Apiti School

The roll ERO recorded, and when

ERO writes a roll into each report it publishes: a count taken for that report, on the day shown, by the review team that was there. The Ministry of Education’s current roll for this school is 14 — the figure at the top of this page, and the one to use for how big the school is now. These are a different measurement by a different body, so they will rarely agree, and a difference between them is not a change in the school.

1. September 2018

   27

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 6 November 2018

2. May 2016

   28

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 21 July 2016

We draw no line between these. Each was counted for its own report, years apart, by a different review team, and a roll moves between reviews for reasons none of these figures record — so the difference between any two of them measures nothing.

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 6 May 2025 — “School Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.

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.

About the School

Apiti School is a small rural school located in North Manawatū and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. Their aim is that all students are confident, connected, creative, actively involved, future focused learners.

How well placed is the school to promote educational success and wellbeing?

How well are learners succeeding? Learners experience high levels of success and make excellent progress; outcomes are similarly high for all groups.

What is the quality of teaching and learning? Learners benefit from high quality teaching practice that improves progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.

How well does the school curriculum respond to all learners needs? Learners have sufficient opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum. There is a consistent focus on supporting learners to gain skills in literacy and mathematics. Learners with complex needs are well supported to achieve their education goals.

How well does school planning and conditions support ongoing improvement? School planning and conditions to support ongoing improvement to the quality of education for learners are well established.

How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing? The school successfully promotes learners’ engagement, wellbeing and inclusion.

How well does the school partner with parents, whānau and its community for the benefit of learners? The school reports usefully and accurately to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress. The school is improving its collection and use of information gathered through community consultation to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions.

Student Health and Safety The school needs to ensure a physically and emotionally safe learning environment.

Achievement in Years 0 to 8

This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Foundation Skills

Reading Almost all learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

Writing Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

Mathematics Almost all learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

Attendance

The school is behind 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 reducing over time.

Assessment

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

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 targets for reading, writing and mathematics set for 2030 .

Part B - Findings for the school

This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.

Areas of Strength

Learners achieve very well in reading, writing and mathematics; structured literacy and mathematics approach are well established in teaching and learning, supporting these high levels of achievement. Learners’ needs and strengths are well known and purposefully responded to.

Attendance since Term 2, 2024 has improved markedly and chronic absence reduced; sustaining these gains in regular attendance moves the school towards the Government target.

Learners express a strong sense of belonging and thrive in a nurturing and supportive environment.

Leadership prioritises positive outcomes for all learners through strategic planning and maintaining high quality teaching practices.

Learners benefit from a broad range of learning experiences through the school's programmes and partnerships with local cluster schools.

Professional development for teaching staff is well planned and focused on ensuring staff have the knowledge they need to effectively implement curriculum changes.

A highly collegial and collaborative staff regularly reflect on their practices and strategies to address learner needs, resulting in positive outcomes for all learners.

Key priorities and actions for improvement

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

consistently guide learners in understanding and progressing their own learning (assessment for learning practices), with a focus on learning progressions

further strengthen the school curriculum by integrating te reo Māori, tikanga Māori, and te ao Māori across learning programmes

formalise and document internal evaluation systems and processes to identify what has the most impact on learner progress and attendance, and to further support strategic decision making

the school board undertake training to strengthen knowledge of their roles and responsibilities and to consolidate knowledge of review processes.

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.

Within six months:

consolidate learning progressions in teaching and learning programmes, and assessment and reporting practices, so learners and their family/ whānau know next steps in learning

further the integration of te reo Māori , te ao Māori across the school; review and identify next steps for improvement

consult with the wider school community on local context in the curriculum and devise an implementation plan

a full review of schoolwide policies and procedures is undertaken by the board.

Every six months:

staff analyse and scrutinise learner progress, wellbeing and attendance data to understand the impact of teaching practice and programmes on learner outcomes and to inform further planning

analysed learner progress and attendance data is reported to the board and used to inform decisions about teaching and learning.

Annually:

board and staff rigorously analyse and scrutinise schoolwide achievement, wellbeing and attendance data to evaluate the impact of teaching practice and programmes on learner outcomes and to inform decision making for the next school year

school community voice is collected as part of schoolwide evaluation to inform improvement actions, particularly regarding the local context of the curriculum

the school board implements a process of self-evaluation to ensure the effectiveness of its own performance.

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:

learners having the knowledge and tools to progress their own learning

sustained levels of high achievement with more learners progressing to achieving above their expected curriculum level

the normalisation of te reo Māori and te ao Māori across learning programmes and schoolwide practices

high levels of regular attendance supported by a rich curriculum with local contexts that students relate to.

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

All schools are required to promote student health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

During this review the Board has attested to some regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Actions for Compliance

ERO has identified the following area of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

the board must maintain a current police vet check of every person who the board appoints to a position at the school. [Schedule 4, Education and Training Act 2020]

The board has since addressed the area of non-compliance identified.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation 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 (Acting)

6 May 2025

Education Counts

This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →