Lepperton School

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 1 April 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

Lepperton School provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The school has 125 enrolled students, with 62% New Zealand European/ Pākehā , 25% Māori learners, 7% Asian and 5% of Pacific heritage.

The school’s vision is ‘Empowering Life Long Learners. The shared PRIDE values of Tū Māia ; Stand Bravely, Tū Tei Tei; Stand Tall like the rimu tree, Tū Tāhi; Stand As One, Tū Kaha ; Stand Strong with Integrity and Tū Manawanui; Stand Together reflect significant features of the school which contextually underpins the vision for learner success.’

There have been several changes to personnel in 2025 with the appointment of a principal and two recently elected board members to the Lepperton School Board.

The school re-capitated to Year 8 at the beginning of 2026 and have enrolled an initial Year 7 cohort.

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

Expected improvements

The school evaluated how effectively teaching, learning and curriculum delivery of literacy achieves equity and excellence for all learners.

The school expected to see equity and excellence for students and accelerated progress for learners working toward curriculum expectations in literacy . In addition, effective teaching and learning of literacy, reflective of new approaches and strategies gained through involvement in professional learning and development (PLD) and agreed expectations for teaching, learning and responsive practices.

Findings

Teachers participated in PLD, implementing a structured approach to literacy across the school. New assessments have been introduced to support better identification of learner needs in literacy. The school continues to prioritise achieving equitable outcomes for boys in writing.

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 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 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.

Student Health and Safety The school board is taking reasonable steps to ensure student health and safety.

Achievement in 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 Most 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 not yet 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 small majority of learners 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.

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 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 create positive conditions for learning and set well‑considered priorities that align with student needs and reflect the community’s vision for learner success.

Authentic curriculum experiences support meaningful learning opportunities for students; d elivery of reading, writing and mathematics is meeting the one hour per day expectation.

Teachers are well supported to develop their collective practice through the provision of relevant PLD, aligned to key priorities in literacy, mathematics, and assessment to strengthen outcomes for learners.

Staff foster reciprocal relationships with other educational networks and external specialists which benefits outcomes for learners, parents, and whānau .

Parents and whānau are welcomed in an inclusive environment. Opportunities are suitably provided to participate in school events, and they receive regular information in relation to their child to support a purposeful learning partnership.

Key priorities

Improve attendance to meet the Government target of 80% regular attendance

Raise achievement in writing and achieve equitable outcomes for all learners.

Build teacher capability and practice in using assessment to effectively differentiate learning aligned to the needs of learners.

Revise targets in writing and gather evidence to inform evaluation.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within six months:

leaders revise achievement targets in writing, determine relevant groups that require accelerated progress to meet curriculum level expectations

teachers identify priority learners in writing and gather evidence to inform evaluation on the impact of teaching and learning strategies learner outcomes

leaders engage teachers in PLD to build their collective understanding of intentional teaching strategies in writing and strengthens differentiated learning for students

leaders and teachers engage in PLD to develop their collective understanding of revised assessment tools to support teaching, learning and report to the Lepperton School Board, parents and whānau

Every six months:

leaders evaluate the impact of strategies in the attendance management plan, report to the school Board any successes and relevant changes toward the Government target

leaders, board members and staff review actions in the annual plan and provide evaluative evidence that shows the impact on achieving their identified priorities to inform next steps

Annually:

teachers collate the evidence of their practice in the delivery of writing and report the impact of actions and strategies on learner outcomes in writing

leader’s report the statement of variance including evaluative outcomes of their actions aligned to their identified priorities and targets.

Expected outcomes

Learner attendance meets or exceeds the 80% Government target.

Learners are highly engaged and achieving equitable and successful outcomes, particularly in writing.

Teachers consistently use effective, responsive teaching and assessment practices.

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

1 April 2026

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →