Sefton 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

Te Waitai Sefton School is located in North Canterbury and provides education for learners in years 1 to 8. The school has a growing roll of 140 learners, 89% are New Zealand European/Pākehā and 16% identify as Māori.

The school’s values are Manaakitanga|Respect, Whanaungatanga|Relationships, Manawaroa|Resilience, and Whaiwhakaaro|Reflection.

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?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 foundational 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 is improving its reporting 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 needs to ensure a physically and emotionally safe learning environment.

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 65%

65 to 79%

80 to 90%

Over 90%

Reading

Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are not yet equitable for all groups of learners.

Writing

Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. 

Results are not yet equitable for all groups of learners. 

Mathematics

Most 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 large majority of learners attend school regularly.
• The school is behind the target of 80% regular attendance.
• The school is developing a suitable plan to improve attendance.
• Regular attendance is not yet 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 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 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

• High levels of achievement have been sustained as the school roll has been increasing. All learners, including those with a range of needs, have respectful relationships with their peers and teachers, developing confidence and skills within a caring, inclusive school culture.
• Effective leadership strategically focuses on priority areas, placing learners at the centre of their decision making. High levels of relational trust and effective collaboration support the school to achieve its strategic goals.
• Structured approaches to the teaching of literacy have been implemented school-wide, supported by strategically planned professional learning opportunities. Teachers are well placed to implement changes to the mathematics curriculum.
• Strong, positive relationships between the school and community are evident, supporting effective communication and consultation approaches that contribute to strategic planning and learner outcomes.

Key priorities

• Develop the school’s curriculum, teaching and assessment programmes for literacy and mathematics.
• Provide clear guidelines for teachers that align with the New Zealand Curriculum to support a consistent progression for all learners.
• Use systematic evaluation of processes and strategies, including Board planning, to inform effective decision making and equitable learner outcomes.
• Develop and implement a plan to improve regular attendance.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within six months:

• leaders and teachers review and refine assessment and reporting practices in line with new curriculum requirements to better inform literacy and mathematics teaching and reporting
• leaders and the School Board work together to develop a process to support planning and self-review

Every six months:

• leaders monitor and review ongoing changes to the curriculum to inform teaching, assessment, and reporting practices across the school
• leaders and the School Board monitor and refine attendance strategies, in collaboration with the school’s community, to improve regular attendance

Annually:

• leaders and the School Board work together to review and evaluate the effectiveness of teaching in literacy and mathematics, assessment, reporting and attendance strategies to identify what works well, what needs improvement, and to guide future planning
• leaders and the School Board evaluate the effectiveness of their planning and self-review processes to inform decision making and drive school improvement.

Expected outcomes

• Cohesive teaching, assessment and reporting practices in literacy and mathematics.
• Effective evaluation to support learner progress and achievement and continuous school improvement.
• Improved and sustained regular attendance for all learners.

Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

This section of the report is about how the school meets 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 meeting 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:

• results of trial fire evacuations must be reported to FENZ
  [Regulation 32 of the Fire Safety, Evacuation Procedures, and Evacuation Schemes Regulations 2018]
• any non-teachers must be authorised in writing by the board to be able to use physical restraint [Education (Physical restraint) Rules 2024].

The School Board has not yet addressed the areas 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

17 September 2025