Mossburn School
Contributing · State
- Year levels
- 1–6
- Total roll
- 55
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 28 Surrey Street, Mossburn
- Territorial authority
- Southland District
- Phone
- 03-2486288
- office@mossburn.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Southland
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 34
- Māori
- 5
- Pacific
- 2
- Asian
- 16
- MELAA
- 1
- Other
- 1
- International
- 0
Roll by year level and age
Shown as context, not ranked, not compared to any average. As at 30 June 2026, from the same annual return as the roll count above.
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 01 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| Year 02 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Year 03 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Year 04 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
| Year 05 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 06 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 10 |
| Year 07 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 5 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 35 | 0 | 52 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| Age 06 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Age 07 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 10 |
| Age 08 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 12 |
| Age 09 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Age 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 11 |
| Age 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 5 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 35 | 0 | 52 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
119.3%
| Mossburn School | 119.3% |
|---|---|
| Southland Region | 61.8% |
| Contributing | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 117.1% |
|---|---|
| Male | 121.6% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 169.9% |
| Total | 119.3% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison stand-down rates data (2024)
Age-standardised suspension rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Mossburn School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Southland Region | 6.3% |
| Contributing | 3.5% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison suspension rates data (2024)
Age-standardised exclusion rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Mossburn School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Southland Region | 2.8% |
| Contributing | 1.5% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison exclusion data (2024)
About the school
- Equity Index (EQI)
- 427
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Rural settlement
- Date opened
- 25 January 1887
The Equity Index is used by the Ministry to allocate equity funding. It describes the socio-economic barriers a school’s students face, not how good the school is. How the Equity Index works
What did ERO find?
The Education Review Office reviews every school and publishes what it finds in full. We quote ERO’s report here, section by section, in ERO’s own words and order, and link to it. We do not summarise a report, pick a line out of one, or turn one into a score. How ERO reviews schools
- Reports ERO holds
- 3
- Last reviewed
- 17 March 2026
- Latest report
- School Report
- Report type
- Review report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (12 September 2022)
A board assurance statement is the board’s own account of whether it took all reasonable steps to meet its legal obligations, on the date shown. It is not ERO’s finding. ERO reports separately, in the same report, on any non-compliance it identified during that process.
The board assurance report of 12 September 2022 carries no actions-for-compliance section — the section ERO uses when it names non-compliance it identified. That is what this report contains; it is not ERO saying it found none. Other reports ERO holds for this school may say something different.
What this report states about the school
As stated in ERO’s report of 17 March 2026 — not necessarily the position now. Each line quotes the sentence it came from.
- Year levels
- Years 1 to 6
provides education for Years 1 to 6 students
- Years 1 to 6
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 17 March 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
Mossburn School is a small, rural school which provides education for Years 1 to 6 students. The school roll is 54 and the school is experiencing roll growth. A new principal was appointed during Term 4 of 2023.
The school’s vision is Attitude is Everything: Students will develop knowledge, attitudes and skills to confidently make valuable contribution s.
The school’s values are Communication, Honesty, Attitude, Responsibility, and Manners.
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 2022 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.
Expected improvements
The school focused on ways to strengthen evaluation practices and to evaluate how well in-school disparity in writing was being addressed.
The school expected to see teachers having a greater understanding of how to implement robust evaluation for improvement, using writing as a context.
Findings
The school continues to grow and establish its evaluation capability, especially related the teaching of literacy and mathematics. The school are focused on writing as an area for staff development to bring about equity of outcomes for all learners.
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.
A small majority of learners enter Mossburn School significantly behind the expected curriculum level. The school’s efforts are well focused on accelerated progress.
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 excellent 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 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 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 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 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 not yet 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 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.
Most learners attend school regularly.
The school is at 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 experienced roll growth over the past year and has an increasing number of learners who have a first language other than English.
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.
The school has to some extent extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels.
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
Learners experience an inclusive and supportive learning environment and are offered a range of opportunities to be involved in community-based events.
Learners with additional learning needs are well catered for through targeted, personalised approaches to teaching and learning.
The new principal fosters a supportive, high-trust, relational culture with high expectations for teaching and learning.
Leaders and teaching staff are embedding a structured, explicit and consistent approach to literacy and mathematics teaching, in line with government priorities.
Learners benefit from a broad and deep curriculum which draws on community partnerships.
Staff are well-supported with targeted professional learning opportunities that contribute to a structured approach to teaching.
All staff contribute towards decisions for ongoing school evaluation and improvement, and a collective capacity to explore change.
Key priorities
Embed a shared understanding of assessment and moderation processes aligned with new curriculum initiatives to improve learner outcomes.
Identify and use targeted teaching approaches to raise boys’ writing achievement and reduce gaps in achievement.
Explore ways to further develop community partnerships and engagement with the school.
Actions to bring about improvement
Within six months:
leaders and teachers develop assessment and moderation processes to align with the new curriculum initiatives
leaders, teachers and learning assistants identify and trial targeted strategies to improve boys’ writing achievement
leaders and the Mossburn School Board engage with the community to explore ways to further develop community partnerships with the school
Every six months:
leaders and teaching staff review and refine assessment and moderation processes to reflect curriculum changes to drive learner progress and achievement
leaders and teaching staff evaluate the impact of targeted teaching approaches on boys’ writing progress and achievement and report to the Board
Annually:
leaders and teachers evaluate the impact of assessment and moderation practices on students’ progress and achievement, and use this information to inform next steps
leaders and teachers evaluate the impact of targeted teaching approaches on boys’ writing achievement and report progress to inform planning
leaders and the Board evaluate the impact of initiatives to further develop community partnerships.
Expected outcomes
Clear assessment and moderation processes are used consistently to effectively plan next steps for learning and improve learner progress and achievement.
Improved boys’ writing achievement and reduced disparities.
Increased community partnerships and engagement with the school.
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
17 March 2026
Read the full report on ero.govt.nz →
All 3 reports ERO holds for this school
ERO reviews a school every few years — around four years between reviews is the usual cycle — so an older date here reflects where a school sits in that cycle, not how it is doing.
Source: Education Review Office, CC BY 4.0.
Roll date: 30 June 2026 (2026).