7471A Turakina Valley Road , Taihape
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.
Papanui Junction School is a small rural school catering for children in Years 1 to 8. At the time of the review there were 9 students on the roll. The school‘s vision ”Tangata ako i te kāenga, te tūranga ki te marae, tau ana - A person nurtured in the community contributes strongly to society” reflects the wider communities' commitment to supporting the school.
| How well are learners succeeding? | Success and progress for all learners is increasing. |
| What is the quality of teaching and learning? | Learners benefit from good 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 | Almost all learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. |
| Writing | Almost all learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. |
| Mathematics | Almost all learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. |
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.
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.
The schools' strategic vision, developed in consultation with school whanau and the wider community, provides clear direction to plan for and monitor strategic improvement priorities.
Teachers have high expectations for student success and know their students well. Students requiring additional support with learning are identified and receive targeted support.
Students’ sense of wellbeing and belonging is evident. Students express a strong understanding and connection to the school’s values. They are provided with many different curriculum opportunities within their local and wider community environment.
Te reo Māori and tikanga Māori are increasingly woven through all aspects of the school’s curriculum; this reflects the strategic commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The principal is working closely, alongside her colleagues within the Kāhui Ako, in developing a working relationship with local iwi.
Structured literacy is embedded across the school.
A school-wide understanding and planned approach of evaluation for improvement is developing.
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
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
ERO has identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
The board has since addressed the area of non-compliance identified.
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
Director of Schools (Acting)
8 May 2025
This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Papanui Junction School is a small rural school, located west of Taihape, catering for children in Years 1 to 8. Most students have attended Papanui Junction School for just over one year or less. At the time of this ERO evaluation, there were six children on the roll.
The school states that their overarching vision is to ‘offer quality personalised education in a secure environment, challenging and encouraging children to reach their potential in a culturally appropriate context’. The valued outcomes for students include them having personalised learning and resourcing to counter the effects of isolation.
Since the 2017 ERO evaluation, a new principal has been appointed who was previously the release teacher in the school.
The principal regularly reports schoolwide information to the board, about outcomes for students in the following areas:
School achievement information shows that most students attending the school achieve at or above curriculum expectations in reading. All achieve at or above in writing and the majority achieve at or above in mathematics.
The principal closely monitors and tracks achievement. Accelerating learning for those who need this is a clear focus. While longitudinal achievement information is not available for most students, the data shows an upward trend for those whose learning needs acceleration.
The principal collects a wide range of data to determine each child’s learning needs. Through individual learning plans the principal, release teacher and teacher aide set appropriate expectations for each student’s learning. Students increasingly work with teachers to set their goals and understand more about what they need to know and learn.
Communication supports and strengthens learning-centred partnerships. The principal values the input of parents, whānau and the wider community by actively involving them in the life of the school. Encompassing te ao Māori within the school culture is strengthened through whānau engagement and participation of all students and staff to build capability.
The board is reflective of its community. Well thought out succession planning from a small pool of parents and families ensures that the board continues to operate. Trustees work collaboratively with the principal, staff and students to provide resourcing for a wide range of learning activities. The board actively supports students’ engagement in regular learning experiences with others from similar schools to mitigate isolation.
Continuing to develop the localised curriculum is a priority for the principal and trustees. When considering priorities for development the principal, teacher and trustees should consider how well the curriculum provided is enabling, future-focused and responsive.
The focus on student agency and goal setting to promote student ownership of their learning is an area for ongoing development. The board provides resourcing to support student learning, including a teacher aide. The principal and trustees should consider how best to use the teacher aide in the context of the modern classroom and creating flexible ways for students to learn.
While trustees demonstrate a commitment to ensuring children experience success there are some aspects of stewardship that require strengthening. Knowledge and clear understanding of legislation and expectations of the board to take all reasonable steps to ensure children’s safety and wellbeing requires strengthening.
The board must consider how well it scrutinises its performance in relation to goals and targets. Trustees should undertake internal evaluation to determine what works well for students to achieve and what more needs to be done. The board should also evaluate how effectively it is fulfilling its stewardship role and maximising effectiveness through ongoing training.
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 Papanui Junction School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Developing.
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:
ERO identified non-compliance in relation to:
In order to address this, the board of trustees must:
Since the onsite phase, the school has provided evidence that they have undertaken training and reviewed their policy and procedures regarding the management of swimming pool testing.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region - Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
6 August 2020