Duntroon 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 

Duntroon School, in South Canterbury, provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The roll of 98 includes 74% of students who are New Zealand European/Pākehā, 24% Asian, and 5% who identify as Māori. 

The school’s vision is ‘The BEST we can be’ Ko te pai e taea e tatou! B - Believe in myself, E - Empowered to learn, S - Socially Responsible, T - Thinkers and Learners for Life, is underpinned by the school values of honesty, respect, perseverance, co-operation and inclusion.

A new Principal started at the school in Term 2, 2025.

Education Counts provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement, school enrolments and school zones. https://www.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 June 2022 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.

Expected improvements

The school was to evaluate to what extent the local curriculum and teaching practice support all students’ sense of belonging, engagement in learning and equitable and excellent outcomes.

The school expected to see continued improvement in student achievement in reading, writing, and mathematics, with a particular focus on promoting equity and excellence for all learners.

The school continue to develop the Duntroon accelerated learning model to track progress, identify students who need extra help, and provide targeted support to help them progress faster. They are identifying ways to enhance the curriculum by adding digital skills and structured literacy, and by making learning more interesting and relevant for students.

Findings 

The school did not complete the planned evaluation of how well the local curriculum and teaching practices support students’ sense of belonging, engagement, and equitable and excellent outcomes due to reprioritisation with the changing curriculum. 

However, the school made progress in responding to its changing student demographic and effectively use systems for monitoring and supporting target learners, including for second-language learners. Achievement information shows that disparity between groups of learners is reduced, particularly for second‑language learners in writing and mathematics.    

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 1 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 small 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 is improving its approach and the reliability of its practices to accurately 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 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 not making progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority.

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

Positive relationships and a supportive school culture are evident among learners and between learners and staff. Learners report that teachers are approachable, which contributes to their sense of wellbeing and inclusion.

Leadership sets high expectations and is focused on implementing quality teaching and learning practices that improve learner outcomes.

A schoolwide approach to structured mathematics is being effectively implemented. Teachers have also begun targeted professional learning and development in structured literacy to strengthen teaching practice and ensure greater consistency across the school. 

Processes for identifying, monitoring, and responding to target learners are well embedded.

The local environment is used effectively to provide meaningful learning opportunities that engage students.

The school has an active Home and School group that works in partnership with the school to support projects that make a positive difference for learners.

Key priorities

• Develop and implement a Professional Growth Cycle (PGC) for teachers. 
• Strengthen teachers’ understanding and use of the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum (NZC), assessment, and reporting changes, to ensure these inform planning, teaching, learning, assessment and reporting leading to coherent progress and achievement information for learners. 
• Implement structured literacy practices consistently across the school. 
• Improve attendance to meet or exceed national targets.

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within three months:

• leaders and teachers develop and implement a Professional Growth Cycle (PGC) to support ongoing improvement in teaching and learner outcomes 
• leaders and teachers review assessment tools, guidelines and reporting templates so they align with the refreshed NZC 

Every six months:

• leaders and teachers participate in professional learning and coaching focused on consistent NZC implementation, with priority given to structured literacy and assessment practice  
• teachers engage in the PGC to reflect on and improve teaching practice 
• leaders monitor teaching implementation through observation, modelling planning analysis, and learner feedback
• leaders and teachers review assessment and attendance data to identify progress and target additional support where needed

Annually:

• leaders evaluate shifts in teaching practice using evidence from the PGC, observations, planning analysis, and learner voice, and use this to plan priorities for professional learning for the following year
• leaders and teachers evaluate the impact of professional development on teaching and learning, identifying areas that require further focus or support
• leaders and teachers review and update school‑wide guidelines to support consistent planning, teaching, assessment, and reporting across the school
• leaders analyse and report key outcomes, including whole‑school literacy progress (with specific attention to priority learners) and annual attendance outcomes to the board and wider school community.

Expected outcomes

• Planning, teaching, assessment, and reporting practices aligned with the refreshed NZC are used consistently across the school. 
• A well-embedded professional growth cycle of continuous improvement. 
• Improved achievement in reading and writing for all learners. 
• Improved regular student attendance. 

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 has identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

• all aspects of workforce safety checking, including police vetting, must be completed prior to commencing employment. Further police vets must be obtained every three years
  [Sections 25 to 27, 31 Children’s Act 2014; Section 104 and Schedule 4 Education and Training Act 2020]
• restraint training modules must be completed by all teaching staff 
  [Education (Physical Restraint) Rules 2024].

The Duntroon School Board has taken steps to address 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

31 March 2026