St Joseph's School (Otahuhu)

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 269 — 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.

1. August 2018

   294

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 4 October 2018

2. April 2015

   284

   Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 31 July 2015

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 17 March 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.

About the School

St Joseph’s School ( Otahuhu ) provides education for girls in Years 1 to 8 and boys in Years 1 to 6. There are approximately 300 learners with 93% being of Pacific ethnicity. High numbers of students speak another language, and many are supported to learn English.

The school motto “Learn to love - love to learn, Ako ki te aroha – aroha ki te ako ”, aligns with the school’s Catholic Mercy values of respect, compassion and service.

How well placed is the school to promote educational success and wellbeing?

How well are learners succeeding? Success and progress for all learners is increasing.

What is the quality of teaching and learning? Learners benefit from high 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 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 ongoing improvement to the quality of education for learners are well established.

How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing? The school successfully 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 needs to ensure a physically and emotionally safe learning environment.

Achievement in Years 0 to 8

This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Foundation Skills

Reading A small majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Writing Less than half of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Mathematics A small majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Attendance

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

The school is developing a suitable plan to improve attendance.

Regular attendance is improving towards or beyond the target.

Chronic absence is reducing over time.

Assessment

The school uses an appropriate approach and reliable practices to find out about achievement against the curriculum.

Assessment information is used well to adjust teaching practices to ensure ongoing improvement in teaching and student progress.

Progress

High numbers of learners with additional learning needs are enrolled in the school. 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 making some progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority.

Part B - Findings for the school

This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.

Areas of Strength

The school prioritises improving academic outcomes for all learners, as demonstrated by the careful monitoring of individual and group progress. Recent improvements in mathematics outcomes are set to inform the school's ongoing efforts to further improve mathematics results, while also expanding its focus to strengthen writing outcomes.

Leaders guide teachers in enhancing systems for collecting and analysing assessment data, ensuring effective use for teacher planning and targeted interventions that improve outcomes, for the many students requiring additional support.

The school has implemented structured literacy with positive outcomes for learners and is now adopting a more structured approach to teaching and learning in mathematics.

The school has a comprehensive and regularly updated curriculum, incorporating local contexts that enhance learners' experiences, knowledge, and understanding.

Leaders use class and whole-school achievement data, along with classroom observations, to identify professional learning priorities for teachers and strengthen the collective capability of the teaching team.

Teachers improve their teaching practice through self-reflection and evaluation, student feedback, data analysis, and targeted inquiry to support learner progress and achievement.

Key priorities and actions for improvement

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

further enhance regular attendance by applying additional proven strategies

further prioritise and focus on raising student achievement by implementing targeted strategies and support, with a particular emphasis on improving outcomes in writing

strengthen partnerships and communication with whānau to further enable them to support their child’s learning.

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.

Within three months:

decide on and implement a range of effective strategies to increase attendance

select and implement evidence-based strategies to accelerate progress and further raise student achievement, particularly in writing

use effective communication strategies to strengthen home-school partnerships, including sharing information on attendance, engagement, achievement, learner strengths and needs, to support parents and whānau in their child’s learning

Every six months:

continuously track and assess attendance progress, while reviewing the effectiveness of strategies implemented and adjusting practices accordingly

provide professional learning to enhance teachers' skills in effective teaching of writing, supported by regular classroom observations and constructive feedback

leaders facilitate ways for teachers to share learner information with parents and whānau , keeping them well-informed and building and sustaining learning-focused relationships

Annually:

use data to evaluate strategies that had the most impact on improving attendance and achievement in writing, and continue to refine the approaches used for accelerating outcomes

gather feedback from whānau on the effectiveness of communication strategies for fostering home-school learner partnerships and adjust approaches for continuous improvement

report progress over time to the board for attendance, writing and progress on home-school partnerships.

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:

more students attending school regularly, leading to increased learning opportunities and better outcomes for learners

consistent, effective teaching and learning practices across the school, leading to an increased number of students achieving curriculum expectations, particularly in writing

parents and whānau being enabled to actively support their child’s learning and becoming valued partners in the process.

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

All schools are required to promote student health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

During this review the Board has attested to some 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:

regular evacuation drills need to be undertaken and documented [Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fire Safety, Evacuation Procedures, and Evacuation Schemes) Regulations 2018]

safety checking of non-teaching staff should be completed every 3 years. [Vulnerable Children’s Act 2014, and regulations 5–8 of the Children’s (Requirements for Safety Checks of Children’s Workers) Regulations 2015 (Part 2)]

The board has since taken steps to address the areas of non-compliance identified.

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 Acting Director of Schools

17 March 2025

Education Counts

This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →