Kakaramea School

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 15 January 2026 — “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

Kakaramea School has a roll of 55 learners in Years 1 to 6 of whom 84% identify as NZ European/ Pākehā , 27% Māori , 7% Pacific and 5% Asian. The school’s vision is e tipu, e rea - grow and keep growing .

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 January 2023 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.

Expected improvements

Leaders focused on strengthening culturally responsive and collaborative teaching practices, deepening school and community partnerships, and coherently enacting Te Tiriti o Waitangi responsibilities. The school expected learners to have agency over their learning, experience high levels of wellbeing, and achieve equitable outcomes, supported by an engaged community and staff committed to effective, culturally responsive pedagogy.

Findings

Significant progress has been made. Staff upskilled through coaching and professional development and embedded Relationship-Based Learning practices. Cultural responsiveness advanced through strong engagement in the school’s local curriculum, regular Te Reo Māori lessons, and partnerships with local marae. Community involvement is evident through strategic planning, curriculum development and initiatives like the “ WAKA Way”. Learner agency is promoted through goal setting. Wellbeing is supported by Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) systems and explicitly taught self-regulation strategies. Māori students experience equitable achievement outcomes.

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? 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 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 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 1 to 6

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

Writing A small 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

This section is about school attendance and the progress the school is making towards meeting the Government target of 80% regular attendance.

The large majority of students attend school regularly.

The school is approaching 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

This section is about how the school assesses learner progress and achievement.

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

This section is about how well the school supports all learners to make sufficient progress.

The school has 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

Leaders and staff foster and sustain a positive culture underpinned by embedded school values and driven by clear strategic planning and targeted professional development. Robust evidence, review and evaluation practices guide strategic decision making and sustain ongoing improvement for students.

Leadership collaborates with the school Board, staff, students, and community to set the school’s vision and direction. Leaders foster and maintain expectations for high quality teaching for equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners.

The school takes a strong, structured approach to teaching reading and mathematics and are currently implementing approaches for structured writing with a focus on improving disparity for boys in writing.

A broad curriculum supports links to local contexts and provides meaningful learning opportunities and experiences to support student needs and interests. Contributions to curriculum have come from local iwi and community with whom partnerships for learning are strong.

Leaders promote a collaborative culture that supports reflective teaching. Teachers apply responsive, evidence-informed practices to meet learners’ needs. Leaders and teachers work together to reflect on teaching practice and data analysis to plan for improvement.

Key priorities

Embed structured approaches and practices to ensure consistency across the school and increase outcomes for all students in writing.

Improve literacy and mathematics achievement with equitable outcomes for all learners.

Improve and sustain attendance.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within three months:

leaders share expectations for regular attendance with the school community through the school’s attendance plan

Within six months:

leaders evaluate structured approaches to literacy to monitor the consistency of teacher practice across the school and improve learner outcomes, particularly in writing

Every six months:

leaders review the effectiveness of current initiatives to improve regular attendance for all students

Annually:

leaders evaluate the impact of structured approaches to literacy and mathematics on all learner outcomes, to support future decision-making for professional development and resourcing

the school Board and leaders review attendance data looking for trends and patterns, report to the school community on the effectiveness of attendance strategies and adjust the attendance plan as needed.

Expected outcomes

Improved achievement and equity in literacy and mathematics for all learners.

Well embedded literacy and mathematics curriculum changes and new assessment tools.

Improved regular attendance.

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

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

15 January 2026

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →