Pakotai School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 23
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- Mangakahia Road, Whangarei
- Territorial authority
- Whangarei District
- Phone
- 09-4331727
- office@pakotai.school.nz
- Website
- not reported
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Whangārei · schools in Northland
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 4
- Māori
- 23
- Pacific
- 3
- Asian
- 0
- MELAA
- 0
- Other
- 0
- 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 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Year 02 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 03 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Year 04 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 05 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Year 07 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Year 08 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Age 06 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Age 07 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Age 08 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 09 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Age 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Age 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Pakotai School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Northland Region | 52% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Other | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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
277.9%
| Pakotai School | 277.9% |
|---|---|
| Northland Region | 6.5% |
| Full Primary | 3.9% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 463.3% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 277.9% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Other | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 277.9% |
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%
| Pakotai School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Northland Region | 2.7% |
| Full Primary | 1.7% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Other | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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)
- 562
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- Some students taught in te reo Māori
- Urban / rural
- Rural other
- Date opened
- 25 January 1905
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
- 15 August 2024
- Latest report
- School Evaluation Report
- Report type
- Evaluation report
- Board assurance
- The board did not attest to all areas (15 August 2024)
Areas the board did not attest to, in ERO’s words: Assets; Board Administration; Personnel Management. The report says what that meant and what happened next.
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 same report — the board assurance report of 15 August 2024 — 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 identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process. The board:
must prepare a school strategic plan and annual implementation plan and ensure that these documents are available to the public on an internet site [s139, s143, s146 and s639, Education and Training Act 2020]
has a duty to regularly report on progress and achievement of students to parents [Regulation 21 of education amendments regulation 2022]
must review and implement school procedures for evacuation [Regulation 29 of the fire safety, evacuation procedures and evacuation schemes regulations 2018]
must ensure that they do not employ a person to any teaching position that is not registered [s 93(1) Education and training Act 2020]
ERO has since received evidence to show that these areas of non-compliance have been addressed.
ERO has also identified the following areas of non-compliance. The board:
provide an average of five hours of mathematics, reading and writing teaching and learning per week [Section 90 of the Education and Training Act 2020 (2023 Amendment)]
ensure appointment processes and practices are robust, are well-documented and followed; these records must be kept including a risk analysis for each employee as outlined in the school's policy and procedures. The board must ensure that appropriate induction procedures are in place and implemented for new staff and police vets are obtained for all non-teaching staff [s 104, s599 and s600 Education and Training Act 2020]
ensure that robust risk management procedures are well documented and in place for all school trips and education outside the classroom events [Health and Safety at Work legislation – EOTC Guidelines]
should ensure that a complaints process is accessible to parents and whānau [s 101 Education and Training Act 2020)
ensure that students in year 7 and 8 are provided with an appropriate career education and guidance curriculum. [s 103 Education and Training Act]
make sure the swimming pool meets the requirement set out by the Ministry of Education (MoE) [Build, replace or remove a school pool: Fences and signage (MOE)].
The board have not yet addressed these areas of non-compliance.
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 23 — 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.
December 2017
11
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 28 March 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 15 August 2024 — “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.
Context
Pakotai School is a small rural school in Northland and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The school’s mission is to provide students with a broad educational experience. The values that underpin school life include rangatiratanga, manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga . A new principal was appointed in April 2023.
There are two parts to this report.
Part A: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction, including any education in Rumaki /bilingual settings.
Part B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.
Part A: Current State
The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.
Learner Success and Wellbeing
Improvement is urgently needed to ensure all students are engaged in learning, making sufficient progress, and are achieving well.
School achievement information shows that most learners are not achieving at their expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics.
The school has no evidence to show students’ progress and achievement overtime.
The school is taking steps to improve its provision of a physically, emotionally safe and inclusive environment for all learners.
School data shows that rates of attendance are not yet meeting the Ministry of Education target; although small numbers of learners’ impact on the reliability of the data.
Conditions to support learner success
Leadership is beginning to establish strategic planning and identify the key school priorities for improvement.
The principal is consulting with the community to develop a strategic plan and school goals; a revision of school goals has begun.
The principal and staff should prioritise more deliberate planning and teaching of daily reading, writing and mathematics so that students begin to make academic progress.
Improvements are required to curriculum design and teaching practices.
Leaders and teachers are beginning to develop a curriculum that reflects local contexts in a way that students can start to see themselves, their identity and culture in aspects of their learning.
Te ao Māori and tikanga Māori , are starting to be woven through all aspects of the school’s curriculum to support learner engagement.
Teachers are beginning to use appropriate assessment information to identify individual learning needs, plan teaching programmes and report children’s progress and achievement to parents and whānau .
Board governance and leadership require external support to bring about the improvement needed for learner success
The board has not yet set a clear achievement focused programme for improvement through strategic planning, teaching, and learning and accelerating outcomes for learners.
The board is not sufficiently managing the school’s resourcing and the performance of the principal; this must be a focus to support ongoing improvement.
Systems, processes and guidance for effective leadership and teaching are not well embedded to support sustainable change and improvement.
The board, parents and whānau do not receive sufficient and regular reporting and monitoring of student progress and achievement to inform board decisions and keep parents up-to-date about their child’s learning.
Part B: Where to next?
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
ensure the board and all staff understand the school improvement priorities, rationale and expectations to accelerate progress and achievement for all students
increase the rates of regular attendance for all students
collect, track, monitor and analyse achievement data to inform teaching and learning next steps for each child
strengthen schoolwide systems, processes and procedures to ensure that the school meets its statutory responsibilities.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows:
Within three months:
establish a system that identifies learners at risk of not achieving and then identify and set progress targets to improve regular attendance, progress and achievement
begin collecting assessment information to inform programme planning and the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics
work closely with facilitators to implement a structured approach to improving the daily teaching of reading, writing and mathematics knowledge and skills
Every six months:
leaders to monitor and report progress and improvement to the board against the annual plan goals, especially in attendance, reading, writing and mathematics
teachers use assessment information to evaluate their teaching practice, adapt and respond to individual needs and identify next steps in students’ learning
the principal and staff establish processes for regular written reporting to parents and whānau
Annually:
leaders to evaluate the impact of teaching and learning programmes on accelerating student achievement and recommend next steps
evaluate how well the curriculum is responding to students individual learning needs
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
improved rates of attendance
all students meeting expected curriculum levels in in reading, writing and mathematics due to effective teaching and learning approaches that accelerate the achievement of all learners
a curriculum that is responsive to the interests, needs and strengths of the learner
a deliberate approach to planning for improvement that guides the school's direction based on well analysed student achievement information and good quality teaching and learning.
To support the school’s improvement planning ERO will:
monitor progress towards these improvement priorities each term
work with the school to regularly report progress against the improvement priorities.
ERO recommendation
the school board engage with New Zealand School Boards Association to undertake training to support them in their stewardship role
the Ministry of Education support the school to progress against the key improvement priorities identified in this report.
To support the school's improvement planning ERO will:
monitor progress towards these improvement priorities termly
work with the school to regularly report progress against the improvement priorities.
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 Evaluation 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
Shelley Booysen Director of Schools
15 August 2024
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 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).