Rimu 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

Rimu School is a rural primary school for learners in Years 1 to 8 located in Invercargill. The school’s roll is 107. Pākehā | New Zealand European make up 84% of the roll with 16% of students identifying as Māori. The school’s vision for learners is that they will reach their full potential and become self-regulating and self-determining learners through provision of a whānau like learning environment and high-quality teaching. A new principal started at the school in 2023.

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 June 2023 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.

Expected improvements

Following a change in leadership and teaching staff in 2023, the school prioritised developing common teaching practices for literacy and mathematics and raising achievement in reading and writing, particularly for boys. 

Findings 

Teachers engaged in significant professional development and have built shared understandings to ensure consistent practices for the teaching of spelling and reading. There is ongoing development of writing practices. School achievement information shows an increasing numbers of learners achieving at or above expected curriculum levels in reading and writing over time. Further work is needed to improve the equity of outcomes for boys in writing.

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.

• Most learners attend school regularly.
• The school is at 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 not yet reducing over time. 

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.
• 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 significantly improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.
• The school has significantly 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 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

• Students express a strong sense of belonging and pride in their school.
• School leadership sets high expectations for evidence-based, high-quality teaching.
• School systems and conditions promote effective curriculum development and implementation.
• Leaders and teachers actively engage in building their understanding and capability for delivering explicit, well-structured teaching and learning programmes. There is a strong focus on supporting all learners to gain foundational skills in literacy and numeracy.
• Leaders and teachers regularly reflect on and adjust teaching practices to meet the needs and interests of learners and improve achievement outcomes.
• The School Board maintains strong connections with the school community, fulfils its legal and regulatory obligations, and ensures that the school is well resourced and managed.

Key priorities 

• Embed effective teaching and learning practices in writing with a focus on promoting equity of outcomes for all learners.
• Develop and implement the school’s curriculum and expected teaching practices for mathematics.
• Enhance the use of student learning data to better show the impact of new initiatives on learners’ progress and achievement and use findings to guide decisions.
• Develop and implement the school’s attendance plan for improving regular attendance.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within six months:

• leaders and teachers research and develop a plan for a structured mathematics learning programme
• leaders provide targeted professional learning for teachers to support and strengthen their teaching of writing and mathematics
• leaders develop and socialise the school’s attendance plan with the school community

Every six months:

• leaders and teachers review and report on effective teaching practices in writing and mathematics, with a particular focus on learner engagement and progress for priority learners
• leaders and teachers review and evaluate student assessment information, with a focus on identifying common barriers to learning and teaching and learning priorities
• leaders regularly check attendance data to find students who need to support to attend more often, and the school community informed about why coming to school regularly matters

Annually:

• leaders and the Board review student’s achievement in writing and mathematics to identify professional learning needs and identify the effectiveness of initiatives aimed at accelerating learner progress and achievement, using these insights to inform annual and strategic planning for ongoing improvement
• the School Board and leaders review attendance information to assess the impact of the school’s attendance plan to improve regular attendance.

Expected outcomes

• Improved equity of outcomes for all learners and high achievement in writing and mathematics.
• Teachers have a good understanding of the school curriculum and deliver structured teaching approaches in in mathematics and writing.
• Strengthened evaluation and analysis of student achievement information is used to inform decisions to improve learner outcomes.
• More learners are attending school regularly and experiencing success in learning.

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 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

17 September 2025