Timaru South School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 200
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 44 Queen Street, Parkside, Timaru
- Territorial authority
- Timaru District
- Phone
- 03-6843704
- office@timarusouth.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: 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
School uniform is compulsory, and is requirement of attendance at the school, as laid out in the Uniform Policy.
- Required
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 136
- Māori
- 33
- Pacific
- 41
- Asian
- 13
- MELAA
- 10
- 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 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 30 |
| Year 02 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 25 |
| Year 03 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 27 |
| Year 04 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 30 |
| Year 05 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| Year 06 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 23 |
| Year 07 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 39 |
| Year 08 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 30 |
| Total | 42 | 55 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 152 | 0 | 228 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 23 |
| Age 06 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 24 |
| Age 07 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 25 |
| Age 08 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 38 |
| Age 09 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 25 |
| Age 10 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 23 |
| Age 11 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 31 |
| Age 12 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 34 |
| Age 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Total | 42 | 55 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 152 | 0 | 228 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
139.1%
| Timaru South School | 139.1% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 38.3% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 150.7% |
|---|---|
| Male | 131.6% |
| Māori | 38.2% |
| Pacific | 111.1% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 167.3% |
| Total | 139.1% |
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
18.8%
| Timaru South School | 18.8% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 3.7% |
| Full Primary | 3.9% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 24.8% |
|---|---|
| Male | 15.2% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 27.9% |
| Total | 18.8% |
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
9.6%
| Timaru South School | 9.6% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 1.7% |
| Full Primary | 1.7% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 15.5% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 14.3% |
| Total | 9.6% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison exclusion data (2024)
About the school
- Equity Index (EQI)
- 511
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Medium urban area
- Date opened
- 27 January 2005
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
- 3 April 2023
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (3 April 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 3 April 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 200 — 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
230
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 21 February 2018
June 2014
216
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 2 September 2014
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 3 April 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 twelve months of the Education Review Office and Timaru South 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
Timaru South School is located in Timaru and provides education for students in Years 1 to 8.
Timaru South School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:
provide a supportive, caring environment which values each student individually
develop quality learning programmes to ensure confident, capable learners
establish effective relationships between school and the wider community
ensure the school is governed effectively and strategically
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Timaru South School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well the school’s approach to structured literacy improves learning outcomes in writing for students in Years 1 to 3.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:
address the significant literacy learning needs across the school and support accelerated progress for those who need it, particularly in junior oral language
ensure that teachers have a shared understanding and use of assessment practices
develop a shared understandings of good literacy practices to ensure consistency across the school
The school expects to see accelerated rates of progress in reading and writing, particularly in the junior school. Leaders and teachers will know what strategies and approaches are most effective in raising student achievement and what needs to change to accelerate progress.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate how well the school’s approach to structured literacy improves learning outcomes in writing for students in Years 1 to 3.
well-developed systems for tracking student learning and progress overtime
regular and ongoing professional development for all staff to ensure consistent understandings and approaches to teaching and learning
open and collaborative school culture, with a committed staff who support each other and regularly share ideas and knowledge
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
continuing to build teacher knowledge and use of literacy teaching practices
build learning partnerships with whānau and families to support their children’s learning
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.
Kathy Lye Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern) Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
3 April 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).