Ōpoutere School

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 15 May 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

Ōpoutere School is located north of Whangamata on the Coromandel Peninsula. It provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. Of the 117 students at the school, 42% identify as Māori and 42% New Zealand European/ Pākehā .

The school vision and values are underpinned by core beliefs of mana |identity , manaakitanga| respect , whanaungatanga | relationships and poutama |excellence . The school aims to provide a curriculum where learning is an adventure .

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

Expected improvements

The school expected to see improved learner outcomes through the provision of tikanga Māori, te reo Māori and culturally responsive teaching practices.

Findings

Learner progress and achievement continue on a positive trajectory, though achieving equitable outcomes for groups of students remains a priority for the school. The school established a school wide te reo Māori programme. Te reo Māori can be heard throughout the school day. Partnerships have been established with the community that strengthen the school curriculum and are reflective of local area and te ao Māori concepts.

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? Learners benefit from good 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 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? 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 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 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 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 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 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.

The small majority of learners attend school regularly.

The school is behind 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 to some extent 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 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 are proud of their school and express a strong sense of belonging and are confident in their learning.

Leaders collaboratively foster a school culture committed to quality teaching and an inclusive learning environment focused on children.

Structured approaches to the teaching of literacy and mathematics are implemented across the school supporting strong foundation skills for learning.

Learners experience a broad rich curriculum that combines structured approaches in literacy and mathematics with authentic learning experiences connected to the local stories and environment.

Regular collaboration amongst staff strengthens knowledge, capability and consistency of teaching practice across the school.

Key priorities

Improve regular attendance.

Reduce inequity of achievement for groups of learners.

Increased scrutiny of data and targeted explicit teaching and learning strategies.

Develop and implement assessment practices aligned with The New Zealand Curriculum and assessment requirements.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within three months:

leaders scrutinise learner progress and achievement information and use evaluative evidence to plan and implement actions with teachers that will bring about equitable outcomes for all learners

Within six months:

leaders and teachers review literacy and mathematics assessment practices, align with The New Zealand Curriculum and identify further staff learning priorities

Every six months:

leaders monitor the effectiveness of strategies to improve regular attendance and report to the school community

leaders and teachers monitor and review the effectiveness of their actions, including professional learning, to ensure that outcomes are becoming equitable for all learners in reading, writing and mathematics

leaders and teachers review assessment practices schoolwide to ensure they are useful, consistent and accurate

Annually:

leaders and the Ōpoutere School Board evaluate the effectiveness of attendance strategies to see what is working well and adjust those strategies that are not for ongoing improvement

leaders review and report to the school Board student progress and achievement information, identify barriers to learning to inform ongoing strategic planning for improvement.

Expected outcomes

Sustained and improved high rates of regular attendance.

Improved equitable outcomes for all learners.

Consistent high quality teacher practices.

Alignment of the school curriculum and The New Zealand Curriculum.

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

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

ensure all staff employed have a current police vet [Children’s Act 2014, s 104 Education and Training Act 2020].

The Ōpoutere School Board has since addressed the area 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

15 May 2026

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →