St Joseph's School (Stratford)

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 17 November 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 Stratford provides education to students in Years 1 to 8. Of the 169 learners currently enrolled, approximately 75% identify as NZ European/ Pākehā , 11% identify as Māori and 9% identify as Asian. The school’s vision ‘ caring, sharing and serving like Jesus – He Manaaki He Atawhai ’ are underpinned by the CROSS values of ‘ Caring, Sharing and Serving’ .

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

Expected improvements

The school focused on evaluating how effectively assessment for learning is used to consistently promote positive outcomes for all learners.

The school expected to see effective assessment for learning practices used consistently to promote positive outcomes for all learners.

Findings

Assessment is now used more effectively at all school levels, resulting in improved teaching practices. This supports teachers to better identify and plan for student needs and positively promote student outcomes.

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 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 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 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 reports usefully and accurately to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress. The school responds well to a wide range 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 0 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 small majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

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

Mathematics A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are not yet 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 small majority of learners attend regularly.

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

This section is about how the school assesses learner progress and achievement.

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

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 making progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets 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

Learners, including those with additional learning needs, benefit from targeted teaching and learning programmes designed to promote their progress and achievement.

School leaders and the school Board share a clear, learner centred vision that prioritises approaches to teaching and learning proven to have the greatest impact on student outcomes.

Learners benefit from the implementation of consistent structured approaches to teaching and learning in literacy and mathematics.

Students have a strong sense of identity and belonging. Students benefit from an integrated approach to te ao Māori and embedded school tikanga .

Teacher’s professional learning is aligned to strategic goals and focused on building collective capacity of staff to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of teaching practices.

Leadership and the school Board use evidence and evaluation to identify key areas for inquiry and drive continuous improvement.

Key priorities

Improve achievement outcomes for all learners, particularly for boys and Māori students in writing.

Strengthen the teaching of writing to ensure there is consistency across the school and increased achievement.

Review teaching, learning, and assessment practices to know their impact on learner progress and achievement and alignment to curriculum and reporting requirements.

Improve regular attendance.

Action to bring about improvement

Within three months:

leaders and teachers to implement the attendance plan

Within six months:

leaders and teachers strengthen professional learning focused on effective use of assessment information share teaching expertise across the school

leaders and teachers use assessment for learning practices to develop teaching expertise across the school

leaders and teachers review curriculum guidelines and assessments and ensure alignment with updates to the curriculum and reporting requirements

Every six months:

leaders collect and analyse achievement and engagement data to monitor teaching and interventions

leaders observe teachers teaching writing and provide feedback to ensure high quality and consistent teaching

leaders and teachers assess the impact of programmes aimed at improving progress and achievement, especially in writing for boys and Māori students

leaders review attendance initiatives to ensure these are improving attendance and adjust as needed

Annually:

leaders and teachers evaluate the impact of teaching and assessment practices in reading, writing and mathematics to identify what is effective and areas that need strengthening

the school Board and leaders use achievement data and feedback from teachers, students, and whānau to evaluate the impact of interventions on student outcomes and use it to guide improvement planning

leaders and the school Board evaluate the impact of initiatives to improve attendance and use the results to inform future planning.

Expected outcomes

Improved progress and achievement for all learners.

Consistent, evidenced-based schoolwide approach to teaching, learning and assessment in reading, writing and mathematics.

Regular student attendance that meets the Government target.

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

17 November 2025

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →