Taradale School

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 21 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

Taradale School is located in Napier Hawke’s Bay and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. The school roll is 421 students, 64% identify as Pākehā |New Zealand European, 14% identify as Māori , 13% Asian and 9% other ethnic groups. The school’s mission statement is: To enable our learners to be lifelong achievers who can think creatively and critically as part of a caring global community. This is underpinned by the school’s core values: Respect, Relationships and Responsibility .

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

Expected improvements

The school has worked to foster student agency by ensuring that students have meaningful opportunities to exercise control and influence over their learning through teaching and learning inquiry.

Findings

Student engagement and independence across the school has improved, particularly within structured teaching approaches. Teachers actively implement and refine the principles and practices that promotes student voice, choice, and ownership, with regular reflection to strengthen their practice.

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

Writing A large 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 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.

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 meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets set 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 have a strong sense of belonging, wellbeing and pride in their school; they experience a positive, inclusive and caring learning environment that supports their interests and cultures.

Leaders and teachers work collaboratively. Teachers are well supported to build capability through professional learning programmes aligned with strategic goals for learner achievement.

A consistent, collaborative and well understood approach to teaching and learning is evident across the school. Learning is well planned, emphasising reading, writing and mathematics.

Senior leaders and staff have high expectations for student success. Students requiring additional learning support are identified early and receive targeted literacy and numeracy support.

School leaders work with the Board to set a clear direction and focus on improving conditions that help students succeed and have a strong sense of wellbeing. The Board makes well considered decisions about resources to make sure staff are well placed to support student learning.

Parents are well informed about student achievement, progress, and wellbeing through effective school–community communication.

Key priorities

Align the school curriculum with updates to The New Zealand Curriculum and assessment requirements.

Continue to embed structured literacy and mathematics approaches schoolwide.

Continue to build teacher knowledge and practice for all learner achievement.

Strengthen teacher knowledge and practice, accelerating progress in writing.

Make better use of over time data to gain a deeper insight into the needs of different groups of learners.

Strengthen strategies to improve regular student attendance.

Actions to bring about improvement

Every six months:

leaders and teachers analyse student progress data and use this information to inform next steps in teaching and decision making

leaders and teachers review attendance information to identify trends and patterns and adjust the attendance plan as required

Annually:

leaders and the Board evaluate progress with embedding structured teaching approaches in reading, writing and mathematics to inform decisions about ongoing staff professional development and resourcing

leaders and the Board use schoolwide achievement data for all groups of learners, to strategically plan actions that improve achievement, especially for learner outcomes in writing

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

Expected outcomes

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

High-quality teaching in structured mathematics and literacy embedded schoolwide.

Equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners, especially in writing.

The school is meeting or exceeding the target for regular attendance.

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

21 November 2025

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →