Takaka Primary 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 four years to evaluate what is working well for learners and what needs to be improved. 

About the School 

Takaka Primary School provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. The roll of 128 is predominantly Pākehā, with 23% Māori learners and a smaller number of Asian families. The school provides a dual-language pathway for some learners, He Puāwaitanga, that promotes te reo Māori and te ao Māori through the programme alongside English. 

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 May 2023 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.

Expected improvement 

The school has been evaluating how well the curriculum and teaching promote learner success in literacy. Leaders expected to see better engagement and raised achievement for Māori, and for all learners. A commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi would promote the school values and qualities in practice, fostering wellbeing, mauri and self-esteem. Whānau and students would engage collaboratively with the school to foster positive outcomes and embed culturally responsive practices and outcomes in strategic planning.

Findings 

Targeted professional development has improved teaching of reading and writing. Practice guidelines have been created to foster greater understanding of quality teaching and culturally responsive practices. Mana whenua works closely with the school to create a curriculum that reflects the local context and underpins relationships for learning. As a result of these actions, the school shows improved learner engagement, progress and achievement in reading and writing. 

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 significantly 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 meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets and is likely to meet them by 2030.

Rumaki/Reo Rua outcomes and conditions to support learner success 

This section of the report provides more detail about the quality of teaching and learning through the provision of te reo Māori in rumaki/Reo Rua classroom/s within in English medium schools.

Learner success and wellbeing

• A small majority of ākonga in He Puāwaitanga are meeting or exceeding expectations in writing, while a large majority are doing so in reading and mathematics.
• Ākonga in He Puawaitanga are currently behind the Government target of 80% regular attendance.
• Tamariki in He Puāwaitanga grow in confidence and capability through tikanga-based experiences and leadership.

Conditions to support learner success

• Kaiako deliver a te ao Māori curriculum enriched by mana whenua narratives.
• Leadership and governance are beginning to target resources to He Puāwaitanga, enabling culturally responsive teaching and learning.
• Kaiako foster culturally grounded, collaborative learning environments aligned with He Puāwaitanga values.

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

• Learner progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics have improved since the previous ERO review, including significant progress for some groups of learners identified at risk of not achieving.
• Learners benefit from embedded school values in a settled, inclusive and supportive environment, where curriculum and relationships foster a deep sense of belonging to the school, community and local area.
• Effective leadership has transformed planning, teaching and assessment practices, building shared expectations for learner success and a culture of improvement at all levels of the school.
• Leaders and teachers have purposefully grown a collective knowledge of structured literacy approaches, a tailored scope and sequence of learning.
• Staff and mana whenua continue to work productively together to create a cultural narrative, which has added further depth and richness to the school’s curriculum.
• Teachers benefit from targeted, regular professional learning opportunities; staff effectively inquire into aspects of their practice to ensure that learners are well-supported to be successful.
• The board is highly supportive and responsive to school improvement initiatives and receives termly updates on progress towards strategic priorities to gauge impacts on learner outcomes.
• Families are well-informed about their child’s progress, achievement and attendance with clear reporting processes and opportunities to discuss specific programmes of support, including smooth transitions into, within and out of the school.

Key priorities 

• Refine and embed effective assessment practices aligned with structured teaching approaches.
• Implement and embed a structured mathematics approach across the school.
• Increase regular rates of attendance to meet Government targets.
• Collect and use wellbeing information to enhance teachers’ inquiry into their own practice.
• Further refine a responsive curriculum that supports the growing diversity within the school.
• Governance and leadership prioritise strategic goals that build capability and capacity to deliver teaching and learning through the provision of te reo Māori in He Puāwaitanga.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within six months:

• leaders review and use the Governments attendance targets and tools to develop strategies that increase the rates of student attendance
• leaders review the effectiveness of targeted support for groups of learners, to identify actions that purposefully improve learner progress and success
• leaders and teachers further develop a shared understanding of the refreshed curriculum assessment expectations and establish baseline data for structured literacy and mathematics
• governance and leadership to identify strategic goals that strengthen He Puāwaitanga teaching and learning through the provision of te reo Māori, aligned with Level 2 Māori medium immersion expectations 

Every six months:

• leaders review teachers’ use of professional growth cycles to maintain high quality and responsive teaching practices throughout the school
• leaders and teachers monitor, track and analyse achievement information for groups of learners over time, to identify and evaluate the impact of structured teaching approaches on learner progress and achievement
• leaders and the School Board review and analyse attendance information and include an explicit attendance component into the school’s six-monthly ‘Whānau Connect’ meetings
• implement actions against the strategic and annual plan to develop pedagogical practices through the provision of te reo Māori in He Puāwaitanga.

Annually:

• leaders and the Board review schoolwide wellbeing and achievement data collected over time, to strengthen strategic and annual decision making for school improvement
• leaders and the Board review and share schoolwide attendance information community, to celebrate improvements and provide opportunities to consult on next steps
• kaiako, leadership and governance review the progress of curriculum implementation for Level 2 Māori medium immersion, through the strategic planning process and its impact on ākonga outcomes.

Expected outcomes

• Effective and responsive teaching, planning and assessment practices aligned to the refreshed curriculum and embedded throughout the school.
• Enhanced teaching and learning strategies that improve outcomes for all learners.
• Improved regular attendance that meets Government targets.
• Ākonga will experience consistent, high-quality teaching and learning through the provision of te reo Māori.

Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

This section of the report is about how the school meet regulatory and legislative requirements. This includes the provision of education for international students. 

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

International Students 

This section of the report is about the quality of the provision of education for international student enrolled at the school. 

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.

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 

6 March 2026