St Joseph's School (Fairlie)
Full Primary · State : Integrated
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 26
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 3 Gall Street, Fairlie
- Territorial authority
- Mackenzie District
- Phone
- 027-6858659
- office@stjofairlie.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Canterbury
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.
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 statement focuses on ensuring that each child learns about themselves and Jesus’ teachings, connects with their community, shows respect for others and that they have the skills to thrive in a changing world.
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 18
- Māori
- 1
- Pacific
- 6
- Asian
- 2
- 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 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Year 02 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Year 04 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| Year 05 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 06 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Year 07 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Year 08 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 21 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Age 06 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Age 08 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 09 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Age 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Age 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Age 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 21 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
116.6%
| St Joseph's School (Fairlie) | 116.6% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 38.3% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State : Integrated | 16.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 196.1% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Pacific | 537.4% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 116.6% |
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 Joseph's School (Fairlie) | 0% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 3.7% |
| Full Primary | 3.9% |
| State : Integrated | 1.6% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Pacific | 0% |
| 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%
| St Joseph's School (Fairlie) | 0% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 1.7% |
| Full Primary | 1.7% |
| State : Integrated | 0.5% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Pacific | 0% |
| 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)
- 427
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Rural settlement
- Date opened
- 31 January 1939
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
- 4
- Last reviewed
- 28 April 2025
- Latest report
- School Evaluation Report
- Report type
- Evaluation report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (28 April 2025)
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 28 April 2025 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 26 — 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 2016
42
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 28 November 2016
August 2013
46
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 1 October 2013
We draw no line between these. Each was counted for its own report, years apart, by a different review team, and a roll moves between reviews for reasons none of these figures record — so the difference between any two of them measures nothing.
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 28 April 2025 — “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
St Joseph’s School (Fairlie) is a Catholic Primary School situated in the rural township of Fairlie providing a Catholic education for students in Year 1 to 8. The Josephite Charism and The New Zealand Curriculum underpin the schools’ values of ‘respect, confidence and love of learning’.
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
The school is working towards equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners.
A small majority of learners achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in mathematics, reading and writing; accelerating the progress and achievement for learners not yet at expected curriculum levels continues to be a significant a priority.
Learners express a positive sense of belonging and pride in their school that supports their wellbeing and engagement in learning.
The school is meeting the 2024 Ministry of Education target for regular attendance at school, a large majority of students attend school regularly.
Conditions to support learner success
Leaders foster a collaborative school culture with a strategic focus on improving learner outcomes.
School leaders ensure expectations for high quality teaching and learning practices are clear, well implemented and responsive to students learning needs.
Leaders are engaged in professional knowledge building that enhances teaching effectiveness and positive learner outcomes.
Leaders ensure consistent assessment and moderation practices across the school; they have lead roles in their kāhui ako to support the wider education community.
Teaching practices and curriculum are responsive to the needs and interests of individual learners.
Teachers and learning assistants implement structured and well-matched learning programmes that help learners to fully engage and make progress with their learning.
Meaningful review and analysis of progress and achievement data informs tailored teaching and learning programme for individuals and groups of learners.
The curriculum provides learners with a broad range of opportunities and experiences inside and outside the classroom. This is well supported by the partnerships with the local community and parish priest.
Key organisational conditions that support learner success are increasingly well established.
Leaders and staff set a culture of high expectations for the school’s special character, learning and behaviour; learners know, understand and respond well to these.
Learners needing additional in-class support benefit from consistent and targeted assistance; this contributes to their progress and wellbeing within positive and inclusive classroom environments.
Professional learning opportunities for staff are well-considered and are clearly aligned to strategic priorities for ongoing improvement.
The board and proprietors are strategic and use a wide range of information well to make effective resourcing decisions to target what is best for learners.
Part B: Where to next?
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
a focus on improving progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics for those learners who need this
embed curriculum changes and align assessment practices to continue to strengthen teaching and learning
refine and embed writing strategies across the school to accelerate progress for those students that need this
continue to strengthen leader’s use of evaluative evidenced based reporting to inform decision making.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within three:
undertake an in-depth review of student achievement, prioritising understanding which learners made sufficient progress and those who didn’t and develop strategies to bring about improvement.
Every six months:
review progress towards strategic goals and priorities to ensure initiatives are improving student progress and achievement and if not adjust accordingly
monitor the progress of learning towards curriculum expectations, review and refine strategies to accelerate learning for those students who need additional support
survey students and gather their feedback and ideas about writing, to identify what is working for them and plan next steps for teaching and learning.
Annually:
review and report to the board the impact of teaching and learning programmes on achievement outcomes, to know what has been successful and what needs further improvement
review and report to the board the impact strategies to accelerate progress and achievement for learners over time and identify strategic and curriculum improvement priorities.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
improved levels of achievement and engagement in across the curriculum
consistent use of responsive teaching practices to effectively engage and support the diverse needs of leaners.
meaningful and targeted evaluation that prioritises schoolwide improvement.
sustained high levels of attendance.
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
Sharon Kelly Director of Schools (Acting)
28 April 2025
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 4 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).