Darfield School
Contributing · State
- Year levels
- 1–6
- Total roll
- 310
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 16 Ross Street, Darfield
- Territorial authority
- Selwyn District
- Phone
- 03-3188473
- office@darfieldprimary.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Canterbury
Can my child go here?
This school has an enrolment scheme, so a place is not open to every address. How enrolment zones work
Loading zone map…
Zone boundaries shown here are approximate. Ministry of Education data warns these boundaries do not have high spatial precision and can place neighbouring addresses on different sides of a line. This is not a confirmation of enrolment eligibility — always confirm directly with the school. Zone geometry also does not reflect enrolment priority rules (siblings, special character categories, ballots) — it shows the mapped boundary only.
Check if your address is in zone →
Source: Ministry of Education, CC BY 3.0 NZ
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 257
- Māori
- 44
- Pacific
- 10
- Asian
- 17
- MELAA
- 8
- Other
- 2
- 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 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 45 |
| Year 02 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 39 |
| Year 03 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 0 | 49 |
| Year 04 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 43 |
| Year 05 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 0 | 48 |
| Year 06 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 44 | 0 | 51 |
| Year 07 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 11 |
| Total | 47 | 12 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 258 | 0 | 286 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 45 |
| Age 06 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 39 |
| Age 07 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 0 | 51 |
| Age 08 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 41 |
| Age 09 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 0 | 48 |
| Age 10 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 50 |
| Age 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 12 |
| Total | 47 | 12 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 258 | 0 | 286 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
37%
| Darfield School | 37% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 38.3% |
| Contributing | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 71% |
| Māori | 103% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 19.7% |
| Total | 37% |
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
17.3%
| Darfield School | 17.3% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 3.7% |
| Contributing | 3.5% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 33.2% |
| Māori | 94.6% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 17.3% |
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
16.9%
| Darfield School | 16.9% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 1.7% |
| Contributing | 1.5% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 32.1% |
| Māori | 92.5% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 16.9% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison exclusion data (2024)
About the school
- Equity Index (EQI)
- 430
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Small urban area
- Date opened
- 18 February 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
- 4
- Last reviewed
- 27 September 2024
- Latest report
- School Evaluation Report
- Report type
- Evaluation report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (27 September 2024)
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 27 September 2024 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.
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 310 — 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.
February 2019
211
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 11 April 2019
November 2014
224
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 24 June 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 27 September 2024 — “School Evaluation Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.
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.
Context
Darfield School, located in Canterbury, provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. The vision of Standing Tall: Reaching our Potential is supported through the High 5 vision designed to develop the attitudes, skills and knowledge of learners.
There are two parts to this report.
Part A: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction.
Part B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.
Part A: Current State
The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.
Learner Success and Wellbeing
Learners demonstrate a strong sense of belonging and wellbeing; most achieve at or above expected curriculum levels.
Outcomes for learners are equitable, with consistent achievement sustained over time in reading, writing and mathematics.
Wellbeing is supported by being effectively monitored and responded to by teachers and leaders.
A large majority of learners are attending regularly, meeting the Ministry of Educations’ regular attendance target.
Conditions to support learner success
Strategic leadership ensures a coherent, supportive learning environment for learners.
Leaders ensure initiatives for learner engagement and achievement are well informed by data, cohesive, carefully considered and evaluated effectively.
Strategic resourcing decisions to meet learners’ needs are made collaboratively by leaders with staff, extending opportunities for learners.
Developing leadership capacity across the school has been prioritised, this builds staff capability to provide learners with additional learning opportunities.
Teachers provide clear and carefully planned programmes to effectively develop learners’ skills and ensure their ongoing progress.
Staff positively engage with learners supporting them to meet clearly identified learning needs.
A range of deliberate teaching and learning strategies are used by teachers to provide students with meaningful curriculum opportunities.
Respectful, values-based relationships are evident across the school between learners and staff and support engagement.
Intentional partnerships increase opportunities for learning within the wider community.
Following consultation, the board strategically and effectively considers and responds to the needs of learners and staff.
Engagement with whānau is fostered and prioritised building effective communication and partnerships for learning.
Positive networks with support agencies assist in the provision of a range of appropriate learning support and social services for learners.
Part B: Where to next?
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
consolidate the school’s localised curriculum to incorporate broader national curriculum and assessment changes
embed a cohesive framework for engaging and consulting with Māori whānau , giving greater effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
sustain regular attendance levels.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within six months:
leaders evaluate the effectiveness of staff development and plan next steps to increase capability further.
Every six months:
leaders and teachers review, consider and respond to student attendance, progress and achievement data
leaders and teachers discuss and plan for adjustments as needed to wellbeing provision.
Annually:
the board and leaders review the strategic and annual plans following community consultation and with consideration of any emerging priorities
leaders and teachers analyse, report and respond to attendance and wellbeing data
leaders plan for targeted, data driven, professional development for staff.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
ongoing positive progress and achievement for learners, enabled by targeted instructional teaching in the context of a well-developed, localised curriculum
greater reflection of te ao Māori , understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and increased use of te reo by students and staff in learning and in school systems
Sustained levels of regular attendance.
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
Shelley Booysen Director of Schools
27 September 2024
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 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).