Otatara, a semi-rural residential area with a population of 3,000 residents is situated in a bush and beach area five-ten kilometres west of Invercargill between the New River Estuary and Oreti Beach.   

Otatara Primary School is a U5 contributing state co-educational school with a roll of around 300, 15% of whom are Maori or Pasifika.   The school endeavours to provide a safe, caring, inclusive and stimulating learning environment where all learners achieve success.  Numeracy and literacy are priority areas with the remaining learning areas of the New Zealand Curriculum taught through team rotations and an inquiry based approach. Teachers provide differentiated programmes to support learners to work towards realising their potential.

The school has a total of 14 teaching spaces, plus a library, and is staffed by a team of around 18 teachers, a school secretary, teacher-aides, a librarian/ICT support person, and a part-time caretaker.  The school’s picturesque grounds are surrounded by a native bush reserve and a golf course. A covered heated swimming pool is on-site and adjoining the school site is a large community centre and kindergarten, that the school has a close connection with. The school fosters and maintains a positive partnership with the community, facilities are available to the community out of school hours and are used by various clubs, organisations and families.

Otatara School is a Years 1 to 6 contributing primary school situated within an area of environmental significance in semi-rural Otatara. The school uses the local natural environment and expertise to support student learning. The school shares its site with the Otatara Kindergarten and works closely with their staff and the Otatara Preschool.

Otatara School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:

•continue to foster curiosity and inquiry through local curriculum promoting kaitiakitanga | sustainable practices

•encourage the development and achievement of each learner, giving priority to literacy and   numeracy – within a safe and secure learning environment.

The school draws from the following strengths…

•Effective teaching and learning programmes that are responsive to the well- known needs  of learners and accelerate the progress of learners who need this.

•Overall student achievement is consistently high over time with the large majority of learners achieving at or above the school’s expectations for reading, writing and mathematics with statistics.

•The school has a well-developed graduate profile describing its vision for students to be           connected, self-managing learners striving for excellence.

•There are sound internal evaluation processes used to inform school direction, effective   resourcing, and planning.

•Leadership that is collaborative, improvement and future focused. Ero Review 2022                

MISSION STATEMENT

Otatara School, in partnership with its community, provides educational opportunities in a caring environment, which motivate and challenge children.