Lemonwood Grove School

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 1147 — 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.

1. October 2019

   347

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 14 February 2020

2. July 2018

   192

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 24 August 2018

We draw no line between these. Each was counted for its own report, years apart, by a different review team, and a roll moves between reviews for reasons none of these figures record — so the difference between any two of them measures nothing.

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 27 February 2025 — “School Evaluation Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.

School Evaluation 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.

Context

Lemonwood Grove School, located in Rolleston on the southern outskirts of Christchurch, provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The school’s roll has grown significantly in recent years. The school’s vision is “the best of you as you” and has four connected values: Grit, Responsibility, Integrity and Thinking.

There are two parts to this report.

Part A: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction.

Part B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.

Part A: Current State

The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.

Learner Success and Wellbeing

The majority of learners are achieving at or above expected curriculum levels with generally higher rates of achievement in Years 1 and 2.

A large majority of learners are achieving at or above expected curriculum levels in reading and mathematics, and a small majority in writing.

The school is yet to ensure Māori learners’ achievement is at the same level as non- Māori .

Evidence shows that learners have a strong sense of belonging, wellbeing and engagement and enjoy a wide variety of learning opportunities.

A large majority of learners attend regularly although the school is yet to meet the Government’s target for regular attendance; attendance is a school priority.

Conditions to support learner success

Leaders work strategically and collaboratively to retain the central focus of improving outcomes for all learners.

Leaders and teachers effectively use research about responsive practices to support high-quality teaching and learning for all learners to experience success as the school continues to expand.

Improvement goals and actions are carefully chosen and monitored to effectively meet the specific needs of learners.

Strong leadership provides a clear vision that ensures consistent implementation of effective systems and practices schoolwide.

Teaching is responsive to the increasingly wide range of learners' needs.

Leaders at all levels are refining the design and delivery of an inclusive curriculum and consistent teaching across all classes which supports success for all learners.

Learner progress is supported by purposeful teaching strategies that effectively respond to individual learner's needs across a diverse school community.

Classroom environments are welcoming with positive teacher-learner relationships and clear expectations and routines for learning.

Conditions that underpin effective schooling are consistent across the school and respond to the school’s rapid growth.

The board and leaders have a clear focus on strategic and annual planning based on strong community consultation and centred on furthering learners’ wellbeing, engagement and achievement.

A collaborative culture assists leaders and staff to reflect on their practice, evaluate impacts on learner outcomes, and respond to the results.

Learners who require extra support to make progress receive effective, individualised assistance to improve outcomes for learning.

Leaders and teachers affirm and value the diversity of learners providing inclusive opportunities and programmes to support all learners to experience individualised success.

Part B: Where to next?

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

continue to focus on the sustainability of reading, writing and mathematics programmes when updating the school’s curriculum in line with national curriculum developments and as the school continues to expand

continue to develop and consolidate the school’s learning programmes in which learners and their families see their own and the community’s identities reflected

leaders and teachers further develop their understanding and application of te reo Maōri, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori to extend and embed te ao Māori learning opportunities across the school

sustain wellbeing initiatives to foster learners’ sense of belonging and engagement as the school continues to expand, and to increase regular attendance.

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

Within six months:

develop a schoolwide process to gather learner and staff voice on their wellbeing to help plan future initiatives

strengthen teachers’ and leaders’ skills in the collection of and response to learning data, with a particular focus of understanding learning progress across the diverse school community

develop a regular parent focus group to ensure community voice helps guide decision making as the school continues to expand

further the school’s strategy for extending teacher confidence and capability in te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori , and for integrating te ao Māori learning opportunities throughout the curriculum and in daily life of the school

Every six months:

collect, analyse and report on progress data and respond to any emerging trends

review and respond to teachers’ design and delivery of an inclusive curriculum and inclusive teaching across all classes to ensure consistency across the school

review and respond to teachers’ knowledge and implementation of assessment practices to ensure consistency across the school

Annually:

review, evaluate and respond to learner and staff wellbeing data

review, evaluate and respond to progress and achievement data to ensure the sustainability of outcomes and the wider curriculum

review the development of the school’s curriculum to reflect the diverse nature of the school community, so learners and their whānau see their own and the wider community’s identities reflected in learning

continue to monitor the impact of strategies to improve learner attendance.

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

consistent use of high-quality assessment information that identifies the next learning steps for each learner to support and improves achievement across the school

a strongly engaging, learning programme extending learner engagement and achievement

highly effective inclusive teaching practices that respond to learners’ cultures and identities,and support the achievement of all learners.

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 Evaluation 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 Acting Director of Schools

27 February 2025

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

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →