State Highway 65 , Maruia
View on mapMaruia School
Maruia School
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.
About the School
Maruia School is in the heart of Maruia on the West Coast of the South Island. The school provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school’s roll is 19 with 88% of students identifying as European/Pākehā, 6% as Māori and 6% Pacific or Asian.
The school’s values of Manaakitanga, Whānaungatanga, Arohatanga and Kaitiakitanga underpin and drive the vision to realise each child’s unique potential so that they may find success.
Part A: Parent Summary
How well placed is the school to promote educational success and wellbeing?
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 rich 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. |
Achievement in Years 0 to 8
This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.
Foundation Skills | |
Reading | A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners. |
Writing | A small 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
The school is behind 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.
Assessment
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
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 and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority
An explanation of the terms used in the Parent Summary can be found here: Reporting | Education Review Office
Part B: Findings for the school
This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.
Areas of Strength
The principal and board have defined a clear direction and established expectations for learning through the school’s vision and strategic plan.
Classroom programmes integrate authentic and meaningful curriculum contexts that promote success in reading, writing and mathematics.
Teaching and learning programmes are well-structured to enable high levels of engagement and effectively support the learning needs and interests of every student.
Strong learning relationships and partnerships between the school and wider community support teaching and learning programmes; including with wider educational agencies.
School leaders promote a highly reflective culture that supports staff to effectively inquire into aspects of their teaching practice and positively impact learner outcomes; targeted professional learning builds collective capability of teachers and staff.
An established Enviroschools and sustainability programme is in place that enriches and makes learning relevant and meaningful for students, including valuing the school grounds and local area.
Key priorities and actions for improvement
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
- strengthen the use of assessment for learning practices to support improved progress and achievement for all learners, with a particular focus on accelerating progress in writing
- implement effective structured literacy and mathematics across the school through targeted professional learning
- prioritise engagement with the school community to identify and implement strategies to improve regular attendance.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within three months:
- enhance assessment methods to ensure alignment with reporting requirements, including the 20-week phonics checks
- engage in professional learning to support with the implementation of structured literacy and mathematics
- strengthen communication with the school community around strategies to increase regular attendance
Every six months:
- review and analyse mid-year assessment information to track target students’ progress and improve student outcomes, with a particular focus on accelerated progress in writing
- monitor and evaluate the impact of structured approaches in literacy and mathematics on learner progress and achievement; use this information to prioritise actions for continued improvement
- monitor and review attendance information and report to the board on the effectiveness of strategies used to improve regular attendance rates for all learners
Annually:
- analyse achievement information to inform planning and achievement targets
- evaluate and report against strategic goals, using community and other stakeholder voice to inform next steps and develop future strategic goals
- analyse and evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s attendance plan and use this information to identify next steps to further increase regular rates of attendance.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
- improved achievement in reading, writing and mathematics for all learners, with accelerated progress in writing
- enhanced teacher capability and confidence in teaching structured literacy and mathematics
- increased regular attendance with the school consistently meeting or exceeding the Government’s targets.
Part C: Regulatory and Legislative Requirements
Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements
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:
Board Administration
Yes
Curriculum
Yes
Management of Health, Safety and Welfare
Yes
Personnel Management
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
Director of Schools (Acting)
19 May 2025
Education Counts
This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Maruia School - 21/08/2019
School Context
Maruia School is a small rural school on the West Coast which provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school has a roll of 15 students who learn in a multilevel classroom.
The school’s vision is for all children to experience success, and make a worthwhile and lasting contribution to their world by using learning to grow in confidence and ability. The school values are: ‘respect for self, respect for others and responsibility for our actions’.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
- reading, writing and mathematics
- progress in relation to the school targets for reading, writing, mathematics and spelling
- outcomes for students with additional or special learning needs
- whole school strengths and areas for development in reading, writing, mathematics and spelling.
Since the last ERO review, there have been some changes in staffing. In connection with the local dairy industry, a significant number of students transition into and out of the school each year.
Maruia School is part of the TOSI (Top of the South Island) Kāhui Ako | Community of Learning.
Evaluation Findings
1 Equity and excellence – achievement of valued outcomes for students
1.1 How well is the school achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for all its students?
The school is effective in achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for its students.
School information for 2016 to 2017 shows that most students achieved the school’s expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. In 2018 a large majority of students achieved at expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics.
1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?
The school does not yet analyse learning information to identify if learning is accelerated or not for specific groups of students, including those who remain at the school for shorter periods of time.
2 School conditions for equity and excellence – processes and practices
2.1 What school processes and practices are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?
The vision and valued learning attributes for students are promoted in the curriculum. These are evident in the way students work collaboratively, their involvement in their learning and their use of the school values of respect for self, others and the environment.
Students are actively involved in making decisions about their learning, including what they learn, how they learn and setting and reviewing their learning goals. The multilevel classroom provides opportunities for students to share their learning and learn from each other. The use of local contexts and individual learning plans provides opportunities for teachers to respond to students’ learning needs and keep them engaged in their learning. Increasing use of digital technologies enhances this engagement, helps to build student agency and allows students to access increased learning opportunities at home and in school.
Educationally powerful connections enhance learning opportunities and engagement in learning. The school has built strong partnerships with other schools on the West Coast and made connections with local community expertise, such as the Department of Conservation, in order to enhance curriculum provision. Partnerships with parents support teaching and learning and help students to make smooth transitions into and out of the school.
Leadership is focused on collaboratively developing and pursuing the school’s vision, goals and targets for equity and excellence. Students are involved in the development of the curriculum and a learning environment that supports learning and engagement. Learning information is analysed and used to identify and plan for student needs and improved achievement.
Internal evaluation is used well to support school improvement. Assessment information is very well used to identify:
- students who need additional support
- teaching and learning priorities
- school wide targets for excellence and equity.
2.2 What further developments are needed in school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?
The board needs to follow a schedule of internal evaluation of key aspects of school operations. This will provide assurance that policies, procedures and curriculum are being enacted as expected.
School leadership has identified, and ERO agrees, that assessment and reporting practices need to be effectively reviewed. This should focus on improving the clarity and accuracy of information about students’ progress and achievement against curriculum levels over time.
Leaders and teachers should extend analysis and reporting on the progress and achievement of students to include:
- evaluation of the rate of progress students make, particularly those whose learning is targeted for acceleration
- valued student outcomes in areas other than reading, writing, and mathematics.
3 Board Assurance on Legal Requirements
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:
- board administration
- curriculum
- management of health, safety and welfare
- personnel management
- finance
- asset management.
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student safety and wellbeing:
- emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
- physical safety of students
- teacher registration and certification
- processes for appointing staff
- stand down, suspension, expulsion and exclusion of students
- attendance
- school policies in relation to meeting the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014.
4 ERO’s Overall Judgement
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Maruia School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.
ERO’s Framework: Overall School Performance is available on ERO’s website.
5 Going forward
Key strengths of the school
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
- a vision and valued learning attributes that are promoted in the school’s responsive curriculum
- educationally powerful connections with other schools, parents and the local community
- collaborative and improvement-focused leadership.
Next steps
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:
- evaluating the quality of assessment and reporting practices to improve clarity and accuracy of achievement information and reporting of trends over time
- evaluation of the rate of progress students make, particularly for those students whose learning needs to be accelerated
- ensuring that the effective internal evaluation of key aspects of school operations is in place.
Actions for compliance
During the onsite stage of the review, ERO identified non-compliance in relation to:
- adoption of a statement on the health curriculum in consultation with the community
- reporting on compliance with the school’s personnel policy
- maintenance of an ongoing programme of self review in relation to policies, plans and programmes.
In order to address this, the board of trustees must:
- consult with the school community, at least once in every two years, to adopt a statement on the health curriculum
[Section 60B Education Act 1989] - report in the annual report on the extent of its compliance with the personnel policy on being a good employer (including the equal employment opportunities programme)
(S77a State Sector Act 1988) - implement and maintain an on-going programme of self review in relation to policies, plans and programmes, including evaluation of good quality assessment information on student progress and achievement
[NAG 2(b)].
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services Te Tai Tini
Southern Region
21 August 2019
About the school
Location | Maruia |
Ministry of Education profile number | 3204 |
School type | Full Primary (Years 1 to 8) |
School roll | 15 |
Gender composition | Boys 5, Girls 10 |
Ethnic composition | Māori 1 NZ European/Pākehā 14 |
Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS) | No |
Provision of Māori medium education | No |
Review team on site | June 2019 |
Date of this report | 21 August 2019 |
Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review June 2015 Education Review May 2012 Education Review August 2008 |