Fenwick 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

Fenwick School provides education for students in Years 1 to 6. It is located on the South Hill of Oamaru. The school has a roll of 298 students, of whom 79% identify as NZ European | Pākeha, 19% as Māori and 8% as Pacific. The school’s vision is to enable all students to achieve their potential through the best possible educational opportunities.

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.

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.

• A large majority of student 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 not yet 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.
• 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 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 targets and is making progress towards meeting Government writing and mathematics targets 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

• Students describe the school as friendly and caring, with calm, settled classrooms and responsive teaching that helps them make good progress.
• Students benefit from consistent, clear teaching in mathematics and reading. Teachers work well together to share and strengthen evidence-based practices. They use a range of learning information to understand students’ needs and adjust their teaching accordingly.
• School leaders set high expectations for quality teaching and equitable, excellent outcomes. They coordinate and review the curriculum and teaching effectively.
• Strong systems and processes support smooth operations, a positive school culture, and ongoing improvement.

Key priorities 

• Develop and implement consistent, well-sequenced teaching of writing.
• Embed consistent teaching practices across the school’s mathematics programme.
• Evaluate how structured teaching and learning programmes are impacting student progress and achievement in reading, writing, and mathematics.
• Continue to strengthen how the curriculum and teaching reflect and affirm students’ cultural identities and languages. 

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within six months:

• leaders extend current practices to sustain consistent high-quality teaching of literacy to support the teaching of mathematics
• leaders and teachers research and develop planning and guidance for the structured teaching of writing
• leaders extend the analysis of learning information to know how well teaching is supporting students to sustain or improve their rate of progress
• leaders develop goals and planning to support teaching and learning that responds to students’ cultures and identities

Every six months:

• leaders review evidence of consistent structured teaching of reading, writing and mathematics and use this to inform planning for future professional development for teachers
• leaders and teachers analyse learning information to know how well all students are progressing and achieving and how effectively targeted interventions are addressing barriers to learning
• leaders and teachers check how well teaching approaches meets school goals for reflecting students’ cultures and identities, using feedback from students and the community

Annually:

• leaders report to the school Board on progress in implementing consistent, structured teaching of reading, writing and mathematics and professional learning needs for the coming year
• the school Board reviews student achievement and progress and use this identify achievement and improvement goals.

Expected outcomes 

• Students make sustained progress and achieve at expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics throughout their time at school.
• Students experience curriculum and teaching that affirms and fosters their sense of belonging and pride in their identities.
• Teachers confidently deliver consistent and explicit teaching of reading, writing and mathematics. 

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

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

10 October 2025