Onehunga Primary School

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 426 — 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.

1. March 2018

   460

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 7 May 2018

This is one count taken for one report. It says what the roll was on that day, and nothing about how the roll has moved.

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 7 May 2025 — “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.

About the School

Onehunga Primary School provides education for students in Years 1 to 6. The school’s roll is approximately 440, with 30 percent of learners of Pacific heritage and 16 percent of Māori descent. The school’s vision of a confident, inspired community of learners is underpinned by the four key values of Collaboration, Act, Respect and Empathy , known throughout the school community as We CARE .

How well placed is the school to promote educational success and wellbeing?

How well are learners succeeding? Success and progress for all learners is increasing.

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 a consistent focus on supporting learners to gain 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 high quality education for learners are driving excellent school performance.

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 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 0 to 8

This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Foundation Skills

Reading Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

Writing Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are not yet equitable for all groups of learners.

Mathematics Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

Attendance

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.

Chronic absence is reducing over time.

Assessment

The school uses an appropriate approach and reliable practices to find out about achievement against the curriculum.

Assessment information is used well to adjust teaching practices to ensure ongoing improvement in teaching and student progress.

Progress

The school has good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.

The school has significantly 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 meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets set for 2030 .

Part B - Findings for the school

This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.

Areas of Strength

Learners have a strong sense of belonging to their school; rich learning experiences across the curriculum reflect and connect with learner interests, identities and cultures.

Teachers know their students well, with teaching and learning responsive and effective in improving learner outcomes.

Learners benefit from well-embedded collaborative and inclusive teaching practices that support strong, respectful relationships with their teachers.

Senior leaders provide cohesive, effective leadership that ensures high expectations and continuous improvement supporting student success and wellbeing; detailed strategic planning uses clear measures to evaluate the school’s progress.

Structured literacy approaches are well embedded across the school; leaders and teachers are refining mathematics teaching approaches to align with curriculum and assessment changes.

Teachers use a range of student progress and achievement information appropriately to collaboratively inquire into their practice and evaluate the impact on learner outcomes.

Leadership has established robust processes that support teachers to reflect on, probe into and adapt their practice to continually enhance teaching and learning.

Key priorities and actions for improvement

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

refine the school’s best practice approaches to teaching and learning in mathematics to align with the new curriculum and assessment developments

further accelerate the progress of groups of learners who are not yet meeting curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics

monitor and review strategies to further improve the regular attendance of all learners.

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.

Every six months:

review the alignment of teaching and learning approaches in mathematics with the new curriculum and assessment developments to identify further staff professional learning priorities

evaluate the success of strategies to accelerate the progress of identified learners in reading, writing and mathematics to inform future actions

monitor current attendance strategies and initiatives to inform next steps

Annually:

evaluate progress with refining best practice approaches in mathematics with the new curriculum and assessment developments, identifying further planning

review and report to the board on student attendance, progress and achievement information to inform ongoing decision making and strategic planning.

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:

increasingly equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners in reading, writing and mathematics

improved regular attendance of all learners

high-quality teaching and learning approaches in mathematics embedded schoolwide.

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

All schools are required to promote student health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

During this review the Board has attested to some regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Report and is due within three 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 (Acting)

7 May 2025

Education Counts

This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →