Ballance School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 22
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 15 Post Office Road, Pahiatua
- Territorial authority
- Tararua District
- Phone
- 06-3767826
- office@ballance.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Manawatū-Whanganui
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 18
- Māori
- 3
- Pacific
- 1
- Asian
- 1
- MELAA
- 0
- Other
- 1
- International
- 0
Roll by year level and age
Shown as context, not ranked, not compared to any average. As at 30 June 2026, from the same annual return as the roll count above.
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 02 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 03 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Year 04 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Year 05 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Year 06 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 07 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 08 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 17 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 06 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 07 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Age 08 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 09 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Age 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Age 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 17 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Ballance School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Manawatū-Whanganui Region | 45.5% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison stand-down rates data (2024)
Age-standardised suspension rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Ballance School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Manawatū-Whanganui Region | 6.2% |
| Full Primary | 3.9% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison suspension rates data (2024)
Age-standardised exclusion rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Ballance School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Manawatū-Whanganui Region | 2.8% |
| Full Primary | 1.7% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison exclusion data (2024)
About the school
- Equity Index (EQI)
- 504
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Rural other
- Date opened
- 16 November 1880
The Equity Index is used by the Ministry to allocate equity funding. It describes the socio-economic barriers a school’s students face, not how good the school is. How the Equity Index works
What did ERO find?
The Education Review Office reviews every school and publishes what it finds in full. We quote ERO’s report here, section by section, in ERO’s own words and order, and link to it. We do not summarise a report, pick a line out of one, or turn one into a score. How ERO reviews schools
- Reports ERO holds
- 4
- Last reviewed
- 19 March 2026
- Latest report
- School Report
- Report type
- Review report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (12 December 2022)
A board assurance statement is the board’s own account of whether it took all reasonable steps to meet its legal obligations, on the date shown. It is not ERO’s finding. ERO reports separately, in the same report, on any non-compliance it identified during that process.
The board assurance report of 12 December 2022 carries no actions-for-compliance section — the section ERO uses when it names non-compliance it identified. That is what this report contains; it is not ERO saying it found none. Other reports ERO holds for this school may say something different.
What this report states about the school
As stated in ERO’s report of 19 March 2026 — not necessarily the position now. Each line quotes the sentence it came from.
- Year levels
- Years 1 to 8
provides education for 18 learners in Years 1 to 8
- Years 1 to 8
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 22 — 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.
October 2018
31
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 18 December 2018
This is one count taken for one report. It says what the roll was on that day, and nothing about how the roll has moved.
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 19 March 2026 — “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
Ballance School provides education for 18 learners in Years 1 to 8. The school’s values are responsibility, enthusiasm, strength, perseverance, empathy, creativity, teamwork and excellence.
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 December 2022 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.
Expected improvements
The school evaluated how well the curriculum responded and reflected the environment and local contexts, community values and aspirations, enabling all learners to be confident, connected and actively involved in learning.
Findings
Extensive engagement and consultation by the principal and staff of parents, whānau and community has resulted in the development of a cohesive, broad curriculum. This guiding document includes high expectations of effective teaching practice, learner achievement and wellbeing.
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 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 an increasingly consistent focus on supporting learners to gain skills in foundational 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? The school is establishing planning and conditions that support improvements in the quality of education for learners.
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 board needs to ensure a physically and emotionally safe learning environment.
Achievement in Years 1 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%
Reading A small majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are not yet equitable for all groups of learners.
Writing A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners.
Mathematics A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are 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.
Almost all learners attend school regularly.
The school is exceeding 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.
Assessment
This section is about how the school assesses learner progress and achievement.
The school is improving its approach and the reliability of its practices to accurately find out about achievement against the curriculum.
Teachers are developing their use of assessment information 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 is developing 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 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 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
A wide range of initiatives are in place to support learners’ progress, wellbeing and sense of belonging.
A knowledge-based curriculum provides learners with choice, challenge and purposeful learning opportunities that relate to their experiences and contexts.
Teachers promote an inclusive, supportive culture through a shared understanding of each students’ interests and learning needs.
Strong partnerships and effective consultation with whānau and the wider community inform the school’s strategic direction and curriculum.
The school achieved 100% regular attendance in Terms Two and Three, 2025.
Key priorities
Ensure that all required school policies and procedures are compliant, reflect current legislation and are being implemented.
Build consistency and further strengthen teacher practice in structured literacy and mathematics programmes through targeted professional learning and development.
Reduce inequity of achievement for groups of learners through increased scrutiny of data and use of explicit instructional teaching.
Actions to bring about improvement
Within three months:
the Ballance School Board complete a review and update school policies and procedures to ensure they are compliant and reflective of current legislative requirements
the Board and principal review annual progress and achievement data for literacy and mathematics to establish annual improvement priorities for the annual implementation plan
Within six months:
the Board continue to implement a cycle of regular review ensuring that policies and procedures are understood, reviewed and compliant
the principal reports to the Board on the impact of teacher professional development in structured literacy and mathematics including the acceleration of achievement, and the progress of all learners receiving targeted support
Every six months:
teachers review the impact of changed professional teaching practices through classroom observations, learners’ progress and achievement and report next steps to the Board
the principal reports to the Board on the ongoing data review of progress made to increase and accelerate the achievement of all learners
the Board and principal continue to closely monitor sustained high levels of attendance and, if needed, make any changes to increase regular attendance
Annually:
the Board scrutinises their processes of policy review to ensure compliance and reflect current legislation
the principal and teachers analyse and report on the impact of strengthened teacher practice on schoolwide achievement in literacy and mathematics before setting annual improvement targets
the principal and board review student attendance plan to ensure high levels of regular attendance is sustained.
Expected outcomes
The school’s policies and procedures are fit for purpose and compliant with current legislation.
Consistent, high quality teacher practice in reading, writing and mathematics that accelerates progress, achievement and increased equity in learner outcomes.
Students apply structured literacy and mathematics strategies, make accelerated progress and achieve well.
Sustained, high rates of regular attendance.
Regulatory and legislative requirements
This section of the report is about how the school meets 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 that the board has suitable and comprehensive policy and procedure framework to guide school operations [Section 125 of the Education and Training Act 2020]
ensure that the board has a suitable process for the management of complaints, including a policy, monitoring for timely resolution, ongoing self-review and recordkeeping [Good complaints handing by a school board (Ombudsman website)]
ensure a comprehensive school’s child protection policy is implemented, and that staff roles and responsibilities are clear and supported by regular child protection training [Sections 18 and 19 of the Children’s Act 2014]
ensure the school’s Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) policy and systems are comprehensive with responsive staffing ratios and suitable risk management procedures [Health and Safety at Work Act 2015]
ensure that a satisfactory safety checking process occurs for persons employed by the board, including sufficient records of identity confirmation, police vetting and records of completed risk assessment [Sections 25, 26 and 27 of the Children’s Act 2014].
The Ballance School Board has since addressed the non-compliance for the child protection policy.
It is yet to address the other areas of non-compliance identified.
Recommendation to the Ministry of Education
ERO will initiate conversations with the Ministry of Education about support/intervention. ERO recommendation to the Ministry of Education will be outlined in the confirmed report to bring about the following improvements:
policies and procedures to guide school operations.
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
19 March 2026
Read the full report on ero.govt.nz →
All 4 reports ERO holds for this school
ERO reviews a school every few years — around four years between reviews is the usual cycle — so an older date here reflects where a school sits in that cycle, not how it is doing.
Source: Education Review Office, CC BY 4.0.
Roll date: 30 June 2026 (2026).