcomes for all learners in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Consistency in high-quality teaching, learning and assessment practices in literacy and mathematics.
• Embedded systems and processes for internal evaluation that ensure sustainability of improved outcomes.
• Improved rates of regular attendance for all learners and increased learner engagement.

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 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:

• the requirement to complete necessary safety checks process for appointing staff and for employees 
  [s104 Education and Training Act 2020, Section 31 Children’s Act 2014; Sections 5 and 8 Children’s (Requirements for Safety Checks of Children’s Workers) Regulations 2015].

The board has since taken steps to address the area 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

29 October 2025