Heathcote Valley School

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 14 October 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.

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

Heathcote Valley School is located at the base of the Port Hills in Christchurch. It provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The school roll is currently 196 of which 86 % identify as Pākehā /New Zealand European, 16% as Māori and 12% as Asian.

The school’s vision of Thinkers and Learners for Life is supported by the values of Kaitiakitanga (protecting people, environment, and culture), Manaakitanga (showing kindness and empathy), Kotahitanga (unity and collaboration), Manawaroa (perseverance), and Auaha (creativity and innovation).

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 June 2022 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings .

Expected improvement and findings

The school prioritised strengthening their curriculum, in partnership with iwi and whānau aspirations, to meaningfully incorporate connections to local marae, pūrākau , and the natural environment for all learners.

The greatest shift has been the strengthening of teaching practice to meet the needs of learners. There has been a significant increase in Māori achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.

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? The school is working towards high levels of success and progress for all learners.

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? 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 reasonably 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 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 Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

Writing A small majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are not yet equitable for all groups of learners.

Mathematics A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are not yet 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.

A small majority of students attend school regularly.

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

The school is developing a suitable plan to improve attendance.

Regular attendance is not yet improving towards or beyond the target.

Chronic absence is not yet reducing over time.

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

Teachers know their learners well and prioritise their wellbeing; learners report a positive sense of belonging.

Senior leaders strategically build leadership capacity across the school by promoting shared leadership and a collaborative staff culture. Their decisions clearly align with the school’s strategic goals.

Teachers take part in targeted professional development in literacy and mathematics. Professional learning is supported through feedback, co -teaching approaches and the professional growth cycle.

The school has embedded structured literacy approaches in the junior school and is developing structured approaches and practices in the senior school. Structured mathematics has been implemented across the school. Learners engage in meaningful learning experiences and a broad curriculum using inquiry approaches.

Key priorities

Improve achievement for all learners in writing and in mathematics.

Embed school-wide practices and assessment in literacy and mathematics to align with the new curriculum.

Increase regular attendance for all learners.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within six months:

leaders finalise agreed school wide practices and assessment in literacy and mathematics

Every six months:

teachers and leaders review progress and achievement of target learners in writing and mathematics to identify effective strategies for accelerating progress and adapt learning programmes where necessary to meet learner needs

leaders review and report to the Board and community progress on improving regular rates of attendance and identify trends and patterns

Annually:

teachers and leaders evaluate the impact of teaching and assessment practices in writing and mathematics on learner achievement to inform future decision making

leaders and the School Board evaluate strategies to improve attendance and use this to inform next steps.

Expected outcomes

Improved achievement and reduced disparity for learners in writing and mathematics.

Consistent school wide teaching and assessment practices that support excellence and equitable outcomes for all learners.

Increased regular attendance for all learners.

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:

trial fire evacuations must be undertaken and reported, at intervals of not more than 6 months [Section 29 (1) (a), Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fire Safety, Evacuation Procedures, and Evacuation Schemes) Regulations 2018].

The Board has since addressed the area of non-compliance identified.

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

14 October 2025

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →