Kohia Terrace 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 

Kohia Terrace School in Epsom provides education or students in Years 0 to 8. Approximately 71% percent of students identify as Asian, 17% as Pākehā | New Zealand European, 4% of Pacific heritage and 2% identify as Māori.

The school vision is ‘the power to dream, the passion to achieve’ are supported by the school values, Care and Respect, Persevere to Achieve and Lead with Integrity.

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

Expected improvements

The school focused on strengthening teacher capability in literacy and numeracy across the curriculum to extend and enable all learners to be the best they can be.  

Findings 

The school implemented a curriculum aligned with community aspirations for high achievement in literacy and mathematics, incorporating mana whenua perspectives, and effectively supporting the growing number of English language learners. This approach has led to stronger student engagement and consistently high achievement, with a large majority of students achieving at and above expected curriculum levels. 

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.

• The large majority of students attend school regularly.
• The school is approaching 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.
• 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.

A large majority of students speak English as an additional language.

• 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 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 making progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics 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

• Calm, respectful and inclusive learning environments support student wellbeing, sense of belonging and high student engagement with learning.
• Strong strategic leadership sustains a trusting and collaborative staff culture and drives school improvement. Leaders and teachers use a range of evidence to evaluate progress and plan next steps.
• Leaders have established strong systems and processes including clear curriculum planning, teaching and assessment documentation that ensures school wide consistency of teaching practice.
• Well considered professional learning including structured literacy and mathematics is being successfully implemented to improve learning outcomes for all students.
• Intentional resourcing decisions, such as appropriate staffing ensure programmes meet the diverse needs of students and improve progress and achievement.

Key priorities

• Consolidate and refine the school’s curriculum and assessment practices to reflect The New Zealand Curriculum.
• Consolidate internal evaluation processes to drive excellent and equitable outcomes for all learners.
• Improve regular student attendance.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within six months:

• leaders review and align literacy and mathematics programmes and assessment practices with changes to The New Zealand Curriculum
• leaders and teachers implement and monitor the school’s attendance plan

Every six months:

• leaders and teachers evaluate the impact of teaching and learning including assessment practices on learner outcomes to inform curriculum decision making
• leaders and teachers evaluate student progress and identify steps to further improve achievement particularly for those learners not yet achieving at expectation
• leaders closely monitor the effectiveness of initiatives to improve student attendance, adjust where needed and report to the school Board and parent community 

Annually:

• leaders and teachers monitor, review and update the school’s curriculum and assessment practices to align to The New Zealand Curriculum
• leaders and the school Board review student progress and achievement, share with the community and use to identify priorities for improvement.

Expected outcomes

• Enhanced internal evaluation practices that effectively inform decision making to improve learner outcomes.
• High achievement, excellent and equitable outcomes for all students.
• Curriculum and assessment guidelines that align with The New Zealand Curriculum.
• Improved levels of regular attendance.

Regulatory and legislative requirements

This section of the report is about how the school meets regulatory and legislative requirements. This includes the provision of education for international students.

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

Provision for international students 

This section is about the quality of the provision of education for international students enrolled at the school.

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 and has completed an annual self-review of its implementation of the Code. 

At the time of this review there were 10 international students attending the school, and no exchange students. Systems and processes for international students are well established and support ongoing improvement. Students access to a range of adults who provide appropriate academic and wellbeing support. Students actively engage in learning programmes, school-wide activities and are well supported to learn English if required. 

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

16 March 2026