Pacific Advance Secondary School

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 

Pacific Advance Secondary School in Ōtāhuhu, Auckland provides education for students in Years 9 to 13. The school follows the Fonofale model of wellbeing, which emphasises cultural values, faith, kāinga, and the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of students. 

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 school 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 students achieve National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) 
  Levels 2 and 3 and achieve University Entrance (UE); less than a third of students achieve Level 1.
• Improving the progress and achievement of learners in Years 9 and 10 in reading, writing, and mathematics is a priority.
• Less than half of students attend school regularly; the school is working towards the Government’s target for government target for regular attendance and have prioritised the development of an attendance plan to increase regular student attendance. 

Conditions to support learner success

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

• Leadership builds and sustains high levels of relational trust and effective collaboration at every level of the school community to achieve the strategic vision and goals.
• Leadership sets and pursues a small number of strategic development priorities and targets including the acceleration of progress for those learners at risk of underachievement.
• Leaders uses evidence to plan and monitor aspects of the school’s strategic improvement cycle and increasingly evaluate the effectiveness of strategies designed to improve learner outcomes.

• The curriculum is planned well to integrate and reflect local contexts in a way that builds on learners’ experiences, knowledge and understanding.
• Teachers provide an inclusive learning environment; they are organised and prepared, know their learners well and respond to their individual strengths and learning needs.

• The school fosters purposeful, whānau-like relationships; staff and students report these relationships as enabling meaningful learning and positive interactions that improve engagement in learning.
• The school board and leadership have a clear focus on improvement; staff plan and prepare purposeful learning activities.
• Learners experience an inclusive, and supportive learning environment that reflects Pacific values and holistic pastoral care, supporting their physical and emotional wellbeing. 

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 

• Strengthen the NCEA Level 1 programme, with a particular strong focus on literacy and numeracy.
• Formalise and implement a robust attendance plan to improve regular attendance.
• Embed te ao Māori into the delivery of the curriculum and environment in a meaningful and sustainable way.
• Continue to develop engaging and purposeful partnerships with kāinga.

Agreed actions to bring about improvement 

Within six months:

• ensure all school staff understand and implement attendance procedures
• develop a comprehensive strategy to support the integration of te ao Māori into curriculum delivery and the environment, supporting a stronger connection with Māori culture and values
• plan actions to increase engagement of kāinga with school events, such as Talanoa Ako 

Every six months:

• use achievement data to inform teaching practices to strengthen the transition of students from 
  Year 10 to Level 1 NCEA
• review attendance information and plan next steps to sustain improvements
• review the integration of te ao Māori into the curriculum to measure progress and plan next steps

Annually:

• continue to strengthen and embed Year 9 and 10 literacy and numeracy programmes and report outcomes to the board to inform strategic direction and ongoing improvement
• review the effectiveness of strategies in working towards achieving significant and positive improvements in regular student attendance
• strengthen professional development opportunities and iwi partnership with Ngāti Tamaoho
• evaluate the success of the school in fostering engaging and collaborative partnerships between the school and kāinga, and the extent to which learning partnerships have been enhanced across the school community to support learners’ success. 

Expected outcomes 

• Improved achievement of Year 9 and 10 students in literacy and mathematics; an increased number of learners achieving NCEA Level 1
• Increased regular attendance
• Teachers confidently applying te ao Māori in their teaching and learning programmes
• Kāinga equipped to purposefully engage in their child’s learning journey, stay connected and actively participate in the educational process.

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

23 October 2025