Takiroa Street , Urenui, New Plymouth
View on mapTēnā 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.
Urenui School provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. The total roll in 2024 was 103. The majority of learners are European / Pākehā. Māori learners comprise approximately 31% of the roll. The school vision Mā te mahi tahi, ka ora – Together We Can is underpinned by the values of Respect, Responsibility and Resilience.
| 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 sufficient 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. |
This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.
Foundation Skills | |
| Reading | Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more 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. |
The school is approaching the target of 80% regular attendance.
The school is developing a suitable plan to improve attendance.
Regular attendance is improving towards the target.
Chronic absence is reducing over time.
The school is improving its approach and the reliability of its practices to accurately find out about achievement against the curriculum.
Teachers are developing assessment information to adjust teaching practices to ensure ongoing improvement in teaching and student 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 Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and is likely to meet them by 2030.
An explanation of the terms used in the Parent Summary can be found here: Guide to ERO school reports
This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.
Learner progress and achievement outcomes are increasingly equitable and excellent.
Learners express a strong sense of belonging and pride in their school that supports their wellbeing and engagement in learning.
Leaders continue to prioritise the improvement of student learning and achievement through strategic planning and decision making; selected initiatives promote positive outcomes for learners.
Structured literacy and mathematics are becoming well embedded in teaching and learning programmes; a consistent focus on supporting all learners to gain sound foundation skills in literacy and numeracy is evident.
Learners experience a range of meaningful learning opportunities linked to local contexts; leaders and teachers continue to strengthen the integration of curriculum initiatives and programmes that draw on te ao Māori.
Staff professional learning is targeted, planned and strategically implemented for ongoing development of leadership, teaching and learner outcomes.
Teachers work collaboratively and regularly use achievement information and evidence to inform teaching and learning, monitoring the impact of their actions.
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within three months:
Every six months:
Annually:
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
All schools are required to promote student health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
During this review the Board has attested to some regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation Report and is due within three 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
Acting Director of Schools
10 March 2025
This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Urenui School is located in the small rural community of Urenui, 30km north of New Plymouth. It caters for students in Years 1 to 6. The current roll of 101 includes 33 students who identify as Māori. A number of these whakapapa to the local iwi, Ngāti Mutunga.
The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school for all children are ‘to develop them into curious, motivated learners who will succeed in whatever they strive to do’. The school continues to promote the URENUI values of ‘uniqueness, respect, empowerment, nurturing, understanding and involvement’. A current key focus of the board is to respond appropriately to the increasing school roll.
The school continues to be led by an experienced principal and board chair. The board contains a mixture of new and experienced trustees. Most of the teaching staff is new since the February 2017 ERO report.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
The school is achieving equity and excellence for nearly all its students in reading but is yet to achieve equity in writing and mathematics.
Almost all students were achieving at or above expectations in reading in 2019. A large majority were achieving at or above expectations in writing and mathematics. Achievement has improved significantly in reading since 2016, particularly for boys and Māori. There has been a small decline in achievement in both writing and mathematics between 2016 and 2019. Boys’ achievement is equivalent to that of girls in reading, but there is significant disparity for boys in writing and mathematics. Māori students are underachieving in relation to their New Zealand European peers in reading and writing. Māori students are achieving better than their New Zealand European peers in mathematics.
The school is accelerating learning for a large majority of Māori and other students who need this in reading but not yet in writing or mathematics.
The school can show that three quarters of those who were at risk of underachieving at the beginning of the year in reading made accelerated progress in 2019. Less than half made accelerated progress in mathematics and only a few made accelerated progress in writing.
Leadership builds relational trust and strong relationships with all stakeholders. Leaders have established clear and consistent guidelines and expectations to guide teaching practice. There is a clear focus on equity and excellence across school systems and processes. A collaborative school culture empowers teachers to share and improve their practice. Leaders actively involve the community in the life of the school. Professional development is aligned to student needs and strategic priorities.
Students participate and learn in a caring, respectful and inclusive environment. Relationships between teachers and students are genuine and caring. Students have fun in class, leading to higher levels of engagement and motivation. There is a positive approach to behaviour management and school values are well-promoted which facilitates settled classrooms and a positive school tone. Students are regularly surveyed about their wellbeing and identified trends are addressed. Serious behaviour incidents are effectively managed by focusing on restoring relationships. Tikanga and te reo Māori are valued by teachers. This promotes a positive attitude to things Māori and pride in being Māori. Students with special needs are identified and their progress tracked. The school coordinates well with outside agencies to ensure their needs are responded to.
Teaching strategies aligned to current research about best practice is evident in the high levels of progress and achievement in reading.
The school draws on community resources to enhance student learning opportunities, achievement and wellbeing. Features include: collaborative partnerships with the local iwi to care for the estuary; the annual pet day; and the use of parent experts to enrich classroom programmes. Regular surveys ensure that parent and community aspirations are meaningfully included in strategic planning.
A priority area for further development for leaders and teachers is to strengthen the analysis, monitoring and reporting of rates of acceleration for groups of students, particularly in writing. Teaching practices that fully engage students in the learning process such as goal setting and strategies to help students identify and track their next steps in learning is also a key next step. Engaging parents in this process should also strengthen their role as partners in their children’s progress and development. The use of a consistent set of learning progressions should mean everyone shares a common language of learning.
Reviewing the current school curriculum documentation and developing a coherent local curriculum, that includes a sequential approach to the teaching of the history and traditions of Ngāti Mutunga and other local iwi, would support The New Zealand Curriculum, principles of The Treaty of Waitangi and cultural diversity.
Before the review, the board and principal of the school completed the ERO board assurance statement and self-audit checklists. In these documents they attested that they had taken all reasonable steps to meet their legislative obligations related to the following:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student safety and wellbeing:
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Urenui School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.
ERO’s Framework: Overall Findings and Judgement Tool derived from School Evaluation Indicators: Effective Practice for Improvement and Learner Success is available on ERO’s website.
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:
Darcy Te Hau
Acting Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region
4 March 2020
| Location | North Taranaki |
| Ministry of Education profile number | 2256 |
| School type | Contributing Primary School (Years 1 to 6) |
| School roll | 101 |
| Gender composition | Male 50% Female 50% |
| Ethnic composition | Māori 33% NZ European/Pākehā 67% |
| Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS) | Yes |
| Provision of Māori medium education | No |
| Number of Māori medium classes | 0 |
| Total number of students in Māori medium (MME) | 0 |
| Total number of students in Māori language in English medium (MLE) | 0 |
| Number of students in Level 1 MME | 0 |
| Number of students in Level 2 MME | 0 |
| Review team on site | October 2019 |
| Date of this report | 4 March 2020 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review February 2017 Education Review May 2014 Education Review June 2012 |