Totara North School is a small rural school that provides a quality, engaging education in 2 multi-leveled classrooms for new entrants to year 6 children.

Totara North School has a strength in literacy and numeracy education providing targeted, specific support programmes to those that need additional support in these areas. Likewise children with a particular area of talent are given opportunities to develop and extend their abilities in both whole school activities and challenges, and specific extension groups.

As well excellent literacy and numeracy education, Totara North School in known for excellence in arts education. The school provided learners with numerous opportunities to express themselves in visual art, dance, music and drama. The bi-annual school production and art exhibition provide the children with an opportunity to showcase their talents in the community.

Around the school you will see many examples of artworks created by the children over the years. These artworks combined with the gardens and unique, rural, bush setting make the Totara North School environment such a wonderful place to be.

Totara North School recognises and values the cultural background of all their learners. The staff regularly reflect on their practise and consider how well they are providing for their Maori and Pacifica learners. The addition of a Kapa Hake group has been met with enthusiasm by everyone this year, and will provide the children with another way of expressing themselves through the arts.

An integrated, student driven, inquiry model of teaching drives learning, in real life contexts, across the curriculum. Students make use of the excellent technologies available to them as they explore, research, create and collaborate across all curriculum areas.

Totara North School recognises and values the importance of physical activity and healthy brain development. Activities that require balance, concentration, coordination, motor-control, memory, fitness and strength wake up the mind and bodies of our learners at the beginning of the day and set them off on the right path for learning throughout the day.

Totara North is a long established community and community values are reflected at the school. Children are encouraged to work and play alongside others of all ages in a responsible, cooperative, caring and inclusive manner.

The children at Totara North School are encouraged to challenge themselves, try new things, explore their strengths and become independent life-long learners.