St Joseph's School (Wairoa)

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 26 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 ( Wairoa ) is a state integrated school offering students from Years 1 to 8 education with a special Catholic character. The roll of 96 students and 70% of learners identify as Māori and 21% as New Zealand European/ Pākehā . The school has recently enrolled several English language learners. The school is guided by Catholic gospel and practices and the key values of Faith, Love, Service and Hope .

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

As a result of staff engagement in professional learning, the school expected to see strengthened assessment for learning processes that informed teaching and learning, resulting in accelerated progress of target students, particularly Māori boys.

Findings

Leaders and teachers participated in professional learning in assessment for learning and apply what they have learned. Assessment guides classroom planning and identifies the next steps for learners. Leaders and teachers regularly meet to discuss assessment information and plan together to meet learner needs.

The level of student achievement schoolwide has been maintained over this time in reading and mathematics. Achievement in writing has decreased. Māori students are not yet achieving at the same levels as others in reading and writing.

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

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

Mathematics A small majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more 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 school regularly.

The school is behind 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.

Chronic absence is reducing over time.

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 making progress towards meeting Government targets in reading and mathematics and is likely to meet them by 2030. The school is not yet making progress towards meeting this target in writing 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

Learners benefit from a warm and affirming environment that values their culture and integrates Māori tikanga into the special characters of the school.

Leaders and teachers work well together to plan and deliver learning programmes that reflect the school’s priorities.

Leaders and teachers use a range of useful data to plan lessons to meet student need; students with additional learning needs are included and supported in their learning and wellbeing.

Students express a strong sense of belonging and enjoy the relationships they have with staff and other learners.

Key priorities

Improve the rates of regular attendance.

Develop knowledge through professional learning to further support teaching the English and mathematics curriculum.

Use assessments aligned to The New Zealand Curriculum to inform next steps in teaching.

Evaluate the impact of the improvement strategies on learner progress and achievement outcomes, and the ongoing effectiveness of professional learning.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within six months:

the school Board and leaders analyse and evaluate attendance data, adjust processes as necessary

leaders and teachers review the implementation of the English and mathematics curriculum and assessments, to identify aspects where further professional development is needed

Every six months:

leaders and teachers evaluate the impact of structured teaching approaches to literacy and mathematics, identifying effective practices that increase student achievement and to guide further professional learning

Annually:

leaders and the School Board review student attendance, progress and achievement information and use this to adapt strategies and inform future improvement priorities and resourcing decisions and share with the school community.

Expected outcomes

Improved progress, achievement and equity outcomes for all learners.

Structured approaches to teaching literacy and mathematics consistent across the school.

Improved rates of regular attendance that meet 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

Actions for Compliance

ERO has identified the following area of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

ensure planning and risk assessment procedures for Education Outside the Classroom are aligned with school policies [Education and Training Act 2020; Children’s Act 2014, Health and Safety at Work Act 2015].

The Board has since addressed the area 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

26 November 2025

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →