Arowhenua Maori 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 40 — 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. May 2019

   52

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 26 July 2019

2. August 2015

   40

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 9 October 2015

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 24 October 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.

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

Arowhenua Maori School, located south of Temuka, provides Māori medium, Level 2 education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school roll of 39, comprises of almost all Māori learners. The school’s charter statement, He anga onamata-he aronga anamata (ancestrally driven-future focused) reflects the kaupapa of the school.

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 and wellbeing. The judgments are based on the ERO School Improvement Framework and the evidence provided to ERO during the evaluation.

How well are learners succeeding? Success and progress for all learners is increasing.

What is the quality of teaching and learning? Learners benefit from high quality teaching practice that improves progress and achievement in pānui, tuhituhi, pāngarau.

How well does the school curriculum respond to all learners needs? Learners have rich opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum. There is a consistent focus on supporting learners to gain skills in pāngaru and Te Reo Matatini 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 responds well to a wide range 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 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.

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%

Pānui A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

Tuhituhi A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

Pāngarau A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

Attendance

This section is about school attendance and the progress the school is making towards meeting the Government target of 80% regular attendance.

Less than half of learners attend school regularly.

The school is significantly behind the target of 80% regular attendance.

The school has a suitable plan in place to improve attendance.

Regular attendance is not yet improving towards or beyond the target.

Chronic absence is reducing over time.

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.

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 to some extent extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.

The school is making progress towards meeting Government pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau 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

Leadership is collaborative and focused on improving outcomes for learners, fostering high expectations of and creating a strong sense of belonging and connection for learners.

Leaders and staff collaboratively apply teaching and learning strategies for consistent teaching approaches to improve learner progress and achievement.

Learners are confident in their culture, identity, and language and show deep understanding of Mātauranga Māori. They engage in a curriculum grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi and learn in well-resourced environments. Learners are well engaged.

The school maintains strong partnerships with mana whenua and Arowhenua Marae, actively involving its community in strategic decision-making.

The school board demonstrates strong support for the school’s kaupapa, strategically planning and allocating resources to effectively enhance learner outcomes.

Key priorities

Improve regular attendance.

Ensure high quality outcomes for all learners.

Enhance data analysis to track progress and report learner outcomes and guide strategic decisions and resourcing

Strengthen the school’s evaluation framework, to drive continuous school wide improvement.

Support students to monitor their own progress and determine next steps, improving their engagement and achievement.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within three months:

the School Board and leaders implement the school’s plan for raising regular attendance and the schools’ expectations for regular attendance with the community

Within six months:

leaders work with the School Board, to identify specific data and information needed, to support it in strategic planning for equitable outcomes for all learners

teachers implement student self-assessment tools and goal-setting frameworks, to build learners’ ability to track their progress and identify next steps in their learning

Every six months:

the School Board and leaders review the attendance plan and identify further action

analyse and report learner progress to the board, identifying groups requiring additional support or extension

review and modify the school’s evaluation process to focus on the impact of school initiatives to improve progress and achievement outcomes

review students’ self-assessment practices for evidence of teacher reflection on these, to align to next steps to increase achievement outcomes

Annually:

analyse attendance data looking for trends and patterns; report on the effectiveness of the attendance strategies to the school community and adjust the attendance plan as needed

scrutinise data analysis, to ensure all learners are represented in reporting, and consequently inform decision making for all groups of learners

analyse the evaluative process to identify the effectiveness, to inform strategic decisions and identify areas for improvement

evaluate the quality and depth of students’ understanding of learning goals as evidence of ownership of learning.

Expected outcomes

Increased regular attendance for all students

enhanced internal evaluative practices that effectively assesses the impact of actions and informs deliberate decision making for improved, equitable learner outcomes

data analysis covers all learners, supporting more informed decision making

students show ownership by clearly understanding, applying, and reflecting on learning goals.

Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

This section of the report is about how the school meet regulatory and legislative requirements.

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

Actions for Compliance

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

ensure regular training for staff in the Child Protection Policy 2014 [Children’s Act 2014, sections 18 and 19]

ensure the board obtains police vetting every three years for each employee that works in the school. [Children’s Act 2014, section 104]

The board has since taken steps to address the areas of non-compliance identified.

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

24 October 2025

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →