Sacred Heart School (Reefton)
Full Primary · State : Integrated
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 21
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- Walsh Street, Reefton
- Territorial authority
- Buller District
- Phone
- 03-7328645
- office@shsreefton.school.nz
- Website
- http://shsreefton.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in West Coast
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
Our school uniform is unisex. Students can wear shorts or pants, with a polo shirt. There is a choice of a fleece, hoodie or softshell jacket.
- Required
- Term dates
- Term 1, 2026: Monday 9 Feb - Thursday 2 April
Monday 9 Feb - Thursday 2 April
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 2, 2026: Monday 20 April - Friday 03 July
Monday 20 April - Friday 03 July
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 3, 2026: Monday 20 July - Friday 25 Sept
Monday 20 July - Friday 25 Sept
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 4, 2026: Monday 12 October - Friday 18 Dec
Monday 12 October - Friday 18 Dec
Year stated asTerm Dates 2026
- Term 1, 2026: Monday 9 Feb - Thursday 2 April
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 16
- Māori
- 4
- Pacific
- 0
- Asian
- 3
- 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 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Year 02 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Year 04 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Year 05 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Year 06 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Year 07 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Year 08 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 24 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Age 06 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 07 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Age 08 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Age 09 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Age 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Age 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Age 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Age 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 24 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Sacred Heart School (Reefton) | 0% |
|---|---|
| West Coast Region | 76.2% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State : Integrated | 16.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Asian | 0% |
| 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
0%
| Sacred Heart School (Reefton) | 0% |
|---|---|
| West Coast Region | 4.5% |
| Full Primary | 3.9% |
| State : Integrated | 1.6% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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%
| Sacred Heart School (Reefton) | 0% |
|---|---|
| West Coast Region | 2% |
| Full Primary | 1.7% |
| State : Integrated | 0.5% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Asian | 0% |
| 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)
- 451
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Small urban area
- Date opened
- 25 January 1891
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
- 8 December 2023
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (8 December 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 8 December 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 21 — 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.
October 2019
39
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 18 December 2019
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 8 December 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 two years of the Education Review Office and Sacred Heart School (Reefton) 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
Sacred Heart School is a state integrated Years 1- 8 Catholic primary school in Reefton on the West Coast of the South Island. The current roll is 24 students who are taught over two multi-level classrooms. The school’s special character is reflected in its teaching of Catholic values such as respect for one another and making positive choices.
Sacred Heart School (Reefton) ’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
to have a joy of learning and are confident, connected and achieve to their full potential
to have learning environments that have the “wow” factor and are relevant and applicable to what students are learning
that the Catholic Character is at the very core of all we do and are.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Sacred Heart School (Reefton) ’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the new school curriculum and how it is meeting the strategic priorities of the school and the learning needs of the students.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
the new curriculum will be the central guide as to what is essential for teaching and learning, so that every student has access to all learning areas and achieves to their potential
to formalise the review process and improve consistency of expectations for learning outcomes for students across the school.
The school expects to see:
a clear direction and expectations for learning and teaching embedded through the new curriculum
robust assessment practices that align to the success statements in the strategic goals
high quality reflection and evaluation of teaching practice and how these correlate to strong achievement outcomes for learners.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate the new school curriculum and how it is meeting the strategic priorities of the school.
Stable staffing and low teacher to student ratio means that each child receives an individualised learning programme.
Highly supportive trustees alongside the adaptable staff and community who offer extended and local learning opportunities for all students.
Staff that have high aspirations and expectations for learning and a willingness to grow professionally to benefit all learners.
A well thought out strategic plan with cohesive school documentation and processes for ongoing improvement.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
implementing and embedding the new school curriculum
developing alignment across the core values as a basis of the Professional Growth Cycle process to ensure all students achieve to their potential.
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.
Shelley Booysen Director of Schools
8 December 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 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).