Queenstown Primary 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.

About the School

Queenstown Primary School provides education for a diverse range of Year 1 to 8 learners. The school’s current roll is 569, with 5% Māori, 34% Asian and 61% European |Pākehā learners. It emphasises learners being at the centre of its decisions and practices in order to achieve its vision of “growing confident and future-focused learners.”

Part A – Parent Summary

Progress since the August 2023 ERO report

The school and ERO worked together to evaluate the impact of a responsive, localised school learning programme on empowering diverse learners to achieve success.

The school expected to see:

• learners achieving their personal best across learning areas through effective pedagogy and strong school/community partnerships
• learners experiencing a curriculum that is relevant, student-centered, culturally connected, future-focused and characterised by Māori achieving success as Māori
• build learning-focused partnerships with family and whānau centred on well-being, learning and progress.

During the course of the evaluation, students benefitted from opportunities to engage in learning with an increased emphasis on local bicultural narratives. Mana whenua stories and histories were effectively integrated into learning experiences based in the area, as well into the redevelopment of school environment, increasing bicultural partnerships.

Learning programmes include increased emphasis on mātauranga Māori, with expectations for learner progress in knowledge and use of te ao Māori, te reo Māori and tikanga Māori as they move through the school. Māori learner progress and achievement is equitable in literacy and mathematics. The school is focused on improving the progress and achievement of the growing numbers of English language learners. 

How well placed is the school to promote educational success and wellbeing?

How well are learners succeeding?The school is working towards high levels of success and progress for all learners.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 rich opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum.

There is an increasingly consistent focus on supporting learners to gain 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?School planning and conditions to support ongoing improvement to the quality of education for learners are well established.How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing?The school successfully 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 reports usefully and accurately to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress.

The school responds well to a wide range of information gathered through community consultation, to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions.

Student Health and SafetyThe school board is taking reasonable steps to ensure student health and safety.

Achievement in Years 0 to 8

This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Foundation Skills

 Reading

A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are not yet equitable for all groups of learners.

Writing

A large majority of 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

The school is approaching the target of 80% regular attendance.

The school is developing a suitable plan to improve attendance.

Regular attendance is improving towards or beyond the target.

Chronic absence is reducing over time.

Assessment

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

The school has seen a significant recent increase in learners for whom English is their second language.  

The school is developing good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.

The school has significantly 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 making progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority.

An explanation of the terms used in the Parent Summary can be found here: Reporting | Education Review Office

Part B - Findings for the school

This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.

Areas of Strength

• Staff foster a positive and inclusive school culture.
• Teachers know their learners well through engaging with them over a two-year class cycle.
• Leaders and teachers are implementing steps to use a broadened range of progress and achievement information to improve learning outcomes.
• Leaders are responsive to feedback from the school community.
• The school is committed to strengthening connections to local tāhuhu kōrero and whenua | the history and place of the local area, so that they are reflected in the school environment and strengthen the bicultural partnership in learning programmes.

Key priorities and actions for improvement 

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• implement evidence-based teaching and learning in literacy and mathematics
• embed teaching, learning and assessment strategies to support increased progress and achievement for all learners, and particularly for target learners
• further improve regular attendance for all learners to meet Government targets.

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.

Within six months:

• utilise external and internal expertise to support teachers to further improve literacy and mathematics teaching practices
• implement consistent modes of monitoring learner progress and achievement to inform overall teacher judgements, supported by effective moderation practices
• implement strategies in partnership with the school community to encourage and sustain regular attendance.

Every six months:

• further review the progress and impact of structured approaches in literacy and mathematics on learning and achievement for all learners, and particularly for target learners
• review how well a range of achievement information is used to inform overall teacher judgements across the school and to plan next learning steps
• monitor the impact of strategies used to improve regular attendance.

Annually:

• analyse literacy and mathematics achievement information and use this to inform planning
• evaluate the impact of teacher professional learning on literacy and mathematics achievement
• evaluate patterns in attendance for all learners; use this information to identify next steps to continue to increase regular rates of attendance. 

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:

• improved progress and achievement in mathematics and literacy for all learners, and particularly for target learners
• improved achievement outcomes through using a broadened range of progress and achievement information
• improved rates of regular attendance.

Part C: Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

Provision for International Students 

Background

The Education Review Office reviews schools that are signatories 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.

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. 

No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

All schools are required to promote student health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

During this review the Board has attested to some regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Report and is due within three 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 (Acting)

26 May 2025

Education Counts

This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home