Kaiapoi 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 

​​Kaiapoi High School​, located north of Christchurch, is a coeducational secondary school providing education for students in Years 9 to 13. The school roll is 1031. The majority of students are NZ European/Pākehā. 22% of students identify as Māori, 6% as Asian, and 3% as Pacific heritage.  

The school’s mission is to motivate and inspire all students to achieve their best academically, culturally and physically in order to become adults who contribute to their community. The school hosts the Karanga Mai Young Parents’ College which is on the school grounds. 

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 aimed to strengthen, embed, and then evaluate the impact of the SOLO (Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes) teaching strategy across all year levels. Alongside this, a targeted focus on literacy was implemented to further support and enhance excellent learning outcomes for all students. ​ 

Findings 

​​​Leadership has sustained the schoolwide focus on the identified priorities. The targeted focus on literacy and SOLO (Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes) positively contributed to the school’s NCEA achievement results at Levels 1 and 2. The impact of the SOLO (Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes) teaching strategy did not bring about the expected rise in NCEA Merit and Excellence endorsements.​​ 

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.

​​The majority of students are engaged, make progress and achieve at expected levels.​ 

• In Year 9 a large majority of students achieve at and above the expected curriculum level in literacy and numeracy. In Year 10 a large majority of students achieve at and above the expected curriculum level in literacy and less than half in numeracy.
• A large majority of students achieve National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 1, most students achieve Level 2, a large majority in Level 3, and less than half in University Entrance. Results for Māori are at the school average for Levels 1 and 2, and below for Level 3 and University Entrance.
• Students state that they feel safe at school, they value the support they receive, and that they enjoy a wide range of learning and co-curricular opportunities.
• The school is not meeting the Government’s target for regular attendance with less than half of students attending school regularly. Regular attendance is improving towards the target. 

Conditions to support learner success 

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

School leadership works collaboratively to strategically improve outcomes for learners. 

• Leaders and the Board have a common vision for all students to experience wellbeing and personalised excellence in their learning progress and achievements.
• Leaders across the school prioritise professional learning for staff that focuses on consistency of effective, inclusive teaching practice to improve outcomes for all students.
• Leaders across the school work collaboratively to review student and community voice, and student progress and achievement, to inform annual planning. 

​​The school’s curriculum design and teaching practices are increasingly responsive to students’ needs, interests and cultural identities.​ 

• Classroom environments are welcoming with positive teacher-student relationships and clear expectations and routines for learning.
• Curriculum design increasingly reflects local contexts and provides a wide range of learning opportunities that further student engagement and achievement across the diversity of the school.
• Leaders and teachers know their students well and effectively identify students requiring additional support to provide tailored assistance.

​​Key conditions to support school improvement and student success are becoming increasingly embedded.​ 

• The Board actively represents and serves the school, prioritising the wellbeing, progress and achievement of learners and the wellbeing of staff.
• The school is committed to its relationship with mana whenua and enhancing the school’s understanding and application of Te Tiriti o Waitangi to benefit student engagement and success.
• Positive, respectful learning relationships are valued and promoted across the school community.
• Leaders and teachers value and affirm the diversity of students and are further increasing the provision of inclusive opportunities and programmes to support all students experience individualised success.  

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

• Promote staff wide understanding of the school’s strategic and annual goals and targets, and the strategies agreed upon to achieve these.
• Refine the use of engagement and learning data, particularly for Years 9 and 10, to evaluate progress and achievement, support effective teaching practices schoolwide.
• Ensure that data-informed decision-making promotes excellence and equity for all students.
• Continue to build teachers’ capability and responsiveness in mātauranga Māori and te ao Māori to strengthen culturally responsive teaching schoolwide.
• Improve regular attendance. 

Actions to bring about improvement

Within three months: 

• ​​leaders create staff-wide understanding of the school’s annual plan and the prioritised strategies to achieve the plan’s improvement goals​
• leaders and teachers, in consultation with students and the community, begin the development of an Effective Teaching Framework to grow schoolwide consistency of responsive and differentiated teaching practice tailored for the school and community
• leaders begin a review of the school’s use of data for monitoring and responding to student progress both within each school year and for each cohort across their time at the school
• leaders and teachers integrate the school’s new attendance provider into the school’s attendance systems 

Within six months: 

• ​​leaders, in consultation with students and the community, begin the development of a student graduate profile ​ 

Every six months: 

• ​​leaders and teachers monitor students’ learning progress, respond to the data and report on this to the Board to inform decision making
• ​leaders across the school partner with students to evaluate and respond to students’ experiences of the implementation of schoolwide consistency of differentiated teaching practice
• ​leaders across the school partner with students to evaluate and respond to students’ experiences of culturally responsive teaching  
• ​leaders continue to evaluate, report and refine attendance processes​ 

Annually: 

• ​​leaders evaluate the impact of the school’s actions towards its strategic priorities in student wellbeing and engagement, attendance, progress and achievement to inform future planning​
• leaders report to the Board, community and iwi on the progress of the school’s implementation of its strategic priorities. 

Expected outcomes 

• ​​Students across the diversity of the school consistently experience effective teaching for individualised student success.​
• Increased teacher capabilities in culturally responsive teaching.
• Improved regular attendance. 

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​ 

​​15 December 2025​