Review 28 February 2025
LatestSchool 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.
About the School
Richmond School (Nelson) provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. European/Pākehā make up the largest proportion of all learners, with 16% identifying as Māori in a roll of approximately 500. The school’s motto is Akina Kia Kaha | Stay strong and always strive for your best and is supported by the school’s AROHA values of Ako, Respect, Opportunities, Hauora, and Achievement.
Part A – Parent Summary
How well placed is the school to promote educational success and wellbeing?
| How well are learners succeeding? | Success and progress for all learners is increasing. |
| What is the quality of teaching and learning? | Learners benefit from high 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 sufficient 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? | School planning and conditions to support ongoing improvement to the quality of education for learners are well established. |
| How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing? | The school successfully 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 Safety | The school board is taking reasonable steps to ensure student health and safety. |
Achievement in Years 0 to 8
This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.
Foundation Skills | |
| Reading | A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners. |
| Writing | A large 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
The school is approaching 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
The school is improving its approach and the reliability of its practices to accurately 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
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 making progress towards Government reading, writing and mathematics and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets and is likely to meet them by 2030.
An explanation of the terms used in the Parent Summary can be found here. Guide to ERO school reports
Part B - Findings for the school
This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.
Areas of Strength
Leaders and teachers use data and evidence to identify groups of learners at risk of not achieving and implement plans to increasingly accelerate their progress and achievement. An inclusive approach supports learners with diverse needs.
An experienced leadership team fosters and sustains a culture committed to high quality teaching. Leaders are focused on continued improvement and attract, retain, and grow effective teaching teams to engage and improve outcomes for learners.
Reading, writing and mathematics is taught for an hour a day and learners’ progress is monitored by teachers. Structured literacy practices are being trialled across the school and will be reviewed to select the most effective approach to support learners moving forward. The teachers are well-supported to implement structured mathematics practices in 2025.
The school curriculum is built around concepts and progressions that meaningfully engage learners and foster inclusive participation.
Teachers are effectively supported by professional learning from external providers and by experts within the school to improve teaching practice.
Leaders and teachers have embedded and sustained understanding of the role of evaluation for improvement.
Key priorities and actions for improvement
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
- develop planning, teaching and assessment practices in literacy and mathematics to align with national curriculum and assessment changes
- gather and respond to learner and whānau feedback to improve learner engagement, progress, achievement and equitable outcomes
- work with whānau to continue to improve learner attendance to meet the Government’s target for regular attendance.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within six months:
- evaluate the impact of structured literacy practices, trialled in 2024, on progress and achievement for learners and adapt practices as needed to respond to learners needs
- review and collaboratively develop consistent schoolwide teaching expectations and practices for literacy and mathematics
- create and implement a schoolwide assessment overview for reading, writing and mathematics that aligns to national requirements
Every six months:
- leaders review literacy and mathematics planning, teaching and assessment practices to ensure consistent implementation school wide
- leaders review and respond to student attendance, engagement, progress and achievement data
- teachers and leaders review and respond to learners’ progress and achievement data and implement strategies to improve equity of outcomes
Annually:
- evaluate the impact of strategies to support learners needing additional support in literacy and mathematics and use this information for strategic planning and resourcing decisions
- evaluate the impact of teaching strategies to increase equity and improve progress and achievement for all learners.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
- consistent implementation of planning, teaching and assessment practices in literacy and mathematics
- student progress and achievement outcomes will increase and be equitable for all learners
- students will be engaged and attending school regularly.
Part C: Regulatory and Legislative Requirements
Provision for International Students
Background
The Education Review Office reviews schools that are signatories to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020.
Findings
The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.
No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.
Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements
All schools are required to promote student health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
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
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation Report and is due within three 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
Acting Director of Schools
28 February 2025
Education Counts
This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home