Napier Boys' High School

The same report — the board assurance report of 18 November 2025 — 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:

ensure the board regularly reports on the progress and achievement of Māori students to the community [Regulation 21 of Education (School Boards) Amendment Regulations 2022]

ensure the staff appointment safety checking process includes records of referee checks, primary sources of identification and the completion of a risk assessment [Sections 25, 26 and 27 of the Children’s Act 2014: Safety checks of children’s workers].

The board has since not yet addressed the areas of non-compliance identified.

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

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 18 November 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.

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

Napier Boys’ High School provides education for 1271 boys from Years 9 to 13, including 198 boarders. A third of students identify as Māori . The school’s vision is grounded in the motto ‘ Me tika te mahi, kia mataara ’– ‘Do right and fear nothing’. An experienced Headmaster and Deputy Headmaster have recently been appointed to the leadership team.

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

Expected improvements

The school focused on evaluating how well they are improving academic outcomes and reducing disparity for Māori students. The school aimed for ongoing progress and achievement across all levels, better use of assessment data, and consistent application of its Culturally Responsive Teaching Framework .

Findings

While many students achieve well in National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA), particularly at Level 2, student outcomes remain inequitable at Levels 1 and 3 and University Entrance. Individual assessment data is collected but not consistently analysed and used to inform teaching programmes to further improve student outcomes.

The framework to guide culturally responsive teaching practices continues to be embedded. Pastoral and academic deans have recently increased their monitoring of learners’ progress. A recently introduced compulsory tikanga course for all Year 9 students seeks to support increased understandings about Māori learners’ culture to support improved equity in Māori learner outcomes.

Other Findings

During the course of the evaluation, it was found that the expected improvements have not yet been reached.

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.

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%

Learner Success and Wellbeing

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing.

The large majority of students progress well and achieve NCEA qualifications; addressing inequities in achievement between groups of students remains a priority.

Most students achieve National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) at Level 2 with a small majority at Level 1 and 3. Improving equity in Māori student achievement at NCEA Levels 1 and 3 is a priority.

A small majority of all Year 13 students achieved University Entrance (UE); however, less than half of Māori students achieved UE.

The school collects achievement data in literacy and mathematics in Years 9 and 10; this information requires further analysis and reporting to inform improvement actions and annual targets for junior students.

A small majority of students attend regularly. Improving attendance planning and more targeted actions are required to reach the Government’s 80% regular attendance target.

Conditions to support learner success

This section provides a summary of leadership, teaching, curriculum and foundation school conditions for improvement.

Growing school leadership team cohesion is beginning to strengthen school conditions for improvement.

Leaders are beginning to redefine the school’s vision and values that will guide the refresh of the school’s curriculum and develop different approaches towards increasing learner success.

School leaders are redeveloping the school’s strategic plan based on evidence to further strengthen learning opportunities and outcomes.

Leaders are beginning to explore new ways for whānau, parents and other members of the school community to have increased input into school strategic planning priorities and decision making.

A respectful, settled school environment fosters student engagement in learning and school activities.

Students access a broad curriculum that is responsive to their needs, interests and provides entry to a wide range of academic and vocational education pathways.

A shared schoolwide understanding of effective teaching is at the early stages of development; teachers are beginning to increase their use of assessment data to guide their teaching.

Students with additional needs are provided with some supports. Improving learning support provisions is a key priority to ensure all identified students receive the support they need to experience success.

Organisational conditions are becoming more focused on improvement and meeting students’ needs.

School leaders are strengthening professional development opportunities for teachers and staff to improve their impact on teaching programmes, student learning and wellbeing.

A planned approach towards school improvement is beginning to develop, using evidence to review processes and practices to identify strategies that impact on student outcomes.

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.

Key priorities

Develop a clear school vision, values and strategic direction, informed by evaluation of current practice and inclusive of community consultation, including Māori consultation.

Improving equity in Māori student achievement at NCEA Levels 1 and 3 and University Entrance.

Strengthen systems for gathering and analysing data, including schoolwide wellbeing and achievement data, and progress data in Years 9 and 10.

Review and strengthen the provision of schoolwide learning support programmes.

Develop an attendance plan in line with the government requirements to improve attendance.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within three months:

leaders and the School Board consult with all stakeholders on development of the strategic plan

leaders and teachers establish a consistent process for collecting and recording achievement and progress data for Year 9 and 10 students

leaders review current learning support provision to identify areas of need

leaders work with the school Board to evaluate the effectiveness of current attendance strategies, adjust as needed and plan next steps

Within six months:

leaders and the Board work together to develop a strategic plan with clear goals, priorities and implementation steps and communicate this across the school community

teachers analyse achievement and progress data in years 9 and 10 to identify patterns and better inform targeted interventions

leaders establish a consistent, schoolwide system to identify students with additional needs, track academic progress and identify in-class strategies to support improved achievement for all students

leaders develop attendance plan to improve regular attendance

Annually:

leaders report to the Board on progress against strategic goals and collaboratively review progress to guide improvement planning

leaders and the school Board report to the community and Māori whānau on wellbeing and achievement outcomes across the school, highlighting progress and areas for improvement

leaders and the Board review and evaluate the systems put in place for learners with additional needs, identify areas for improvement and plan accordingly

leaders and the Board review the attendance plan to identify successful strategies and adjust accordingly.

Expected outcomes

A shared strategic direction that reflects the aspirations of the school community; effective annual improvement planning, guided by data and evidence-based decision-making.

Improved use of wellbeing and achievement data to identify trends, inform interventions and improve equitable outcomes for all learners.

Improved student access to learning support provision that positively impacts on student outcomes.

Attendance planning and strategies to meet or exceed the Government 80% regular attendance target.

Recommendation to the Ministry of Education

ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education provide tailored support for:

strategic planning and annual implementation planning

schoolwide data analysis to inform strategic planning

provision of learning support systems and programmes.

The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation 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

18 November 2025

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →