Koromatua School

The same report — the board assurance report of 14 February 2023 — also sets out actions for compliance: the non-compliance ERO identified during that process. This is that section of the report in full, in ERO’s words.

ERO has identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

maintaining an on-going programme of self-review in relation to policies

[NAG 2(b)]

renewal of police vetting every three years for employees who still work at the school

[clause 12 schedule 4 Education and Training Act 2020]

ensuring that persons without a practising certificate are not continued to be employed

[Section 93(3) Education and Training Act]

developing policies, practices and procedures on surrender and retention of property and searches of students by the principal, teachers, and authorised staff members

[Sections 105 to 114, Part 3, Subpart 4 of the Education and Training Act 2020]

providing a safe physical environment for students through formal hazard identification. [NAG 5]

The board has since taken steps to address some of the areas of non-compliance identified, including matters related to police vetting, teacher registration and surrender and retention of property and searches of students.

Read this board assurance report on ero.govt.nz →

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 15 May 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

Koromatua School is located in a rural community near Tuhikaramea , Hamilton. The school provides education for 212 students in Years 1 to 8. The school has four te reo Māori bilingual Level 2 reo rua classes catering for 97 students in Years 3 to 8. The school’s motto is Te Pono me Te Aroha - Truth and Love, and its values are Manaakitanga, Aroha, Ngaakau Pono and Ako (MANA) .

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

Expected improvements

The school focused on evaluating the effectiveness of the school curriculum to improve outcomes for all learners, with specific attention to wellbeing, achievement and strengthening an inclusive Kaupapa for learning and behaviour. The school expected to implement further actions to strengthen student wellbeing, raise achievement, and embed consistent, sustainable schoolwide practices.

Findings

Since the previous review, the school has made some progress in strengthening learner wellbeing and engagement. A large majority of learners achieve at or above expected curriculum levels, and positive impacts on classroom engagement are evident. However, progress has not yet been sufficient to improve attendance or accelerate achievement for learners most at risk of not achieving. Further action is required to embed consistent schoolwide practices and to progress the school’s priority for equitable and sustainable improvement.

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 good 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 require better support to achieve their education goals.

How well does school planning and conditions support ongoing improvement? The school is establishing planning and conditions that support improvements in the quality of education for learners.

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 is improving its collection and use 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 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 A small majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are not yet 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 small majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are not yet equitable for all groups of learners.

Rumaki/Reo Rua

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 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.

Less than half of learners attend school regularly.

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

The school has a suitable plan in place 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 uses an appropriate approach and reliable practices to 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 not improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.

The school has not 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.

Rumaki/Reo Rua outcomes and conditions to support learner success

This section of the report provides more detail about the quality of teaching and learning through the provision of te reo Māori in rumaki/Reo Rua classroom/s within in English medium schools.

Learner success and wellbeing

A large majority of aakonga meet curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics.

Aakonga engage in their learning, with positive kaiako-aakonga relationships that leverage their success.

Attendance of students in the reo rua classes could not be verified.

Conditions to support learner success

Predictable routines, cultural practices ( karakia, waiata, pepeha ) and structured literacy and mathematics programmes are in place, with strong kaiaawhina support. Coherence of the curriculum and sequencing, and te reo Māori use varies across classes.

Orderly environments, clear modelling, rotations and small‑group support are evident.

Assessment tools used are yet to be consistently aligned to planning and reporting. Independent digital work is variable in connecting to students’ current learning.

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

Learners benefit from a strong sense of belonging, guided by the school’s MANA values, where positive relationships and affirmation of cultural identity support confidence, engagement, and willingness to take learning risks, particularly in reo rua settings.

Learners access a wide range of learning opportunities through a curriculum that includes increasingly consistent daily focus on literacy and mathematics, while learners with additional needs are supported to participate in learning.

Structured approaches to literacy and mathematics are being implemented, with consistent use of agreed programmes to strengthen reading, writing, and mathematics across English and Māori medium classrooms.

Teachers build shared practice through regular professional learning, feedback, and observation, which supports greater consistency in teaching and strengthens collective responsibility for learner progress.

School leaders drive strategic direction through active involvement in planned professional learning and classroom practice.

At leadership level, inquiry processes are used to review teaching practice and analyse evidence to determine what to change, where to target support, and how to improve outcomes for learners.

Key priorities

Increase rates of regular student attendance and reduce levels of chronic absence.

Accelerate progress for learners most at risk of underachievement and improve equity of outcomes.

Build staff capability to use evidence consistently to demonstrate the impact of teaching on student outcomes and to inform priorities for improvement.

Co‑design and implement a sequenced curriculum with mana whenua , including paangarau and te reo matatini scope and sequence and clear targets for in-class te reo Maori use.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within six months:

the school board and leaders implement attendance plan procedures to improve regular attendance

teachers and leaders monitor the progress of priority learners regularly and adjust support to accelerate progress

Every six months:

the Koromatua School Board and leaders monitor attendance trends and share key insights with staff, students, whānau and the community to strengthen collective responsibility for improvement

teachers and leaders evaluate the effectiveness of acceleration strategies for identified learners to determine what is working and where refinement is required

leaders strengthen consistency in how evaluative findings inform decisions at classroom, team, and leadership levels

school leaders and kaiako review progress with whanau-mana whenua , review the paangarau and te reo matatini scope and sequence, and adjust the targets for in-class te reo Maaori use to align with everyday practice

Annually:

leaders and teachers review and strengthen the attendance strategies, working with parents and whānau to address ongoing barriers to regular attendance

leaders report on the progress and achievement of identified learners to evaluate the effectiveness of programmes and practices in accelerating learning, improving equity and informing strategic priorities for continuous improvement

the Board and leaders use evaluative findings to inform strategic planning, professional learning, board reporting, and future improvement priorities

school leaders evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the actions taken to implement a sequenced curriculum.

Expected outcomes

Improved rates of regular attendance towards meeting the Government target of 80%.

Accelerated progress and increased levels of achievement, supporting learner success and equitable outcomes.

Consistent use of evidence and evaluation practices to demonstrate impact on student outcomes and sustain improvement over time.

Consistent kaiako and aakonga use of te reo Maaori aligned to agreed curriculum progression and class targets, strengthening aakonga sense of knowing what they are learning and why.

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 Sharee Hemingway Director of Schools Director Ākonga Māori

15 May 2026

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →