Oaklands Te Kura o Owaka

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

Oaklands Te Kura o Ōwaka provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The school has a roll of 632 students with 63% of students identifying as New Zealand European/Pākehā, 32% of Asian descent, 13% identify as Māori, 5% of Pacific heritage, and 5% MELAA (Middle Eastern, Latin American, and African).

The school is currently in the process of appointing a new principal.

The school’s vision is We are Lifelong Learners who Aspire to Excellence. The school’s values are Community-Whanaungatanga; Active Thinking-Whakaaroaro; Respect-Whakaute; and Excellence-Hiranga.

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

Expected improvements

Oaklands Te Kura o Ōwaka focused on evaluating how effectively its learner-centred curriculum supports students to understand their learning. The school expected to see students who are interested and engaged in their learning and able to articulate what success looks like.

Findings 

Students demonstrate high levels of interest and engagement during lessons and a keenness to learn. A variety of competitions, certificates, and awards linked to progress and achievement motivate students to strive for improvement and take ownership of their learning. School-wide, clearly documented learning journeys enable students, whānau and teachers to set individual goals, track progress and reflect on learning, fostering greater self-awareness and learner agency.  

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 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.

Attendance

This section is about school attendance and the progress the school is making towards meeting the Government target of 80% regular attendance.

• The large majority of learners attend school regularly.
• 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

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.
• Teachers are developing their use of 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 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 meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets set 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

• Teaching staff actively support learners through intentional, positive, relationship-based approaches which cater for a range of learning needs.
• Learners experience a positive, inclusive and supportive learning environment that promotes wellbeing and fosters a strong sense of belonging.
• The principal and senior leadership team work collaboratively to drive ongoing improvement aligned with the school’s strategic goals.
• Leaders and teaching staff are embedding a structured, explicit and consistent approach to literacy and mathematics teaching, in line with government priorities.
• The school values its partnerships with whānau and the wider community and is actively strengthening these relationships to support a broad and rich curriculum.
• A strong school-wide culture of collaboration supports leaders and teaching staff to systematically reflect on their practice to enhance quality teaching and learning programmes.
• Staff have developed a supportive, high-trust culture and demonstrate collective capacity to explore and lead change across all areas of the curriculum.
• A targeted and strategic approach to professional development supports ongoing improvement for both leaders and teaching staff.

Key priorities

• Embed shared understandings of assessment and moderation processes through mentoring and targeted professional development to accelerate learner progress and achievement.
• Identify and apply targeted teaching approaches to raise boys’ writing achievement and reduce disparities.
• Integrate and use te reo Māori and te ao Māori in everyday teaching to build a collective sense of meaningful partnership.
• Explore innovative strategies to improve regular student attendance in collaboration with the school Board, leaders, and the wider school community.

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within three months:

• the school Board and leaders connect with the school community to explore new initiatives to improve regular attendance
• leaders and teaching staff identify and trial targeted strategies to improve boys’ writing achievement
• the school Board and leadership team engage whānau and students to capture their views on integrating te reo Māori and te ao Māori, ensuring these voices shape school decisions

Every six months:

• leaders and teaching staff review and refine assessment and moderation processes to reflect curriculum changes to drive learner progress and achievement
• leaders monitor boys’ writing achievement data and adjust strategies as needed
• leaders build upon mentoring and professional development initiatives to grow staff capability and understanding of assessment and moderation processes
• leaders analyse attendance information and implement targeted initiatives to improve attendance outcomes

Annually:

• leaders evaluate the impact of targeted teaching approaches on boys’ writing achievement and report progress
• leaders and teaching staff review and refine the effectiveness of initiatives to use te reo and te ao Māori authentically in everyday teaching
• the school Board and leaders review and refine initiatives to improve regular attendance.

Expected outcomes

• Clear assessment and moderation processes further improve learner progress and achievement outcomes.
• Improved boys’ writing achievement and reduced disparities.
• Consistent and meaningful integration of te reo Māori and te ao Māori into teaching across the school.
• Increased regular attendance.

Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

This section of the report is about how the school meets 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

Provision for International Students

This section is about the quality of the provision of education for international students 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 and has completed an annual self-review of its implementation of the Code.

At the time of this review there was one international student attending the school.

The school operates an established international student programme, primarily catering to short-stay students. The school does not offer homestay arrangements. An International Director has recently been appointed and now oversees all aspects of the international programme. 

The international student reported receiving effective support for English language learning, described classroom teaching as supportive and responsive, and noted opportunities to participate in co-curricular activities.

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

9 December 2025