About Our School

Rātā Street School  is a large state primary contributing school, catering for Year 1 (New Entrants) to Year 6 pupils. It is co-educational and has a pupil age range of 5 -11 years. We are a multicultural school with the current composition being: NZ Māori 44%, NZ European/Pākehā, 21% Pacific 25%, Asian 4% and Other 6%. 
School History: The school opened in 1950 and was built on a single cell model. A three classroom block was added in the mid 1990s, and another three classrooms added in 2008 and 2009. There have been refurbishments to many areas of the school. These have included staff and student toilets, the ‘linkway’, the hall entranceway, our administration block, staffroom, and a classroom block. The school was reroofed, and the exterior was painted in 2025. The next phase of the refurbishment programme will be to continue the classroom refurbishment. Our facilities include a central resource and teachers work room, library, art room, school hall, two adventure playgrounds, outdoor hard court area for netball and PE/sport, PE storeroom, caretaker’s room, boiler room, administration block, teachers’ aide rooms, medical room and a staff room.
What our School is About:  We want every student to be the best they can - in every area. We believe that learning together, with and from each other, is a critical part of becoming our best selves.

We are committed to:
  • Upholding high expectations for all and focus on excellence in all areas
  • Promoting effective pedagogy with particular emphasis on the professional growth cycle for teachers and differentiated learning for students
  • Accelerated  learning for students in literacy and numeracy
  • Fostering a sense of belonging that affirms the diversity of all students
  • Hauora - supporting the social, physical, spiritual, mental and emotional wellbeing of students and staff, along with care for others and for the environment
  • Providing a range of experiences and opportunities for students to learn and thrive
Learning and Support: The school has a core focus on student achievement in Literacy and Numeracy. To complement these programmes, there are strong cultural, arts, and sport programmes. Our Te Whānau Puāwai Culture Group is a valued part of our cultural programme, providing students with opportunities to experience and perform songs and dances from Māori, Samoan, and a range of Pacific cultures. The group also explores dances that reflect the diverse, multicultural backgrounds of our students. In Term 2, Te Whānau Puāwai participates in HuttFest, and also performs alongside Te Mangungu Marae at different times throughout the year. The group shares performances at other events throughout the year, building confidence and pride in cultural identity. We also have our Te Whānau Pihinga and Te Whānau Kākano Kapa Haka groups, which meet regularly to learn and perform waiata and haka, strengthening students’ connection to te ao Māori and building confidence in cultural performance.

Delivery of student support programmes is also a strength. Students needing extra help or extension because they have a special talent are catered for. Support programmes include English as a Second Language (ESOL). As well, there is teacher and teacher-aide support across the school.

To complement school programmes and to address wider community issues, Rātā Street School has
  • a social worker (Social Worker in Schools scheme) and public health nurse. Students and parents are able to access these services.
  • Learning Support Coordinators.
  • The school is also involved in the Health Promoting Schools initiative.
  • An OSCAR before and after school care facility is also based at the school.

Outside agencies involved with Rata Street School include:
  • Health (health nurse and dental therapists),
  • Resource Teachers of Learning and Behaviour,
  • Speech Language Therapist,
  • Resource Teacher of Literacy, and
  • Police (Education officer).
High Expectations: Throughout the school there is an ethos of high expectations - in both achievement and behaviour. Annual achievement targets are set and the results reported to the Board of Trustees. Achievement data shows a steady improvement by pupils in Literacy and Numeracy. Professional development initiatives are aimed at improving achievement for these students.
School Development Themes:   There are several school development themes –   the core areas are Literacy and Numeracy
Literacy and Numeracy: 
The schools focus is on effective teaching practice - with specific attention to the specific learning needs of priority learners. The overall aim is to raise achievement levels of all students. For priority learners this means accelerating their achievement through effective targeted teaching practice. We are constantly looking at how we can do this better. This involves asking the students themselves, and their parents how they learn best.
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Where you can go for independent information about our school?
Like any service, one of your best sources of information is from other parents - talk to present parents

The Education Review Office are an independent review organisation.  Their reports on our school are available online www.ero.govt.nz

You are welcome to visit and be shown around the school.