St Joseph's School (Kaikōura)

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 15 December 2025 — “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 School provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. The current school roll is 113, with the majority of learners identifying as Pākehā / New Zealand European (62%), 27% Māori , and 11% of Asian descent. The school’s special Catholic character and shared vison of Growing In Faith Together - Kia Tuputahi i te Whakapono and their ARCH values of Achievement ( Tutuki ), Respect ( Whakaute ), Confidence ( Māia ), and Honesty ( Ngākaupono ), underpin their curriculum.

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

Expected improvements

The school evaluated how effectively they implemented culturally responsive practices. They expected to see a strengthening of teacher's capability to enact culturally responsive pedagogies and improved parity between groups of learners.

Findings

Learner outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics remain consistently high. Māori learners achieve at levels comparable to their peers across all three areas, with no evidence of disparity. Mathematics achievement is equitable for all groups. Improving outcomes for boys in reading and writing remains a priority. The school’s sustained focus on authentic partnerships with whānau Māori and effective professional development has strengthened teachers’ capabilities and ensured the curriculum reflects the aspirations and values of the community.

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? Success and progress for all learners is increasing.

What is the quality of teaching and learning? Learners benefit from excellent 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 rich opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum. There is a 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? School planning and conditions to support high quality education for learners are driving excellent school performance.

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 is improving its reporting to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress. The school is improving its collection and use of information gathered through community consultation to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions.

Student Health and Safety The school board is taking reasonable steps to ensure student health and safety.

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 Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

Writing Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are not yet equitable for all groups of learners.

Mathematics Almost all 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.

The large majority of students attend school regularly.

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

The school has a suitable plan in place to improve attendance.

Regular attendance is 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 has 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 meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets set for 2030.

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

Learner outcomes are high and sustained, including equitable outcomes for Māori students.

Learner feedback is actively gathered through a variety of methods and used to identify areas for improvement, leading to high engagement and a sense of belonging.

Teachers and leaders established strong community partnerships that guide the school’s vision and values and inform improvement priorities.

The school Board and leaders make purposeful decisions, supported by effective resourcing and strategic planning focused on improvement.

Leaders promote a collaborative team culture where staff reflect on their practice and embrace innovative approaches to improve learner success and wellbeing.

Leaders and teachers work effectively in partnership with external agencies and the local community to enhance the wellbeing and engagement of students and their whānau .

Leaders and teachers focus on the implementation of the school’s strategic priorities and foster expectations for high-quality teaching and equitable, excellent outcomes for all learners.

Key priorities

Embed and strengthen structured approaches to literacy teaching and learning to increase equity for boys.

Evaluate and expand strategies that improve regular student attendance.

Strengthen the use of evaluation to effectively identify and address areas for improvement.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within six months:

leaders investigate and establish a systematic approach to using evaluation for school improvement

Every six months:

leaders and teachers evaluate the impact of structured literacy and mathematics teaching to identify effective practices and inform further professional learning opportunities

leaders and teachers review strategies and monitor progress to improve regular attendance

leaders report to the school Board on student progress in reading, writing and mathematics, showing the impact of actions and responses to emerging trends

Annually:

the school Board, in consultation with the community, use student attendance, progress and achievement information to set strategic priorities and guide resourcing decisions

leaders, teachers and the school Board evaluate teaching approaches to understand their impact on student engagement and outcomes and use these insights to inform future improvement priorities.

Expected outcomes

Increased achievement and equity for boys in reading and writing.

Increased rates of regular attendance across all year levels.

Clear, systematic evaluation processes embedded in school planning and review cycles.

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

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

15 December 2025

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →