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.