Mossburn 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 

Mossburn School is a small, rural school which provides education for Years 1 to 6 students. The school roll is 54 and the school is experiencing roll growth. A new principal was appointed during Term 4 of 2023. 

The school’s vision is Attitude is Everything: Students will develop knowledge, attitudes and skills to confidently make valuable contributions.

The school’s values are Communication, Honesty, Attitude, Responsibility, and Manners.

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 2022 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.

Expected improvements

The school focused on ways to strengthen evaluation practices and to evaluate how well in-school disparity in writing was being addressed.

The school expected to see teachers having a greater understanding of how to implement robust evaluation for improvement, using writing as a context.

Findings 

The school continues to grow and establish its evaluation capability, especially related the teaching of literacy and mathematics. The school are focused on writing as an area for staff development to bring about equity of outcomes for all learners.

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.

A small majority of learners enter Mossburn School significantly behind the expected curriculum level. The school’s efforts are well focused on accelerated progress. 

Achievement in Years 1 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.

• Most learners attend school regularly.
• The school is at 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.

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 experienced roll growth over the past year and has an increasing number of learners who have a first language other than English.
• 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.
• The school has to some extent extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels.
• The school is 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

• Learners experience an inclusive and supportive learning environment and are offered a range of opportunities to be involved in community-based events.
• Learners with additional learning needs are well catered for through targeted, personalised approaches to teaching and learning.
• The new principal fosters a supportive, high-trust, relational culture with high expectations for teaching and learning.
• Leaders and teaching staff are embedding a structured, explicit and consistent approach to literacy and mathematics teaching, in line with government priorities.
• Learners benefit from a broad and deep curriculum which draws on community partnerships.
• Staff are well-supported with targeted professional learning opportunities that contribute to a structured approach to teaching.
• All staff contribute towards decisions for ongoing school evaluation and improvement, and a collective capacity to explore change.

Key priorities

• Embed a shared understanding of assessment and moderation processes aligned with new curriculum initiatives to improve learner outcomes.
• Identify and use targeted teaching approaches to raise boys’ writing achievement and reduce gaps in achievement.
• Explore ways to further develop community partnerships and engagement with the school. 

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within six months:

• leaders and teachers develop assessment and moderation processes to align with the new curriculum initiatives
• leaders, teachers and learning assistants identify and trial targeted strategies to improve boys’ writing achievement
• leaders and the Mossburn School Board engage with the community to explore ways to further develop community partnerships with the school

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 and teaching staff evaluate the impact of targeted teaching approaches on boys’ writing progress and achievement and report to the Board 

Annually:

• leaders and teachers evaluate the impact of assessment and moderation practices on students’ progress and achievement, and use this information to inform next steps
• leaders and teachers evaluate the impact of targeted teaching approaches on boys’ writing achievement and report progress to inform planning
• leaders and the Board evaluate the impact of initiatives to further develop community partnerships.

Expected outcomes

• Clear assessment and moderation processes are used consistently to effectively plan next steps for learning and improve learner progress and achievement.
• Improved boys’ writing achievement and reduced disparities.
• Increased community partnerships and engagement with the school. 

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

17 March 2026