Bunnythorpe School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 29
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- Baring Street, Bunnythorpe
- Territorial authority
- Palmerston North City
- Phone
- 06-3292777
- office@bunnythorpe.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Palmerston North · 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
- 24
- Māori
- 9
- Pacific
- 0
- Asian
- 1
- MELAA
- 0
- Other
- 0
- 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 01 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 02 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Year 03 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 04 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 05 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Year 07 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Year 08 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 26 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 06 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Age 07 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Age 08 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Age 09 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Age 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Age 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Total | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 26 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Bunnythorpe 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 | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Other | 0% |
| 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%
| Bunnythorpe 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 | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Other | 0% |
| 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%
| Bunnythorpe 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 | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Other | 0% |
| 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)
- 525
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Rural settlement
- Date opened
- 12 August 1883
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
- 3
- Last reviewed
- 3 July 2023
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (3 July 2023)
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 same report — the board assurance report of 3 July 2023 — also sets out actions for compliance: the non-compliance ERO identified during that process. This is that section of the report in full, in ERO’s words.
The board has identified the following area of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
The Annual Plan was not completed as required for 2022.
[Schedule 1 Clause 7 Saving Provision, Education and Training Act 2020]
The board has since taken steps to address the area of non-compliance identified.
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 3 July 2023 — “Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.
Background
This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and Bunnythorpe School working in Te Ara Huarau , an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz
Context
Bunnythorpe School is a rural school situated between Feilding and Palmerston North and caters for learners in Years 1 to 8. The school seeks to provide quality learning that prepares students for their future. As an EnviroSchool, sustainability and connections to the whenua are promoted. A new principal was appointed in Term 4 of 2022.
Bunnythorpe School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:
maintain strong community partnerships that reflect the school’s unique and rural setting
create a safe and sustainable learning environment, where everyone and everything is respected and appreciated, where positive relationships and hauora are promoted
deliver the national curriculum with a strong emphasis on literacy and numeracy
recognise and honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi and appreciate Aotearoa New Zealand’s diversity in cultural heritage.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Bunnythorpe School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively school-wide practices and the curriculum are responsive to the needs of each learner.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:
provide the conditions for increased levels of learner agency
strengthen assessment for learning practices so that all staff can effectively address the needs of learners in a multi-level classroom environment
ensure the development of a local curriculum guided by the aspirations of the wider school community.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to achieve excellent outcomes for all learners:
A highly collegial school team that communicates effectively within the team about learner needs and successes.
Children learn in a caring, collaborative environment and are at the centre of classroom decision making.
School leadership has created and guides, systems, processes and practices focused on continuous improvement of practice.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
embedding consistent school-wide systems, processes and practices of assessment and moderation
the use of learning progressions to guide teachers, learners and their whānau in next steps for learning
strengthening partnerships with learners, whānau , hapū and iwi in order to further develop the local curriculum
the board of trustees undertaking professional learning to fully understand and enact their roles and responsibilities.
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.
Shelley Booysen Director of Schools
3 July 2023
About the School
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Read the full report on ero.govt.nz →
All 3 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).