St Patrick's Catholic School (Taumarunui)

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 10 April 2026 — “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 Patrick’s Catholic School, Taumarunui has a roll of 67 learners in Years 1 to 8 of whom 30% identify as NZ European/ Pākehā , 30% Māori , 28% Asian, 5% Pacific and 5% African. The school’s vision is to nurture Faithful, Responsible, Life-long learners.

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

Expected improvements

The school focused on developing and implementing its local curriculum, strengthening teacher inquiry into effective practice, improving how learner achievement information is used, and expanding internal evaluation to support evidence‑based decisions about policy, resourcing, and teaching.

Findings

The school strengthened its local curriculum by clearly defining and embedding its values and working with local iwi and community groups to integrate localised learning experiences. Leaders and teachers developed evaluative processes that use reliable, curriculum‑aligned assessment information to evaluate their practice and respond more effectively to students’ needs.

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 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? 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 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 Less than half of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are not yet 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 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 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 not 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

Teachers know learners well and maintain positive, respectful relationships; school values are clearly embedded and evident in practice.

School leaders set clear expectations and actively monitor these so that teaching quality improves across the school.

Structured teaching practices in reading, writing and mathematics occur in orderly, inclusive learning environments. Learners are well supported to engage and apply new learning.

Leadership is collaborative, seeking and valuing the views of staff and the school community. Feedback is used to inform and develop approaches that enhance teaching and learning.

Professional learning aligns with school priorities and strengthens teacher capability within a collaborative culture that promotes reflective practice and improved learning outcomes.

Key priorities

Improve equitable achievement outcomes for all learners, with a particular focus on literacy for boys and Māori students.

Align and embed the English and mathematics curriculum, integrating updated assessment practice across teaching and learning programmes.

Embed schoolwide internal evaluation systems to guide strategic decisions and drive continuous improvement.

Sustain and further improve current gains in regular attendance by monitoring and analysing patterns of attendance.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within three months:

leaders design a schoolwide approach to evaluation, formalizing existing practices

leaders and teachers identify groups of learners who are at risk of underachieving and plan targeted actions at school and classroom levels

Every six months:

leaders and teachers evaluate the effectiveness of actions, including professional learning, to accelerate achievement in reading, writing and mathematics

student progress and achievement data is used to assess the impact of initiatives and inform adjustments

leaders and teachers monitor the consistency of teaching and learning approaches to ensure alignment with curriculum and assessment expectations

leaders track attendance trends and plan next steps in response to emerging patterns

Annually:

leaders report on achievement and attendance information to the Board, sharing next steps and emerging priorities with the school community

the Board, leaders and teachers evaluate the impact of changes made to the school curriculum and use of data for improving achievement in literacy and mathematics

the Board undertakes comprehensive self-review to evaluate its impact on school performance and determine next steps for governance improvement

the Board reviews the impact of strategies to improve regular attendance and uses the findings to guide strategic decisions.

Expected outcomes

Improved equitable outcomes for all learners.

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

Embedded schoolwide evaluation systems drive continuous improvement in learner outcomes.

Regular attendance meets or exceeds the Government target of 80%.

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

10 April 2026

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →