Lochiel School

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 9 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

Lochiel School provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The roll is 74, with 61% of learners identifying as Pākehā /New Zealand European, 31% as Asian, and 6% as Māori . The school’s values are Respect for ourselves | Te whakaute whaiaro , Respect for others | Manaakitanga , Respect for the environment | Kaitiakitanga , and By making good choices | Tino Rangatiratanga .

A new principal began in Term 3 2025. The statutory intervention of a Limited Statutory Manager was closed in November 2025.

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

Expected improvements

The school focused on evaluating the impact of developing teachers' knowledge and understanding of a structured literacy approach on building students' literacy capability, and how well teachers are developing their understanding and practice of effective evaluation.

The school expected to see increased rates of progress and levels of achievement for students in reading, writing and oral language as they progress through the school.

Findings

Due to significant changes in school leadership and teaching staff since the previous review, ERO was unable to reliably report on progress against the expected improvements.

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? The school is improving teaching and learning.

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? 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 is improving its reporting 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 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 large 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.

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 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 not yet improving towards or beyond the target.

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 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 and/or pānui , tuhituhi and pāngarau 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

Students experience positive and inclusive learning environments with well-established routines and teaching that supports learner engagement.

Respectful relationships between staff, students and families foster a strong sense of belonging across the school community.

School leadership is committed to promoting a schoolwide culture focused on continuous improvement for all students.

Staff professional learning is well aligned to school priorities and effectively supports teacher capability and practice.

Implementation of the refreshed English and mathematics curriculum is well underway across the school.

Structured approaches to the teaching of literacy and mathematics are prioritised, with leaders and teachers continually building their knowledge and skills through ongoing professional learning and development .

Key priorities

Increase progress and achievement for all groups of learners.

Strengthen the use of assessment information to accelerate progress for those learners at risk of underachieving.

Strengthen the use and analysis of schoolwide progress and achievement data to inform strategic decision making and improvement priorities.

Further improve regular attendance for all learners.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within six months:

leaders and teachers analyse assessment information for all groups of learners to understand rates of progress and acceleration, informing next improvement steps

Every six months:

leaders monitor and review the effectiveness of actions taken to accelerate progress and lift achievement in reading, writing and mathematics

leaders and teachers analyse data to identify emerging trends and gaps in achievement for groups of learners, using these insights to adjust teaching and learning strategies

leaders monitor attendance patterns and outcomes, planning next steps to respond to evidence

Annually:

leaders evaluate progress and achievement data to review the impact of actions, identify and refine improvement priorities, and report findings to the Board to inform ongoing strategic decisions

the Board and principal review the attendance plan to determine its effectiveness and to refine strategies for sustained improvement.

Expected outcomes

Increasingly equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners.

Well-embedded evaluative practices that support ongoing and continuous improvement in student outcomes.

Improved and sustained rates of 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

Actions for compliance

The board and ERO has identified the following area of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

obtain a Police vet every three years for employees who still work at the school.

[s104 Education and Training Act 2020]

The Lochiel School Board has since addressed the areas 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

9 April 2026

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →