Ferndale Te Ahu
Specialist School · State
- Year levels
- not reported
- Total roll
- 141
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 104 Merivale Lane, Merivale, Christchurch
- Territorial authority
- Christchurch City
- Phone
- 03-3557595
- admin@ferndale.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Christchurch · schools in Canterbury
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 86
- Māori
- 45
- Pacific
- 17
- Asian
- 14
- MELAA
- 6
- 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 01 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 9 |
| Year 02 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Year 03 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 11 |
| Year 04 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Year 05 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| Year 06 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| Year 07 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 20 |
| Year 08 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 10 |
| Year 09 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
| Year 11 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 11 |
| Year 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 |
| Year 13+ | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 26 |
| Total | 46 | 19 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 76 | 0 | 139 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Age 06 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Age 07 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
| Age 08 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 8 |
| Age 09 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
| Age 10 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Age 11 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 22 |
| Age 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| Age 13 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Age 14 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 12 |
| Age 15 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 12 |
| Age 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 |
| Age 17 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| Age 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Age 19+ | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 14 |
| Total | 46 | 19 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 76 | 0 | 139 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Academic results
Percentage with NCEA level 1 or above — 2025
0%
| Ferndale Te Ahu | 0% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 87.1% |
| Specialist School | 12.7% |
| State: Not integrated | 83.6% |
| New Zealand | 85.2% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Not applicable |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 1 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with NCEA level 2 or above — 2025
0%
| Ferndale Te Ahu | 0% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 79.6% |
| Specialist School | 8% |
| State: Not integrated | 75.4% |
| New Zealand | 77.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Not applicable |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 2 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with NCEA level 3 or above — 2025
0%
| Ferndale Te Ahu | 0% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 59% |
| Specialist School | 1.8% |
| State: Not integrated | 55.2% |
| New Zealand | 59% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Not applicable |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 3 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with VP Award — 2025
0%
| Ferndale Te Ahu | 0% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 13.7% |
| Specialist School | 0.7% |
| State: Not integrated | 14.4% |
| New Zealand | 14.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Not applicable |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison Vocational Pathway data (2023-2025)
Retention
Percentage staying until at least 17th birthday — 2025
100%
| Ferndale Te Ahu | 100% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 83.6% |
| Specialist School | 79.1% |
| State: Not integrated | 81.4% |
| New Zealand | 83% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Not applicable |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | Too few to report |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | 100% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison trend data (2023-2025)
— 2024
not reported
| Female | not reported |
|---|---|
| Male | not reported |
| Māori | not reported |
| Pacific | not reported |
| Asian | not reported |
| MELAA | not reported |
| Other | not reported |
| European/Pākehā | not reported |
| Total | not reported |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 1: School leavers enrolled in tertiary education one year after leaving school (2022-2024 leaver cohorts)
— 2023
not reported
| Female | not reported |
|---|---|
| Male | not reported |
| Māori | not reported |
| Pacific | not reported |
| Asian | not reported |
| MELAA | not reported |
| Other | not reported |
| European/Pākehā | not reported |
| Total | not reported |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: School leavers enrolled in tertiary education two years after leaving school (2021-2023 leaver cohorts)
— 2024
not reported
| Female | not reported |
|---|---|
| Male | not reported |
| Māori | not reported |
| Pacific | not reported |
| Asian | not reported |
| MELAA | not reported |
| Other | not reported |
| European/Pākehā | not reported |
| Total | not reported |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 1: School leavers enrolled in tertiary education one year after leaving school (2022-2024 leaver cohorts)
— 2023
not reported
| Female | not reported |
|---|---|
| Male | not reported |
| Māori | not reported |
| Pacific | not reported |
| Asian | not reported |
| MELAA | not reported |
| Other | not reported |
| European/Pākehā | not reported |
| Total | not reported |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: School leavers enrolled in tertiary education two years after leaving school (2021-2023 leaver cohorts)
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
109.4%
| Ferndale Te Ahu | 109.4% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 38.3% |
| Specialist School | 24.1% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 148% |
| Māori | 152.9% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 99.1% |
| Total | 109.4% |
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
15.8%
| Ferndale Te Ahu | 15.8% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 3.7% |
| Specialist School | 3.4% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 21.3% |
| Māori | 22% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 14.6% |
| Total | 15.8% |
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%
| Ferndale Te Ahu | 0% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 1.7% |
| Specialist School | 1.8% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| 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)
- 521
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 25 January 1941
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
- 22 April 2024
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (22 April 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 22 April 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.
What this report states about the school
As stated in ERO’s report of 22 April 2024 — not necessarily the position now. Each line quotes the sentence it came from.
- Also provides
- Three primary satellites (Linwood Ave, Marshland, Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto)
three primary satellites (Linwood Ave, Marshland, Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto )
- Two secondary satellites (Haeata, Waikahu - Shirley Boys’/Avonside Girls’)
two secondary satellites ( Haeata, Waikahu - Shirley Boys’/Avonside Girls’)
- Transition Hub (Tētēkura), Phillipstown
a Transition Hub ( Tētēkura ) in a community hub in Phillipstown
- Three primary satellites (Linwood Ave, Marshland, Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto)
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 141 — 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
111
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 13 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 22 April 2024 — “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 6 months of the Education Review Office and Ferndale Te Ahu 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
This report is part of a nationally coordinated evaluation of 27-day specialist schools during the second half of 2023. This included the development of day specialist school evaluation indicators by ERO with significant input from principals, staff and the Special Education Principals’ Association of New Zealand (SEPAnz).
Context
Ferndale Te Ahu is a day specialist school providing specialised education, therapy and care for ākonga aged between 5 to 21 years eligible for Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) funding. The school’s catchment area covers mainly eastern and central suburbs in Ōtautahi Christchurch.
The school has a specialist therapy team that supports students’ wellbeing and access to learning. A specialist teacher outreach service works with ORS funded students enrolled in local schools.
The school continues to navigate and manage roll growth pressures along with the employment and property demands associated with this.
The school’s vision is that learners should reach their full potential through individualised programmes that enable them to be ‘The best I can be.’ This is underpinned by the school’s values of Tipu – Growth, Whanaungatanga – Connection, and Hauora – Wellbeing.
Ferndale Te Ahu’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
Ako learning – creating barrier-free, equitable and accelerated learning for ākonga in literacy and the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum, Te Mātaiaho .
Hauora wellbeing – supporting ākonga and kaimahi to flourish.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Ferndale Te Ahu’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively the development and implementation of specialised literacy practices are supporting ākonga within all aspects of their learning.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
the school purposefully sought the community voice to inform its strategic priorities, which highlights the importance of growing ako or learning, for ākonga
leadership identified the importance of continuing to grow teaching and learning practices within literacy to respond to the uniqueness of individual ākonga and to develop a cohesive approach to accelerate learning in all areas of literacy
recognition of the importance of and obligations to Te Tiriti o Waitangi
the implementation and embedding of assessment for learning from recent teacher professional development to underpin literacy practices
the recent implementation of the local curriculum creates a platform for these next steps in literacy.
The school expects to see continued development of cohesive, schoolwide specialist literacy practices that enable ākonga to accelerate in all areas of their literacy learning.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to develop specialist literacy practices.
Well-targeted teaching programmes that support students to achieve individual learning goals with a suitable level of challenge.
A student-centred, nurturing culture that fosters strong relationships and a sense of belonging for ākonga and their whānau .
The collaborative, reflective and supportive teaching team culture focussed on ongoing improvements for students and maintaining a calm and settled learning environment.
A highly responsive and supportive school leadership team that provides clear schools systems, direction and expectations for high quality care and education.
Specialist, evidence-based, innovative and inclusive teaching and learning practices underpinned by ongoing reflection and monitoring for success.
Highly effective education connections within the wider community to support ākonga success and life pathways.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
further developing and embedding best practice in specialised literacy programmes
giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi through literacy teaching and learning including the role of culturally responsive practices
continuing to strengthen the partnership with whānau to support the development of literacy learning of students.
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
22 April 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
This school has a base school site, three primary satellites (Linwood Ave, Marshland, Beckenham Te Kura o Pūroto ), two secondary satellites ( Haeata, Waikahu - Shirley Boys’/Avonside Girls’) and a Transition Hub ( Tētēkura ) in a community hub in Phillipstown.
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).