96 Shamrock Street , Takaro, Palmerston North
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.
Our Lady of Lourdes School is a state integrated Catholic school in Palmerston North and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6.
The school roll is 129. The ethnic composition is NZ European/Pakeha 27%, Asian 41%, Pacific 17%, Māori 12% and other ethnic groups 3%.
Learners and staff are guided by the school’s Mercy values of Excellence, Hospitality, Respect, Compassion Social Justice and Service.
| How well are learners succeeding? | Learners experience high levels of success and make excellent progress; outcomes are similarly high for all groups. |
| 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 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. |
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 equitable for all groups of learners. |
| Writing | Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners. |
| Mathematics | Almost all 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 has a suitable plan in place to improve attendance.
Regular attendance is improving towards or beyond the target.
Chronic absence is reducing over time.
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.
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 set for 2030.
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 excellent and increasingly equitable.
Learners express a strong sense of belonging and pride in their school that reflects their language, identity, culture and promotes wellbeing and engagement in learning.
Leaders continue to prioritise the improvement of student learning and achievement through evidence-based decision making; timely interventions are introduced to reduce barriers to education and support access to learning for all.
A strong focus on supporting all learners to gain sound foundational skills in reading, writing and mathematics is evident; structured approaches are being introduced in teaching and learning programmes.
Learners experience a range of meaningful learning opportunities linked to local contexts, the school’s special character and Rangitāne iwi aspirations.
Teachers and leaders prioritise and engage in effective, targeted and ongoing professional growth and development to support learner progress and achievement.
The Board, leaders and teachers use a systematic approach to planning for sustained school improvement and innovation and are committed to being adaptive, responsive and using high-quality evidence.
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within six months:
Every six months:
Annually:
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
The Education Review Office reviews schools that are signatories to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020.
The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.
No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.
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 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
11 April 2025
This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Our Lady of Lourdes School is a state integrated Catholic primary school, located in Palmerston North. The school caters for a diverse range of students in Years 1 to 6. Of the 151 children enrolled, 22 are Māori and 30 are of Pacific heritage. There are 21 children funded as English Language Learners (ELLs).
The vision ‘to provide students with the skills and motivation for life-long learning in a nurturing, Catholic environment’ guides school operation and practices.
School targets, to accelerate the progress and achievement of learners at risk of poor learning outcomes, are set annually. In 2018, raising the achievement of Pacific learners in mathematics was a school priority.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
The school has an experienced leadership team. Longstanding and newly elected members make up the board of trustees.
The school is a member of the Palmerston North Catholic Kāhui Ako.
Achievement data from 2017 shows that most students are achieving at or above The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) expectations in reading, writing and mathematics.
Nearly all Māori learners achieve successfully in reading, and most in writing and mathematics.
In-school disparity for groups of students is recognised and is an ongoing focus for improvement.
Targets to raise the achievement of those students who are not succeeding at expected levels are appropriately set by trustees and leaders. School analysed data indicates that most target students experience acceleration in reading and mathematics through class programmes and interventions. Consistently reporting rates of progress and acceleration for individual or groups of students is a next step for the school.
The school has strengthened its response to students at risk of not achieving through the implementation of ‘Priority Learner Intervention Plans’. This framework enables teachers to determine students’ specific learning needs and plan targeted teaching strategies and interventions to promote their progress.
School trustees, leaders and teachers have a strong focus on promoting the wellbeing of children and their families. A wide range of community relationships enhances their provision for learners and their whānau. The enactment and use of the school’s Catholic character, values and virtues is highly visible. These successfully underpin school practices and respectful interactions.
Communication processes have been strengthened to enhance positive relationships with families and promote whānau engagement. A range of purposeful strategies provide opportunities for families to participate in their children’s learning and development at school. An appropriate approach nurtures learners’ effective transition into the school. There is an ongoing focus on continuity of learning for students out of the school onto their next learning pathway, through the Kāhui Ako.
Purposeful engagement with local iwi supports an increased acknowledgement of identity, language and culture for Māori students and their families. There has been a thoughtful approach to strengthening the reflection of te ao Māori through the school’s Māori action plan.
Teachers use a range of effective strategies and deliberate actions to engage students in purposeful learning. Well-organised environments successfully foster children’s participation and collaboration in learning. Routines and expectations are well communicated and known. Students demonstrate increasing confidence to make choices about their learning.
An appropriate range of systems, processes and strategies are used to identify, track and monitor the individual needs of students at risk of not achieving at expected curriculum levels. Provision for learners with additional needs, including ELL, are supported through programmes and external expertise.
Trustees, leaders and teachers should continue to align and strengthen systems and processes to promote increased acceleration of student achievement. Better analysis of accelerated progress for all groups at risk of not achieving is a next step. This should better inform targeted resourcing and teaching for those learners at risk of underachievement.
Curriculum documents clearly describe valued outcomes for learners aligned to the school’s vision for learning and NZC. There is ongoing development to support the documentation of expectations for effective teaching practice across all learning areas. This should foster shared understandings to better promote positive student outcomes. The school should continue to refine and develop curriculum documents to:
Developing a shared understanding of evaluation across all levels of the school, to better determine the effectiveness of actions and strategies is a next step. This should assist trustees’, leaders’ and teachers’ knowledge of what has the most significant impact on raising achievement and next steps for development.
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:
The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2016 (the Code) established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.
At the time of this review there were no international students attending the school.
To improve current practice, the board of trustees should:
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:
ERO is likely to carry out the next external evaluation in three years.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region
7 February 2019
| Location | Palmerston North |
| Ministry of Education profile number | 2416 |
| School type | Contributing Primary School (Year 1 - 6) |
| School roll | 151 |
| Gender composition | Female 53%, Male 47% |
| Ethnic composition | Māori 14% NZ European/Pākehā 46% Pacific 20% Asian 20% |
| Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS) | No |
| Provision of Māori medium education | No |
| Review team on site | November 2018 |
| Date of this report | 7 February 2019 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review February 2016 Education Review January 2012 Education Review December 2008 |