St James School (Aranui)
Contributing · State : Integrated
- Year levels
- 1–6
- Total roll
- 100
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- Rowan Avenue, Aranui, Christchurch
- Territorial authority
- Christchurch City
- Phone
- 03-9820009
- principal@stjames.school.nz
- Website
- http://www.stjames.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Christchurch · schools in Canterbury
Can my child go here?
This school has an enrolment scheme, so a place is not open to every address. How enrolment zones work
Loading zone map…
Zone boundaries shown here are approximate. Ministry of Education data warns these boundaries do not have high spatial precision and can place neighbouring addresses on different sides of a line. This is not a confirmation of enrolment eligibility — always confirm directly with the school. Zone geometry also does not reflect enrolment priority rules (siblings, special character categories, ballots) — it shows the mapped boundary only.
Check if your address is in zone →
Source: Ministry of Education, CC BY 3.0 NZ
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
Boys Uniform Summer: Grey shorts. Grey short sleeved shirt or grey polo shirt. Black or brown shoes / sandals.
- Required
What does the school say about itself?
Quoted, not summarised. Every school describes itself well, so this is here to be read as the school’s own case rather than as a finding — and a school that states nothing simply has no row.
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.
- In their words
- Our Vision
- Together in faith, we develop as learners, on our pathway to SUCCESS.
- Our Values
- Respect - Whakakoha - Faʻaaloalo
- Responsibility - Tutika - Tiutetauave
- Compassion - Aroha - Agaalofa
- Excellence - Kairangatira - Lelei
- Special character
- The whole school community exercises the right to live and teach the values of Jesus Christ. These values are as expressed in the Scriptures and in the practices, worship and doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church.
- Voluntary donation
- $60.00 per year per child
Religious Diocesan Voluntary Donation $60.00 per year per child
- $60.00 per year per child
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 36
- Māori
- 25
- Pacific
- 49
- Asian
- 20
- MELAA
- 1
- 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 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16 |
| Year 02 | 5 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 19 |
| Year 03 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 22 |
| Year 04 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 13 |
| Year 05 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 14 |
| Year 06 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 16 |
| Year 07 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Total | 32 | 55 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 106 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 |
| Age 06 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 19 |
| Age 07 | 5 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 24 |
| Age 08 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Age 09 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 16 |
| Age 10 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| Age 11 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Total | 32 | 55 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 106 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
144%
| St James School (Aranui) | 144% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 38.3% |
| Contributing | 35.6% |
| State : Integrated | 16.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 317.3% |
| Māori | 81.7% |
| Pacific | 46.1% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 288.1% |
| Total | 144% |
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%
| St James School (Aranui) | 0% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 3.7% |
| Contributing | 3.5% |
| State : Integrated | 1.6% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| 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%
| St James School (Aranui) | 0% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 1.7% |
| Contributing | 1.5% |
| State : Integrated | 0.5% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| 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)
- 501
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 14 February 1965
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
- 10 April 2024
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (10 April 2024)
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 10 April 2024 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 100 — 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.
August 2018
116
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 13 September 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 10 April 2024 — “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 12 months of the Education Review Office and St James School ( Aranui ) 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
St James School ( Aranui ) is a contributing state integrated Catholic primary school situated in the suburb of Aranui in east Christchurch. The school provides education for students in Years 1-6 and the school’s motto is: Not just a school but a family .
St James School ( Aranui ) ’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
To improve learning outcomes for all ākonga through quality teaching and a rich curriculum that is relevant now and, in the future.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on St James School ( Aranui ) ’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the impact of strengthening partnerships with whānau to improve learning outcomes for all ākonga .
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
the strategic plan recognises the unique position of Māori children and their culture, and the school wants to better respond to the aspirations of Māori whānau
staff professional development is planned to increase cultural responsiveness in all learning contexts.
The school expects to see:
more whānau voice gathered and utilised to guide school strategic direction
increased consistent, culturally responsive practices across all learning contexts
more consistent attendance levels across the student population.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate the impact of strengthening partnerships with whānau to improve learning outcomes for all ākonga .
The school already has an engaged and active Pasifika community.
Staff have high expectations, and they are responsive to the learning and pastoral needs of all learners.
There are established and open pathways for communication between home and school.
A strong Catholic character permeates the school culture and binds school whānau together.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
providing a variety of opportunities for whānau to engage, and share their voice
all staff attending Tuahiwi cultural workshops so that teachers and support staff can begin and continue to develop their own cultural awareness
refining the new student information packs to include a way for whānau to share information about, and aspirations for their tamariki
developing more learning focused relationships with whānau so that they know that their input is valued at St James Aranui .
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
10 April 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).