St Joseph's Catholic School (Matata)

The same report — the board assurance report of 14 July 2022 — 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 and the board have identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

health and safety practices for education outside the classroom are not consistent [National Administrative Guidelines 5]

the progress and achievement of groups of students who are not achieving or are at risk of not achieving or who have special needs have not been reported to the school’s community [National Administrative Guidelines 1(c)]

an anti-bullying programme which includes a focus on racist bullying, bullying of students with special needs, homophobic bullying and transgender bullying is not delivered [Education and Training Act 2020 Section 127(1)]

accurate records of the safety checking process for employees were not kept [Children’s Act 2014]

a regular cycle of appraisal has not been maintained [Education and Training Act 2020 Section 599/600]

consultation with the community on the delivery of the Health Curriculum and a statement following this has not been undertaken [Education and Training Act 2020 Section 91].

The board has since addressed the first area of non-compliance identified and has taken steps to address the remaining five areas.

Read this board assurance report on ero.govt.nz →

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 28 January 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

St Joseph’s Catholic School ( Matata ), a state integrated school, provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. There are 36 students who all identify as Māori .

The school mission of striving for excellence and reflecting the values of Jesus and dual heritage is underpinned by the school values of manaakitanga, whakapono, whakamana and whakanui .

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

Expected improvements

Priorities from the last review were to evaluate how effectively the school’s localised curriculum strengthened students’ engagement in learning, and confidence in their language, culture and identity, to raise achievement outcomes.

Findings

The principal and teachers developed a culturally inclusive curriculum framework that includes the perspectives of Ngāti Rangitihi, Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Awa . The principal and teachers have strong knowledge of te ao Māori and use this to enrich learning programmes for all students. Students demonstrate confidence in their language, culture and identity and this supports their engagement in learning.

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? The school is establishing planning and conditions that support improvements in the quality of education for learners.

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 should improve its collection and use of information gathered through community consultation to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions.

Student Health and Safety The school board needs to ensure a physically and emotionally safe learning environment.

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 equitable for all groups of learners.

Writing A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

Mathematics Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are 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.

Less than half of students attend school regularly.

The school is behind the target of 80% regular attendance.

The school is developing a suitable plan 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 and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau 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

Staff and the St Joseph’s Catholic School ( Matata ) Board promote a caring, inclusive learning environment through strong pastoral care that supports students, their whānau and the wider community.

The school’s special character and mātauranga Māori enrich students’ learning through authentic contexts.

Leaders, staff and the school Board are well focused on meeting the learning needs of all learners. Resourcing decisions are made to enable equitable opportunities to learn.

Teachers are implementing a structured approach to the teaching of mathematics across the school. Professional learning in structured literacy is planned for 2026.

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

The principal and teachers regularly inquire into learners’ progress and discuss ways to meet their ongoing needs.

The principal is beginning to use some evidence to plan and monitor strategic goals and priorities.

Key priorities

Undertake a comprehensive review of school policies and procedures including implementing these systematically.

Improve school wide attendance.

Strengthen the use of assessment data to inform internal evaluation.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within three months:

the Board seek external support to help them prioritise and review all health and safety policies and procedures for immediate implementation

school staff and the Board formalise the school’s attendance plan and set clear targets to improve regular attendance

the principal explores and embeds a schoolwide evaluation process for staff to identify actions needed to support ongoing improvement

Within six months:

staff establish a school wide assessment schedule aligned to Ministry of Education guidelines

the Board implement an up-to-date policy and procedures framework

Every six months:

principal and teachers to review attendance strategies, identify areas for improvement and work with the school’s community to improve regular attendance rates

principal and teachers work together to review progress and achievement data and moderate assessment practices to ensure reliability of data

Annually:

principal and the school Board work together to ensure the school is meeting all compliance and legislative requirements

principal, teachers and Board monitor and strengthen the attendance plan strategies and address ongoing barriers to regular attendance

principal to report to the Board on student progress and achievement and develop targeted planning and actions for improvement.

Expected outcomes

Implementation school policies and procedures that support a physically and emotional safe learning environment.

Attendance improves over time.

Improved learner outcomes due to better internal evaluation and strengthened use of school data.

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 areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

The school Board must ensure that they meet their roles, responsibilities and objectives in governing the school with a set of up-to-date policies by which the school is to be controlled and managed[ Sections 125 to 127. Education and Training Act 2020]

Policy and procedures for child protection must be compliant and regularly reviewed [ Section 15 Oranga Tamariki Act 1989; Part 6 and Sections 18, 19 Children’s Act 2014]

Policies and practices for physical restraint must have regard to the legislation, rules and guidelines [Sections 99 to 101, Education and Training Act 2020; Education (Physical Restraint) Rules 2023]

The Board must be satisfied that student absences are correctly recorded, monitored and followed up [Section 36, Education and Training Act 2020; Regulations 3/11 Education (School Attendance) Regulations 1951]

Develop an emergency plan that ensures readiness for managing natural disasters [National Civil Defence Emergency Management Plan Order 2015]

Improve the record keeping of staff appointments that includes evidence of safety checking and police vetting of staff employed by the board [Section 27, 31 Children’s Act 2014; s104 Education and Training Act 2020; Sections 5 – 8 Children’s (Requirements for Safety Checks of Children’s Workers) Regulations 2015]

Ensure all teachers employed have a current practising certificate [Section 3, 10, Education and Training Act 2020].

The St Joseph’s Catholic School ( Matata ) Board has taken steps to address the areas 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

28 January 2026

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →