Aranui School (Wanganui)

The same report — the board assurance report of 15 September 2023 — also sets out actions for compliance: the non-compliance ERO identified during that process. This is that section of the report in full, in ERO’s words.

ERO has identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

ensure all staff employed have a current police vet. [s 104 Education and Training Act 2020]

The board has since taken steps to address the areas of non-compliance identified.

Read this board assurance report on ero.govt.nz →

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 29 May 2026 — “School Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.

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.

Every New Zealand state and state integrated school has an ERO review at least once every four years to evaluate what is working well for learners and what needs to be improved.

About the School

Aranui School provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. The school has 57 enrolled students, with Māori learners representing 54% of the roll.

The school’s vision is for children to have the attitudes, skills and knowledge needed to make positive life choices for their futures.

Education Counts provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement, school enrolments and school zones. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

An explanation of the terms and judgements used in this report can be found here: Reporting | Education Review Office

Improvement and progress

This section is about the progress the school has made since the September 2023 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.

Expected improvements

The school evaluated how well their learning approach in writing improved outcomes for learners in Years 3 to 6 in conjunction with opportunities to progress their knowledge and skills in te reo Māori me ona tikanga and the mātauranga of local hapū and iwi .

The school expected to see improved rates of achievement and progress in writing for all learners in Years 3 to 6. Learner feedback that showed improved engagement, enjoyment and confidence in writing. Schoolwide documentation of the learning progressions for writing was an expectation to assist learners to understand their next steps. In addition, the continued use of te reo Māori to enrich teaching and learning of writing would be evident.

Findings

Staff engaged in professional learning and development (PLD) over two years in Accelerated Literacy Learning to strengthen their collective capability in the teaching of writing. During this period, the Progressive Achievement and Consistency Tool (PaCT) was introduced to support assessment practices. The school continued to prioritise student choice in writing, and teachers deliberately planned authentic learning experiences to create meaningful writing contexts for learners.

However, due to a lack of valid assessment information in 2025, and the absence of sound evaluative evidence, ERO was unable to determine the impact of the school’s actions on learner outcomes.

What we know about learner success

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing. The judgments are based on the ERO School Improvement Framework and the evidence provided to ERO during the evaluation.

How well are learners succeeding? Improvements are required to ensure all learners are engaged, making sufficient progress and achieving well.

What is the quality of teaching and learning? The school is improving teaching and learning.

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 an increasingly consistent focus on supporting learners to gain skills in foundational 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? The school is establishing planning and conditions that support improvements in the quality of education for learners.

How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing? The school reasonably 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 needs to improve its reporting to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress. The school is improving its collection and use 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 6

This section is about learner achievement. It outlines how well learners across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level of The New Zealand Curriculum in foundational skills.

Less than a third Less than half Small majority Large majority Most Almost all

0 to 33% 34 to 49% 50 to 64% 65 to 79% 80 to 90% Over 90%

Reading ERO was unable to verify the extent to which learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Writing ERO was unable to verify the extent to which learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Mathematics ERO was unable to verify the extent to which learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Attendance

This section is about school attendance and the progress the school is making towards meeting the Government target of 80% regular attendance.

Less than half of learners attend school regularly.

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.

Chronic absence is not yet reducing over time.

Assessment

This section is about how the school assesses learner progress and achievement.

The school is not yet using an appropriate approach or reliable practices to accurately find out about achievement against the curriculum.

Teachers should improve their use of assessment information to adjust teaching practices to ensure ongoing improvement in teaching and student progress.

Progress

This section is about how well the school supports all learners to make sufficient progress.

The school is developing good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.

ERO was unable to verify the extent that the school improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.

ERO was unable to verify the extent the school extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.

ERO was unable to verify if the school is making or not making progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets for 2030.

Support

During the course of this review ERO had concerns about the quality of education being provided and made recommendations for support to the Ministry of Education.

Next steps for improvement

This section provides more detail for the school to include in its strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school. It outlines what the school is doing well and identifies actions for improvement.

Areas of strength

Learners are encouraged to demonstrate the school’s shared values, which promotes their positive engagement in learning and school life.

Trustees respond positively to staff requests, providing significant resourcing to support the diverse learning needs of students.

Leaders work collaboratively with the School Board and external specialists to meet the needs of learners.

The use of authentic curriculum contexts and play-based learning encourages students to make choices in their learning that reflects their interests,

Te ao Māori is suitably reflected in the daily experience of learners; students see, hear and learn in an inclusive environment which fosters whanaungatanga and manaakitanga .

Teachers are increasingly working collaboratively, using shared planning approaches in 2026, to better meet the diverse needs of their learners.

Key priorities

Improve attendance to meet the Government target of 80% regular attendance.

Introduce a schoolwide standardised writing assessment and engage teachers in regular moderation of learner assessment to ensure accurate and reliable reporting to trustees, parents and whānau .

Develop relevant achievement targets and gather evidence to determine the impact of their actions and resourcing on raising attendance and accelerating progress for learners.

Implement a structured mathematics programme and engage teachers in PLD to ensure effective implementation.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within three months:

leaders d evelop a detailed plan establishing relevant actions to guide expected improvements that supports the implementation of the mathematics curriculum and strengthens assessment practice

leaders and trustees identify relevant targets for students working toward curriculum expectations to support evaluation into the impact of actions, interventions and teaching on learner progress and attendance

teachers revise and extend current assessment tools and develop robust moderation guidelines to support consistent judgements of learner’s curriculum progress and achievement

teachers explore and decide on a structured mathematics programme that suits the needs of learners

Within six months:

teachers participate in PLD to begin implementing their approach to structured mathematics

teachers engage in assessment PLD to strengthen their collective understanding of effective practice and moderation

teachers implement a structured mathematics approach across the school

Every six months:

leaders evaluate the impact of the strategies in their attendance management plan; reporting to the School Board successes and relevant changes which improve the trajectory toward the government target

leaders, trustees and staff review the actions in their plan which identify the extent to which their priorities are impacting on learner progress and achievement

Annually:

leaders, teachers and trustees will gather multiple sources of evidence to review their targets to determine the impact of additional support, teaching practice and attendance strategies on improving outcomes for learners.

Expected outcomes

Learner attendance achieves the Government target of 80% regular attendance.

Systematic evaluation of targets determines the impact of additional support on learner outcomes.

Assessment tools are robust providing sufficient evidence that ensures reporting is accurate and reliable of learner progress and achievement.

Curriculum development ensures learners experience a sequential, structured approach in delivery of mathematics.

Regulatory and legislative requirements

This section of the report is about how the school meets regulatory and legislative requirements.

Board assurance with regulatory and legislative requirements

This section of the report reviews the school's policies, procedures, documentation, and checks that it meets all regulations, maintains a safe environment, and supports students' wellbeing.

During this review the Board has attested to meeting regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:

Board administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of health, safety and welfare

Yes

Personnel management

Yes

Recommendation to the Ministry of Education

ERO recommends that the Secretary for Education consider intervention for specialist help as listed in section 171(1) of the Education and Training Act 2020 in order to bring about the following improvements:

implementation of the mathematics curriculum

development of high quality assessment practice for teaching, learning and reporting .

The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Report and is due within four 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

29 May 2026

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →