A primary school at 9 Wadsworth Street in Tākaka, Tasman, on the edge of the town, with grounds that back onto a forest and community gardens. The school sits on four hectares, close to the local kindergarten and the high school, and a short walk from the town's library and shops.
The school focuses on literacy and mathematics, and it teaches literacy through a Structured Literacy approach to spelling, reading and writing, including a whole-school spelling programme called The Code. Its school value is "Open to Learning", and it places weight on tuakana teina relationships, which pair older and younger children.
Facilities include a heated swimming pool used for water safety and swimming lessons in Terms 1 and 4, a pump track and an asphalt bike track with school bikes available daily, a school forest for outdoor learning, school gardens, an orchard on site, a modern library, and a hall used for assemblies. Children climb trees, build huts, ride bikes and scooters, and play bull rush and rugby, according to the school.
Our pick in Tākaka for a child who wants an outdoor school with strong foundations in reading and maths.