Omakau School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 84
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- Deaker Street, Omakau
- Territorial authority
- Central Otago District
- Phone
- 03-4473837
- office@omakau.school.nz
- Website
- http://www.omakau.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Otago
What would the day look like?
The practical things this school states on its own website — the hours, the uniform, the term dates, and how children get there. These are the school’s own words, not the Ministry’s record and not ERO’s.
Quoted from this school’s own website, as we read it on 13 August 2026. A web page carries no date of its own, so that is the day we read it — not a statement that any of this is still the case. Each line quotes the words it came from.
- Uniform
- Required
SCHOOL UNIFORM IS COMPULSORY
- Required
- Where to buy the uniform
- https://omakauschool.nzuniforms.com/
Items of the uniform are available from our school uniform [shop](https://omakauschool.nzuniforms.com/) .
- https://omakauschool.nzuniforms.com/
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 76
- Māori
- 12
- Pacific
- 0
- Asian
- 1
- MELAA
- 2
- 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 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 9 |
| Year 02 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 12 |
| Year 03 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 12 |
| Year 04 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 9 |
| Year 05 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 13 |
| Year 06 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 10 |
| Year 07 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 13 |
| Year 08 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 9 |
| Total | 16 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 75 | 0 | 87 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 9 |
| Age 06 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 12 |
| Age 07 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 12 |
| Age 08 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 9 |
| Age 09 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 14 |
| Age 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 9 |
| Age 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Age 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 11 |
| Age 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 16 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 75 | 0 | 87 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Omakau School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Otago Region | 36.8% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Asian | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
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%
| Omakau School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Otago Region | 4.6% |
| Full Primary | 3.9% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Asian | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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%
| Omakau School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Otago Region | 2% |
| Full Primary | 1.7% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Asian | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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)
- 449
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Rural settlement
- Date opened
- 25 January 1935
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
- 4
- Last reviewed
- 29 March 2023
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (29 March 2023)
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 29 March 2023 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.
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 84 — 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.
April 2019
68
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 10 June 2019
August 2015
54
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 14 September 2015
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 29 March 2023 — “Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.
Background
This Profile Report was written within six months of the Education Review Office and Omakau School working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz
Context
Omakau School is a small, full-primary school in a rural area in Central Otago. A new principal was appointed to start in Term 3 of 2022. A major building project has added an extra classroom and upgraded the administration areas of the school. The school and the community share a swimming pool, a library and an assembly hall.
Omakau School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners align with those of their Dunstan Kāhui Ako which are to:
develop within the staff, culturally responsive teaching practices
build consistent assessment practices across the school and support students to know about and take appropriate responsibility for their learning
strengthen students’ achievement in aspects of mathematics.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Omakau School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well culturally responsive teaching practices are engaging students and raising their achievement.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:
acknowledge and better reflect New Zealand’s cultural heritage and for Māori students to feel their culture is valued
grow an awareness of the richness of Aotearoa New Zealand’s history within the school and local community
support consistent understandings of culturally responsive teaching practice and implement this across the school
grow students’ knowledge of how well they are learning, their next learning steps and what they need to do to consolidate their achievement, particularly in mathematics.
The school expects to see:
teachers and students with increased understanding of Te Ao Māori who are comfortable and confident to participate in tikanga Māori activities
students fully engaging in, and taking an increasing level of responsibility for their learning
improving achievement in mathematics.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to build culturally responsive teaching practices that are engaging students and raising their achievement.
The internal and external expertise that the school can draw on to support it in its goal to strengthen te reo and tikanga Māori.
Staff who are improvement focused, welcoming of new learning and who access professional development to grow their skills and support students’ outcomes.
Community support within the school to enhance the curriculum and support students’ learning.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
students, teachers and parents participating in on-line learning to support a greater understanding of Te Ao Māori
strengthening engagement with local Māori families so that learning partnerships are created to benefit tamariki
providing a cultural context within mathematics programmes to further engage all students and improve outcomes in aspects of mathematics.
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.
Kathy Lye Director Review and Improvement Services (Acting, Southern) Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
29 March 2023
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 the full report on ero.govt.nz →
All 4 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).