Our School

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We are the western most school within the Palmerston North City Boundary, bordering on the rural edge of Longburn Village. Our school whanau see us as a lifestyle choice in education due to our location and our local curriculum.

We have a diverse range of students who are supported by an enthusiastic team of teachers and support staff. We are committed to providing quality education in an innovative and caring environment. We strive to offer learning experiences within a learning environment that will best prepare our students for the world they will inherit.

As a school we are committed to supporting the needs and interests of individual students. We offer varied learning programmes and a curriculum delivery that is built on student engagement, relationships, progress and achievement. We implement the 'Longburn School Learning Approach'. Our core curriculum areas (literacy and numeracy) form the basis of all classroom programmes, where we cater for the students' varying needs and achievement levels via targeted teaching to meet needs, fill gaps, and extend learners who are above their expected level but not yet realising their potential. 

We ensure we provide a balanced and rich curriculum that encompasses all the learning areas of the NZ Curriculum. The teaching and learning programmes in these areas are fully supported through the talent and skills of our teaching staff, external providers and, at times, students. The school has summer and winter sports teams that compete locally (the types of sports offered depend on children's interests and numbers required). Our students have many opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge in all areas of learning (academic, physical, social and emotional). We are a 'PBS' School, offering learning and practice in Mindfulness, along with being a PB4L (Positive Behaviour for Learning) School.

We are well resourced in ICT, providing our learners with access to chromebooks and other digital tools, along with a strong emphasis on cyber safety education and schoolwide monitoring.

We have a strong focus on building 'Cultural Capital' in our community, with students able to learn basic levels of several languages and their respective cultures (compulsory languages are Te Reo Maori and NZ Sign Language, with students in the middle to senior school encouraged to learn another language of interest). We have developed a reciprocal relationship with the International Pacific University (IPU), are part of the Asia Aware Network, host international interns on a regular basis and value the richness that all our cultures bring to our environment. 

The school's physical environment enhances learning and opportunities for all. We are fortunate in having expansive grounds that include some great playground equipment, a school field, a Nature Reserve, a swimming pool, a climbing wall, mature trees, and a well resourced modern hall.  

We support learning needs through stimulating and needs-based classroom and targeted programmes, accessing further resources through outside organisations and programmes as relevant. Our ākonga (learners) are able to work their way through our Learning Passport (Karere te Uru Manawa) which is a non-academic passport, guiding ākonga on a self-paced journey towards achieving their unique potential.

Our students are able to join extra-curricular teams such as the 'Dr Dolittle' Animal group who look after the school animals (Guinea Pigs, Chooks, Aviary Birds), the Enviro Team who help to look after our gardens and Nature Reserve, and other teams clubs (e.g. Robotics, Chess, Bonsai, …)

As a school, we are continually developing and enhancing our school’s physical environment and other resources to support learning across our local curriculum.