Te Rito Harakeke - Marshland School

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 20 February 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

Te Rito Harakeke - Marshland School provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8 with a roll of 606 students. The largest group of students are New Zealand European/ Pakeha (61%), followed by Asian (19%) and Māori (14%). A satellite class for Ferndale School is also located on site.

The school’s vision is success for every child , guided by the MANA values of Manaakitanga - Respect and Care, Ako – Learner, Ngātahi – Together and Aumangea – Resilient .

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 focused on the implementation of an annual cycle of professional growth and fostering an environment for inclusive, collaborative teacher learning to advance understanding of the relationship between professional practice and outcomes for students.

Findings

A positive cycle of professional growth for teachers has been successfully implemented and embedded. This intentional review and development of teacher practice enhance outcomes for student engagement, progress, and achievement. This is achieved through the application of a carefully considered, consistent approach.

A strong culture of inclusive, collaborative teacher practice is observed throughout the school. This strengthened the validity and reliability of teacher judgments, enabled a focus on accelerated learning for students requiring additional support, and a sound understanding of the practice required of an effective teacher.

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 excellent 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 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 high quality education for learners are driving excellent school performance.

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 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 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 equitable for all groups of learners.

Mathematics Most 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.

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.

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 making progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets 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

Wellbeing and high expectations are prioritised for all learners. Leaders and teachers use achievement data effectively to monitor progress and achievement, determining next steps in learning, informing school-wide decision making and resourcing.

Learners successfully engage and participate confidently in their learning. They demonstrate a strong sense of belonging and understanding of the MANA values assisting their ongoing progress and learning.

Learners with additional learning needs are effectively supported through comprehensive, cohesive systems that ensure an effective response to their needs.

School leadership embed a clearly articulated vision through strategic, annual planning and evidence informed decision-making. This is accompanied by in-depth review and evaluation of programmes, resourcing for school improvement and leadership development.

The school has well-established, collaborative, consistent and explicit approaches to teaching, in particular the teaching of structured literacy, English and mathematics, resulting in raised achievement.

Leaders regularly and effectively review the design and delivery of curriculum, ensuring it enhances learners' experiences, knowledge, and understanding.

Staff professional learning is carefully targeted and strategically implemented through multiple layers of coaching, feedback and action, resulting in the ongoing development of teaching to promote the progress and achievement outcomes for learners.

Key priorities

Refine and align Te Rito Harakeke - Marshland teaching, learning and assessment practices to curriculum documents.

Further develop practices to meet an increasingly diverse range of learners.

Lift regular attendance and reduce chronic absence.

Actions to bring about improvement

Every six months:

leaders and teachers review the consistent implementation of revised assessment and curriculum practices adapting as needed

leaders and teachers gather information on the wellbeing, progress and achievement of groups of diverse learners to set goals

leaders review progress towards attendance targets adjusting practices as needed to lift attendance further

Annually:

leaders and teachers collaboratively evaluate the school’s principles of teaching and learning to ensure they meet curriculum and assessment guidelines

leaders and teachers evaluate the wellbeing, progress and achievement of groups of diverse learners to prioritise future resourcing

leaders review learner attendance and use this information to inform goal setting and resourcing decisions.

Expected outcomes

Sustained, comprehensive Te Rito Harakeke - Marshland School learning programmes and assessment schedule aligned with national requirements.

Strengthened targeted support and a wider range of practices supporting groups of diverse learners.

Increased regular attendance and reduced chronic absence.

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

20 February 2026

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →