Kia Aroha Campus

School Evaluation Report

Tēnā tātau e mau manawa rahi nei ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, arā ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Ko te ui makihoi, mā wai rā e taurima, 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 

Kia Aroha Campus is a special character school in Ōtara, Auckland, that serves tamariki through three distinctive language pathways – Māori Medium, Leak Faka Tonga and Gagana Samoa, for 378 tamariki from Years 0-13.  Kia Aroha Campus is deeply rooted in whanaungatanga and is committed to fostering cultural identity and academic success while empowering tamariki to become Warrior Scholars. 

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

What we know about learner success

This section provides a summary of learner success, wellbeing and foundation schools conditions. The judgments are based on the ERO School Improvement Framework and evidence provided to ERO during the evaluation.

Learner Success and Wellbeing 

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing.

• A large majority of Year 11, less than half of Year 12, and all Year 13 ākonga achieved NCEA in 2024. Most Year 11 achieved core literacy and numeracy. A small majority of Year 12 met literacy while most achieved numeracy. All Year 13 ākonga met their literacy and numeracy requirements. ERO was unable to verify the extent to which all learners meet or exceed curriculum levels for Years 0-10.
• ERO was unable to verify the extent to which ākonga in Fānau Pasifika achieved National Certificate of Education Achievement Levels 1 to 3 or met/exceeded expected curriculum levels from Years 0 to 10 in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Students experience aspects of cultural success as Māori, Samoan, and Tongan through the strength of school and whānau partnerships that support and empower them to thrive.
• Students are well supported to embrace their heritage and to reach their full potential through programmes focused on increasing resilience, promoting individual wellbeing and community awareness.
• The school’s graduate profile is used by the school for a benchmark for success, and 2024 data indicates that ākonga are making progress.
• Less than half ākonga of Tukutuku and Kōwhaiwhai/Whakaairo and Fanau Pasifika attend school regularly, while a large majority of Te Whare Karioi o Kia Aroha ākonga are exceeding the government attendance target. The school has implemented a robust attendance strategy to increase regular attendance.

Conditions to support learner success

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

• Leadership build and sustain high levels of relational trust, effectively collaborating with the school community.
• Leadership works to develop a shared vision that reflects the board’s priorities and the aspirations of learners and whānau.
• Leaders are focused growing teacher practice through mentoring and support programmes across the school.
• Leaders are prioritising the development of teacher capability, recruitment and retention through the schools ‘Growing Our Own Teacher Programme’, providing targeted mentoring and support across the school.
• Leadership and the board are committed to succession planning, nurturing leadership from within the school environment to enhance outcomes for learners.

• Teachers know their learners well and use culturally sustaining practices to engage students in meaningful and relevant learning.
• Teachers are building knowledge and understanding of effective approaches and practices to improve outcomes for learners.
• School leaders and teachers are beginning to use appropriate assessment information to improve teaching practice.

• Leaders and staff have developed a culture of whānau where ākonga and families feel valued and contribute to all aspects of the school including strategic planning and the graduate profile.
• Teachers are tailoring teaching and learning programmes to reflect Māori and Pasifika cultural and social contexts of the ākonga and school learning community.
• Teachers place a strong emphasis on oral language development and prioritise this as a foundation for literacy development.
• The integration of socially relevant issues across all learning areas enriches ākonga educational experience, fostering critical thinking and holistic development that extends beyond traditional academic boundaries across the campus.
• Governance and leadership are committed to meeting the aspirations of the whānau and community of Te Whānau o Tupuranga by establishing and growing a te reo Māori pathway for ākonga from Year 0 to 13.

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 identifies key priorities and actions for improvement.

Key priorities

• Build on existing efforts to attract, retain, and develop teachers, with an on-going focus on Te Whānau Tupuranga recruitment and professional growth, ensuring ongoing effective practices and stability within the teaching team.
• Strengthen the gathering and documentation of information to accurately inform strategic improvements to drive learner progress.
• Improve assessment practices across the school to identify achievement outcomes for learners.

Actions to bring about improvement

Every six months:

• leaders and teachers identify professional development needs and support and progress, with a focus on Te Whānau o Tupuranga teachers, as part of the ‘Growing our Own Teachers Programme’
• leaders and teachers create a robust assessment strategy that captures students' achievement and identifies next learning steps for learners
• leaders and teachers ensure assessment practices are implemented consistently, and teachers can competently analyse and use assessment information to clearly identify learners’ next steps

Annually:

• leaders evaluate and report on the impact of the ‘Growing our Own Teachers Programme’ in Te Whānau o Tupuranga and wider school
• leaders evaluate the extent to which teachers’ analysis and use of achievement data has made a positive impact on teaching practices and student achievement
• leaders ensure that the board are well informed about student achievement, and they effectively use this information in their decision making
• the school Board is able to effectively evaluate how well they are governing the school in line with its strategic direction and student outcomes.

Expected outcomes 

• Increased recruitment, retention and professional growth of teachers in Te Whānau o Tupuranga and improved achievement outcomes for learners.
• Progressing to a fully staffed school that ensures all students’ needs are met.
• Robust assessment practices that inform teaching practices and programmes.
• A strong evidential base of information that guides the school’s strategic direction and focus on ongoing improvement.

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