Tapora Primary School
Tapora Primary School
Tapora School is situated in a supportive rural community on the Okahukura Peninsula which juts into the Kaipara Harbour. The area was originally settled by Ngati Whatua and then, more recently by returned servicemen after the war. There are still farms run by the descendants of these settlers.
The district has two distinct geographical areas: the low lying western end of the peninsula taken up largely by dairy farms and avocado plantations; and the more rugged and hilly central and eastern regions of mainly sheep and cattle farms. There is a settlement of holiday and retirement homes near the beach.
The closest town, Wellsford, is 33 kilometres away. It acts as a service town for a large rural area that stretches from the east coast to the west. Warkworth is another fifteen minutes’ drive south from Wellsford and offers a greater range of services and employment opportunities. Auckland is an hour and 30 minutes to drive. Tapora community enjoy a beautiful rural setting while having access to city facilities if needed.
The school draws students from the Tapora district, as well as from Wellsford, the Wharehine and Port Albert areas. A bus from Wellsford can bring your child to meet the Tapora bus at Marsh road. If you are finding that your child is motivated and keen to learn but is becoming bored in their current classroom then Tapora School could be an option for you. With small classroom sizes children get much more attention. Due to different year levels in the class their programmes are individualised and the children work at their own level and pace, therefore always learning and being challenged. Through our partnership with the Virtual Learning Network Primary School - Kotui Ako, students are offered extension classes in subjects they are interested in as well as the opportunity to learn languages. Some examples are extension maths, creative writing, biology, Korean and French to name a few.
The school is staffed by a Teaching Principal and three part time teachers, one is MOE funded and the other two are Board funded. There is also part time staff of caretaker and cleaner. Our teachers aim to deliver an exciting, engaging and challenging programme with an emphasis on literacy, numeracy and inquiry learning. Teachers at Tapora School are passionate and enthusiastic about teaching and learning while, through our local school curriculum delivery framework, our learners are motivated and self-managed.
We offer something different for children and their families at Tapora School. We believe that “small is good” in that we offer smaller class sizes, a high student/IT ratio and a strong tuakana/teina culture in which our senior students are always looking out for our younger students and everyone knows and cares about each other. As a school, we welcome and embrace community involvement and engagement. Parents and members of the wider community are always welcome and regularly give their time, skills and expertise to enrich our school environment and the learning that goes on here.
Tapora School has a strong commitment to staff and students having access to and the use of computer and digital technology to support teaching and learning. We aim for our students to respect both themselves and others, take responsibility for their own learning and their actions and have the willingness and confidence to pursue their dreams with integrity and a generosity of spirit.
You are most welcome to arrange a time to visit and see if Tapora School could suit your child.