Aparima College

School Evaluation 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

Aparima College is situated in Riverton, Southland and caters for learners from Years 7 to 13. The school’s current roll is 226. 68% of learners are Pākehā | New Zealand European, 31% identify as Māori, and 14% are Asian. The college’s vision is we live our learning: my self, my place and my pathway and its values are Aparima FIRST: Focus, Integrity, Respect, Service and Taumata.

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

Expected improvements

The school evaluated the impact of localised learning programmes and culturally responsive practice on engagement and equitable outcomes for all learners. The school expected to see the strengthening of tikanga Māori and use of te reo Māori across the school. The focus was on the deliberate planning to strengthen literacy, numeracy and mātauranga Māori success across all learning areas. The school also wanted to see learners gaining an increasing awareness of the local history and environment, to provide a foundation for understanding themselves as learners and developing a sense of their future pathways.

Findings

The school has had a significant increase in kapa haka participation. The integration of tikanga Māori and te reo Māori into school events, along with the expansion of the te reo Māori programme, are increasing the presence of te ao Māori throughout the school. Increasing levels of community involvement is benefiting learners' engagement.

Feedback from learners indicate that the school’s years 7 to 10 Kai Tu programme has increased engagement and opportunities to develop new and meaningful learning. Learner progress and achievement information shows improving learner achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.

The greatest shifts that occurred in response to the school’s actions have been increases in students’ senses of belonging, self-discovery and increased confidence to engage in new learning challenges.

What we know about learner success

This is a summary of learner success, which guides the School Board’s future strategic direction, including any education in Rumaki/bilingual settings.

Less than a third 

Less than half 

Small majority 

Large majority 

Most 

Almost all 

0 to 33%

34 to 49%

50 to 64%

65 to 79%

80 to 90%

Over 90%

Learner Success and Wellbeing

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing.

A majority of learners progress and achieve equitably at appropriate curriculum levels and in qualifications.

• A majority of learners in Years 7 to 10 are achieving at or above expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics, with equitable achievement for Māori learners.
• A large majority of learners, including Māori, achieve Levels 1, 2 and 3 of the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) and a small majority achieve University Entrance.
• Student retention is significantly increasing, with most learners now progressing into Year 13.
• Levels of attendance are behind the Ministry of Education’s national target. A small majority of learners attend regularly.

Conditions to support learner success

This section provides a summary of leadership, teaching, curriculum and foundation school conditions for improvement.

Leadership approaches improve school conditions that promote learner engagement and success.

• Leadership has initiated and implemented a restructuring of the Years 7 to 10 learning programmes to improve student engagement.
• Leadership is taking steps to build curriculum leaders’ capacities to make positive impacts on learner engagement, progress and achievement.
• The school has developed lead teams in key priority areas, including literacy, numeracy, mātauranga Māori, assessment, programme design and wellbeing, to evaluate current practices and lead improvements.

Learning design and teaching practices are increasingly responsive to learners’ needs.

• Teachers know their learners well and develop respectful relationships. Teachers create orderly learning environments where learning time is purposeful.
• Leaders and teachers are initiating steps to share and implement effective strategies which develop literacy and mathematics skills across learning areas to improve learner progress and achievement.
• Teachers’ learning design increasingly reflects local contexts to address learners’ interests and aspirations through a range of connections to the community, iwi and the environment. 

The school is increasing its engagement with its community to improve learner outcomes.

• Learning partnerships with parents and whānau are increasing through more explicit and relevant reporting. School reporting has incorporated several dimensions that parents and whānau indicated they value.
• Regular consultation with learners, whānau and staff informs school improvement.
• The school is making its vision explicit so that students reach their potential as learners and individuals and are well prepared for their lives beyond school.

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. 

Key priorities

• Develop the quality of teaching and learning approaches across the school.
• Further increase student engagement in learning, particularly in Years 7 to 10.
• Develop literacy and mathematics learning across curriculum areas to improve achievement.
• Improve and sustain regular attendance.
• Embed the Years 7 to 10 learning programme.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within three months: 

• leaders and teachers implement strategies to improve attendance
• teachers participate in professional development to learn more about how students learn and use this knowledge to help students become better engaged in learning

Within six months:

• teachers work together to develop and share approaches for the effective integration of literacy and mathematics strategies into programmes across curriculum areas
• leaders and teachers review strategies to ensure that there are a range of supports in place to assist learners whose attendance needs to improve

Every six months:

• leaders and teachers use learner feedback to inform teaching and learning practices which improve outcomes for all learners
• leaders and teachers engage in professional learning to strengthen and embed literacy and mathematic learning strategies across curriculum areas
• leaders review data to identify trends and patterns and use findings to increase learner attendance
• leaders review the Years 7 to 10 learning programme restructure to identify improvements in student engagement and next steps

Annually:

• leaders review how well literacy and numeracy approaches are integrated into curriculum delivery across the school are leading to improvements in student achievement
• the School Board and leaders review the impact of responsive teaching and learning approaches on student engagement and use findings to inform strategic planning
• the School Board and leaders review attendance information and use this information to identify next steps which continue to increase regular rates of attendance.

Expected outcomes

• Improved student outcomes in literacy and numeracy.
• Improved and sustained levels of regular attendance.
• Responsive teaching and learning approaches that improve student achievement and engagement.

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

30 October 2025