St Mary's Catholic School (Gisborne)

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 18 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 Mary's Catholic School (Gisborne) is a primary school that provides education for students in Years 1 to 6. The school has 235 learners, with New Zealand European/ Pākehā making up approximately 46% of the roll, 35% of Asian origin, 12% are Māori and 5% of learners of Pacific heritage. The school has recently enrolled a number of students who have English as a second language.

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

Expected improvements

The school set clear priorities focused on growing teaching capability through professional learning, with the aim of improving learner outcomes. Efforts were made to accelerate progress for at-risk learners and support all students in setting meaningful goals for their growth and achievement in literacy and mathematics. Additionally, the school focused on raising achievement in writing and fostering strong learning-centred relationships with whānau , families, and the wider community.

Findings

All teaching staff have strengthened their skills through professional learning in structured literacy, digital fluency, and the updated Mathematics Curriculum. Literacy and mathematics practices have been reviewed, and the use of new resources supports consistent teaching across the school.

Learner engagement in learning has improved, laying the groundwork for better achievement, especially for at-risk students. Whānau regularly attend student-led conferences to discuss their children’s progress and set goals. This builds stronger, learning-focused partnerships with families to enhance student success.

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 sufficient 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 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 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 6

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 becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

Writing A small majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more 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 large majority of learners 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.

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.

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 is developing 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 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 express a strong sense of belonging and enjoy positive relationships with staff and their peers across the school.

Leadership works closely with the board, staff, students and community to set the schools direction. Leaders set clear expectations and monitor these to improve the teaching quality across the school.

Teachers create highly cooperative, orderly and inclusive learning environments. Learners are well supported to engage and apply new learning.

Staff have clear structured routines and approaches in mathematics and literacy with consistent evidence-based teaching practices leading to improved achievement.

Teachers work in teams to discuss learners progress and achievement and share relevant information and practices to support learners to experience success.

Key priorities

Improve on and sustain the gains made to improve regular attendance.

Align and embed the English and Mathematics curriculum in school teaching and learning programmes.

Evaluate the impact of improvement strategies on learner progress and achievement outcome and equity and excellence.

Evaluate the ongoing effectiveness of professional learning programmes on student outcomes.

Further develop capability and capacity of all staff to integrate te reo Māori in the school teaching and learning programmes to support learners' strengths, identity and culture.

Actions to bring about improvement

Every six months:

leaders track, monitor and review student attendance, adjust strategies as necessary and report to the Board and community

leaders and teachers monitor the consistency of teaching and learning approaches in reading, writing and mathematics for alignment with curriculum and assessment requirements

leaders and teachers use progress and achievement data to evaluate the impact of professional learning programmes on student achievement outcomes

leaders and teachers review the integration of te ao Māori in classroom programmes, to support building teaching capability and embed teaching te reo Māori

Annually:

the School Board evaluate the impact of strategies used to further improve students’ regular attendance to inform decision making about next steps to improve attendance

the School Board, leaders and teachers evaluate the changes made to the school curriculum and the use of data to enhance achievement in literacy and mathematics

leaders and teachers evaluate the impact of their professional learning and teaching actions on student outcomes.

Expected outcomes

Regular student attendance meeting or exceeding the Government target.

The school curriculum aligns with The New Zealand Curriculum and assessment requirements.

Te ao Māori learning in the classroom and school life is evident. Teachers and students using te reo Māori with greater proficiency.

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

18 November 2025

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →