Takitimu Primary School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 97
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 15 Evan Street, Nightcaps
- Territorial authority
- Southland District
- Phone
- 03-2257725
- office@takitimu.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Southland
What would the day look like?
The practical things this school states on its own website — the hours, the uniform, the term dates, and how children get there. These are the school’s own words, not the Ministry’s record and not ERO’s.
Quoted from this school’s own website, as we read it on 13 August 2026. A web page carries no date of its own, so that is the day we read it — not a statement that any of this is still the case. Each line quotes the words it came from.
- Uniform
- Required
Year 1 – 6 Uniform Girls - Kids Contrast Poly Polo (maroon, gold) - Girls School Skort (black)
- Required
- Where to buy the uniform
- How to enrol
- https://enrolments.linc-ed.com/apply/NZ/398
Enrolling: Please ensure that you have filled out our on-line enrolment forms. These can be accessed from [here](https://enrolments.linc-ed.com/apply/NZ/398).
- https://enrolments.linc-ed.com/apply/NZ/398
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 57
- Māori
- 36
- Pacific
- 5
- Asian
- 18
- MELAA
- 1
- Other
- 2
- International
- 0
Roll by year level and age
Shown as context, not ranked, not compared to any average. As at 30 June 2026, from the same annual return as the roll count above.
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 01 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 11 |
| Year 02 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 10 |
| Year 03 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 9 |
| Year 04 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 18 |
| Year 05 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 11 |
| Year 06 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| Year 07 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 17 |
| Year 08 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 14 |
| Total | 40 | 6 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 63 | 0 | 107 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 10 |
| Age 06 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 8 |
| Age 07 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 8 |
| Age 08 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 20 |
| Age 09 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 13 |
| Age 10 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 16 |
| Age 11 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 13 |
| Age 12 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 14 |
| Age 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Total | 40 | 6 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 63 | 0 | 107 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
47.1%
| Takitimu Primary School | 47.1% |
|---|---|
| Southland Region | 61.8% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 98.9% |
| Māori | 87.6% |
| Pacific | 463.6% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 46.4% |
| Total | 47.1% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison stand-down rates data (2024)
Age-standardised suspension rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Takitimu Primary School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Southland Region | 6.3% |
| Full Primary | 3.9% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison suspension rates data (2024)
Age-standardised exclusion rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Takitimu Primary School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Southland Region | 2.8% |
| Full Primary | 1.7% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison exclusion data (2024)
About the school
- Equity Index (EQI)
- 467
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Rural settlement
- Date opened
- 31 December 1995
The Equity Index is used by the Ministry to allocate equity funding. It describes the socio-economic barriers a school’s students face, not how good the school is. How the Equity Index works
What did ERO find?
The Education Review Office reviews every school and publishes what it finds in full. We quote ERO’s report here, section by section, in ERO’s own words and order, and link to it. We do not summarise a report, pick a line out of one, or turn one into a score. How ERO reviews schools
- Reports ERO holds
- 3
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2023
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board did not attest to all areas (22 September 2023)
Areas the board did not attest to, in ERO’s words: Management of Health, Safety and Welfare; Personnel Management. The report says what that meant and what happened next.
A board assurance statement is the board’s own account of whether it took all reasonable steps to meet its legal obligations, on the date shown. It is not ERO’s finding. ERO reports separately, in the same report, on any non-compliance it identified during that process.
The same report — the board assurance report of 22 September 2023 — also sets out actions for compliance: the non-compliance ERO identified during that process. This is that section of the report in full, in ERO’s words.
ERO and the board have identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process, the school has not:
On the basis of good quality assessment information reported to the school’s community on the progress and achievement of students as a whole.
[Regulation 21 of Education (School Boards) Amendment Regulations 2022]
Developed policies, plans and targets for improving the progress and achievement of Māori students in consultation with the school’s Māori community.
[ Section 127(1)(d), section 139(3) and NELP 5]
Complied with requirements for the retention and disposal of school records.
[Public Records Act 2005]
Undertaken regular review of health and safety policies and procedures/guidelines/practices linked to providing a safe physical and emotional environment for students.
[Section 127 (1) and (2) Education and Training Act 2020]
Received assurance at intervals of not more than six months that a trial evacuation has occurred.
[Reg 29 Fire Safety, Evacuation Procedures, and Evacuation Schemes Regulations 2018]
Developed a child protection policy that meets the legislative requirements.
[Children’s Act 2014]
Developed policies, practices and procedures on surrender and retention of property and searches of students that comply with rules and guidelines made by the Secretary for Education.
[sections 105 to 114, Part 3; Subpart 4 of the Education and Training Act 2020]
Made available to the school community information on the guidelines issued by the Secretary of Education on physical restraint and behaviour management; the names and positions of staff members authorised to perform physical restraint and the school’s policy on reducing student distress and the use of physical restraint.
[section 101 of the Education and Training Act 2020]
Complied with all aspects of safety checking of workforce and kept accurate records about each aspect of the safety checking process.
[Children’s Act 2014]
The board has since taken steps to address the areas of non-compliance identified.
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 97 — 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.
March 2019
77
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 30 May 2019
This is one count taken for one report. It says what the roll was on that day, and nothing about how the roll has moved.
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 22 September 2023 — “Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.
Background
This Profile Report was written within 2 years of the Education Review Office and Takitimu Primary School working in Te Ara Huarau , an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website www.ero.govt.nz
Context
Takitimu Primary School is a small, rural primary school for students in Years 1 to 8 located in Western Southland. It’s vision for learners is that they will be the best they can be and that they will demonstrate the school’s central value of kindness. At the time of this review the school was in the process of recruiting a new principal.
The school’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
promoting students’ hauora |wellbeing
development and delivery of localised curriculum
provision of quality leadership and teaching to support positive outcomes for students.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Takitimu Primary School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well school stewardship and leadership are fostering the conditions for responsive curriculum, effective teaching and a safe and positive learning culture.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
the school has experienced ongoing leadership and staffing changes that have impacted on the sustainability and continuity of aspects of curriculum development, teaching and the provision of a positive learning culture
internal evaluation processes are not sufficiently developed to support and inform ongoing school improvement.
The school expects to see:
students feel cared about as individuals, successful as learners and a sense of belonging in their school
students make appropriate rates of progress in literacy and numeracy learning.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to strengthen the conditions for responsive curriculum, effective teaching and a positive learning culture.
Teachers who are actively engaged in professional learning to improve their teaching practice and curriculum knowledge
systems for promoting, recognising and monitoring positive behaviour expectations across the school
systems and interventions for identifying and responding to students who need additional support to make progress and achieve in literacy.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise strengthening:
strategic and annual planning, in consultation with the school community, to better provide direction for the school
reliability of assessment information, analysis and reporting to inform planning and improvement
guidelines and expectations for curriculum planning and implementation and effective teaching
professional support for teachers to continue to develop their teaching capability including for fostering a positive learning culture and using assessment skilfully to inform teaching and learning.
ERO has concerns about aspects of
strategic and annual planning, and self review; and
leadership of curriculum, teaching, and a positive learning culture.
Recommendation
To bring about the improvements identified ERO recommended that the Ministry of Education provide additional tailored support to the school in regard to governance, leadership of learning and curriculum for ongoing improvement.
The Ministry of Education is working alongside the school.
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.
Shelley Booysen Director of Schools
22 September 2023
About the School
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Read the full report on ero.govt.nz →
All 3 reports ERO holds for this school
ERO reviews a school every few years — around four years between reviews is the usual cycle — so an older date here reflects where a school sits in that cycle, not how it is doing.
Source: Education Review Office, CC BY 4.0.
Roll date: 30 June 2026 (2026).