Te Hiwa Shirley Primary School
Contributing · State
- Year levels
- 1–6
- Total roll
- 366
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 11 Shirley Road, Shirley, Christchurch
- Territorial authority
- Christchurch City
- Phone
- 03-3852019
- info@shirleyprimary.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Christchurch · schools in Canterbury
Can my child go here?
This school has an enrolment scheme, so a place is not open to every address. How enrolment zones work
Loading zone map…
Zone boundaries shown here are approximate. Ministry of Education data warns these boundaries do not have high spatial precision and can place neighbouring addresses on different sides of a line. This is not a confirmation of enrolment eligibility — always confirm directly with the school. Zone geometry also does not reflect enrolment priority rules (siblings, special character categories, ballots) — it shows the mapped boundary only.
Check if your address is in zone →
Source: Ministry of Education, CC BY 3.0 NZ
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
Children must wear plain navy tracksuit pants or shorts which can be purchased from any retailer e.g Kmart, Farmers or The Warehouse etc.
- Required
- Where to buy the uniform
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 217
- Māori
- 109
- Pacific
- 61
- Asian
- 67
- MELAA
- 19
- Other
- 1
- 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 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 55 |
| Year 02 | 16 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 61 |
| Year 03 | 19 | 11 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 60 |
| Year 04 | 16 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 66 |
| Year 05 | 19 | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 61 |
| Year 06 | 18 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 57 |
| Year 07 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| Total | 104 | 58 | 60 | 24 | 0 | 214 | 0 | 368 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 53 |
| Age 06 | 17 | 10 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 63 |
| Age 07 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 0 | 57 |
| Age 08 | 17 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 68 |
| Age 09 | 18 | 13 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 57 |
| Age 10 | 18 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 60 |
| Age 11 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 10 |
| Total | 104 | 58 | 60 | 24 | 0 | 214 | 0 | 368 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
152.7%
| Shirley Primary School | 152.7% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 38.3% |
| Contributing | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 15.7% |
|---|---|
| Male | 281.9% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 264.5% |
| Total | 152.7% |
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
14.3%
| Shirley Primary School | 14.3% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 3.7% |
| Contributing | 3.5% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 27.8% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 24.7% |
| Total | 14.3% |
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%
| Shirley Primary School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 1.7% |
| Contributing | 1.5% |
| 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)
- 494
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 31 January 1916
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
- 4
- Last reviewed
- 16 August 2023
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (16 August 2023)
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 board assurance report of 16 August 2023 carries no actions-for-compliance section — the section ERO uses when it names non-compliance it identified. That is what this report contains; it is not ERO saying it found none. Other reports ERO holds for this school may say something different.
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 366 — 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.
November 2017
401
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 17 January 2018
October 2012
260
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 11 January 2013
We draw no line between these. Each was counted for its own report, years apart, by a different review team, and a roll moves between reviews for reasons none of these figures record — so the difference between any two of them measures nothing.
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 16 August 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 15 months of the Education Review Office and Shirley 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
Shirley Primary School is located in Shirley, Christchurch and caters for learners from Years 1 to 6. It is a member of Ōtākaro Kāhui Ako with several other local schools and early childhood centres. The school’s vision for all is to Reach for the stars / Whāia te iti kahurangi .
Shirley Primary School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
increasing community engagement from all stakeholders to improve learner outcomes
implementing a culturally relevant localised curriculum so that each child is able to achieve academic success
creating a school culture which is reflective of the school’s vision and values.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Shirley Primary School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well the curriculum, teaching and learning support equity and excellence in literacy for diverse learners.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
the school’s data picture identifies scope to further grow achievement, progress and engagement - including for Māori and Pacific learners, and for the high proportion of English language learners
senior leaders are seeking to review and refine existing curriculum guidelines and teaching approaches
Professional development has been sought to build capability in literacy teaching, including the introduction of a structured literacy approach.
The school expects to see students supported to achieve to their potential, engaged in authentic and meaningful learning experiences. The teaching team will demonstrate effective and consistent literacy practices that systematically build on students’ strengths and prior knowledge. Curriculum pedagogy and practices will be purposefully and collaboratively grown and sustained. The school will engage with whānau and families to deliberately foster learners’ enjoyment and success in reading and writing. Students and families will share their perspectives in a learning partnership with the school, where adaptations to teaching and learning approaches are highly responsive to their ideas and aspirations.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to strengthen and sustain effective literacy practices that promote success for diverse learners:
an embedded relational and inclusive culture, underpinned by shared values
well-considered leadership structures, designed to create and sustain shared expectations of quality practices, and purposefully grow teacher capability
collaborative and supportive teaching teams, purposefully sharing expertise to support greater learner wellbeing and success.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
using an ERO evaluation plan to further inform existing strategic and annual planning
reviewing and refining literacy guiding documents based on best-practice evidence and research from professional development, to develop a coherent literacy learning pathway and practice expectations
engaging with Māori whānau , Pacific communities and English language learners in the evaluation for improvement journey for literacy.
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
16 August 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 4 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).