Greta Valley School

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 16 April 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.

About the School

Greta Valley School provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The school’s roll is 40, with 18% of learners identifying as Māori and 82% as NZ European. The school’s vision ‘ Skills for lifer’ are underpinned by the values of ‘ Caring, Discovering, Growing’ .

Progress since February 2023 ERO report

ERO and the school were working together to evaluate how effectively assessment and reporting processes inform and support teaching and learning.  The school expected to see learners who were able to articulate their learning needs and staff having strong knowledge about how assessment information is effectively used within their teaching programmes.

The school has a new principal and teaching team who have undertaken a wide range of professional learning development (PLD) to build a shared understanding and consistent approach to the implementation and assessment of literacy and mathematics. Changes to assessing learner achievement and progress and the way this is reported to parents has improved. Building on learners’ ability to know about and have ownership for their learning remains a priority.

How well placed is the school to promote educational success and wellbeing?

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 rich opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum. There is a consistent focus on supporting learners to gain 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? 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 board is taking reasonable steps to ensure student health and safety.

Achievement in Years 0 to 8

This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Foundation Skills

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

Writing A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more 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

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

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

Regular attendance is improving towards or beyond the target.

Chronic absence is reducing over time.

Assessment

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

The school has a high number of priority learners whose achievement and progress are reflected in the overall school achievement information.

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 reading, writing and mathematics targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority.

Part B: Findings for the school

This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.

Areas of Strength

Learners progress and achieve well in reading and mathematics; teachers are focused on accelerated progress in writing for some priority groups of learners.

Learners with additional learning needs are closely monitored; targeted individualised teaching and learning programmes effectively support their progress and achievement.

All learners benefit from high expectations for learning and teaching; they experience a strong sense of belonging through positive relationships with staff and their peers.

School leadership is highly effective and provides clear strategic direction; a schoolwide culture of relational trust and support ensures shared understanding and collaborative practices.

Structured literacy approaches are well-embedded across the school; implementation of a structured mathematics programme is well underway with ongoing teacher professional development planned.

Learners benefit from an engaging curriculum that reflects the local context and environment, provides meaningful learning opportunities and connections that support learners’ interests.

The school has a strong commitment to staff PLD, which is well-aligned to student learning priorities and reflected in high levels of consistent teaching and learning across the school.

The school staff and board effectively use a wide range of information and feedback to inform decision making for school improvement, learner achievement and attendance.

Key priorities and actions for improvement

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

refine the school’s curriculum, effectively aligning the new literacy and mathematics requirements to sustain learner progress and achievement, with a particular focus on accelerated progress in writing among boys

enhance and build on partnerships with mana whenua and iwi , using the skills and knowledge they bring to promote Mātauranga Māori within the curriculum

build on learners’ ability to know about and have ownership for their learning

implement strategies to increase and monitor regular attendance based on the Stepped Attendance Response (STAR) approach.

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.

Within six months:

engage in relevant professional learning to support the implementation of changes to the NZC

evaluate and enhance curriculum guidelines and assessment methods to ensure alignment with updates to the curriculum and reporting requirements

encourage and strengthen local iwi engagement with the school curriculum and strategic developments and respond to their views and understanding of the local area

Every six months:

review and analyse reading, writing and mathematics progress and achievement information to inform teacher planning and practice for ongoing professional development

monitor progress made in implementing changes to the curriculum, including Mātauranga Māori , and evaluate the impact on learner engagement and progress by gathering learner voice

review and evaluate shifts in attendance data and refine strategies to improve regular attendance

Annually:

review and refine school-wide assessment processes to report on learner progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics and use this information to inform teaching and learning programmes

consult with whānau , community, mana whenua and iwi to inform the school’s strategic direction, resourcing decisions and curriculum development

evaluate the extent of learner participation and ownership of their learning.

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:

improved and sustained levels of attendance, progress and achievement for all learners in reading, writing and mathematics

strengthened reciprocal partnerships with mana whenua and local iwi , that contribute to the depth and breadth of teaching and learning programmes

all learners being active participants in their learning and able to talk about what they have achieved and their next steps.

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

All schools are required to promote student health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

During this review the Board has attested to some regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

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 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

Sharon Kelly Director of Schools (Acting)

16 April 2025

Education Counts

This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →