Craighead Diocesan School
Secondary (Year 7-15) · State : Integrated
- Year levels
- 7–13
- Total roll
- 410
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Girls School
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 1 Wrights Avenue, West End, Timaru
- Territorial authority
- Timaru District
- Phone
- 03-6886074
- admin@craighead.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Canterbury
Can my child go here?
This school has an enrolment scheme, so a place is not open to every address. How enrolment zones work
Loading zone map…
Zone boundaries shown here are approximate. Ministry of Education data warns these boundaries do not have high spatial precision and can place neighbouring addresses on different sides of a line. This is not a confirmation of enrolment eligibility — always confirm directly with the school. Zone geometry also does not reflect enrolment priority rules (siblings, special character categories, ballots) — it shows the mapped boundary only.
Check if your address is in zone →
Source: Ministry of Education, CC BY 3.0 NZ
What would the day look like?
The practical things this school states on its own website — the hours, the uniform, the term dates, and how children get there. These are the school’s own words, not the Ministry’s record and not ERO’s.
Quoted from this school’s own website, as we read it on 13 August 2026. A web page carries no date of its own, so that is the day we read it — not a statement that any of this is still the case. Each line quotes the words it came from.
- Uniform
- Required
Complete school uniform must be worn when at school.
- Required
What does the school say about itself?
Quoted, not summarised. Every school describes itself well, so this is here to be read as the school’s own case rather than as a finding — and a school that states nothing simply has no row.
Quoted from this school’s own website, as we read it on 13 August 2026. A web page carries no date of its own, so that is the day we read it — not a statement that any of this is still the case. Each line quotes the words it came from.
- Special character
- Craighead Diocesan School actively upholds its Special Character founded in Christian values expressed within the broad ethos of Anglicanism, whilst also recognising the many different denominational and religious traditions.
- International students
- Accepted, as stated
Welcoming globally-minded young women to a caring and enriching experience at Craighead—where international students are supported, inspired, and immersed in Kiwi culture
- Accepted, as stated
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 389
- Māori
- 37
- Pacific
- 4
- Asian
- 28
- MELAA
- 3
- Other
- 0
- International
- 7
Roll by year level and age
Shown as context, not ranked, not compared to any average. As at 30 June 2026, from the same annual return as the roll count above.
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 07 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 40 |
| Year 08 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 2 | 44 |
| Year 09 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 63 | 0 | 65 |
| Year 10 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 63 | 0 | 64 |
| Year 11 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 1 | 68 |
| Year 12 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 69 | 3 | 75 |
| Year 13+ | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 4 | 59 |
| Total | 33 | 4 | 26 | 4 | 1 | 386 | 10 | 415 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 28 |
| Age 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 2 | 40 |
| Age 13 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 63 | 0 | 67 |
| Age 14 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 0 | 60 |
| Age 15 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 0 | 65 |
| Age 16 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 65 | 4 | 75 |
| Age 17 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 55 | 1 | 59 |
| Age 18 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 | 20 |
| Age 19+ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 33 | 4 | 26 | 4 | 1 | 386 | 10 | 415 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Academic results
Percentage with NCEA level 1 or above — 2025
100%
| Craighead Diocesan School | 100% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 87.1% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 89.6% |
| State: Integrated | 95.8% |
| New Zealand | 85.2% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 100% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | Not applicable |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | 100% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 100% |
| Total | 100% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 1 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with NCEA level 2 or above — 2025
100%
| Craighead Diocesan School | 100% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 79.6% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 83.3% |
| State: Integrated | 92.1% |
| New Zealand | 77.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 100% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | Not applicable |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | 100% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 100% |
| Total | 100% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 2 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with NCEA level 3 or above — 2025
92.7%
| Craighead Diocesan School | 92.7% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 59% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 64.5% |
| State: Integrated | 77.7% |
| New Zealand | 59% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 92.7% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | Not applicable |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | 100% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 92.3% |
| Total | 92.7% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 3 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with VP Award — 2025
52.7%
| Craighead Diocesan School | 52.7% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 13.7% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 14.7% |
| State: Integrated | 13.5% |
| New Zealand | 14.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 52.7% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | Not applicable |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | 40% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 53.8% |
| Total | 52.7% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison Vocational Pathway data (2023-2025)
Retention
Percentage staying until at least 17th birthday — 2025
98.2%
| Craighead Diocesan School | 98.2% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 83.6% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 83.1% |
| State: Integrated | 91.1% |
| New Zealand | 83% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 98.2% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not applicable |
| Māori | Not applicable |
| Pacific | Too few to report |
| Asian | 100% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | 98.1% |
| Total | 98.2% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison trend data (2023-2025)
— 2024
not reported
| Female | not reported |
|---|---|
| Male | not reported |
| Māori | not reported |
| Pacific | not reported |
| Asian | not reported |
| MELAA | not reported |
| Other | not reported |
| European/Pākehā | not reported |
| Total | not reported |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 1: School leavers enrolled in tertiary education one year after leaving school (2022-2024 leaver cohorts)
— 2023
not reported
| Female | not reported |
|---|---|
| Male | not reported |
| Māori | not reported |
| Pacific | not reported |
| Asian | not reported |
| MELAA | not reported |
| Other | not reported |
| European/Pākehā | not reported |
| Total | not reported |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: School leavers enrolled in tertiary education two years after leaving school (2021-2023 leaver cohorts)
— 2024
not reported
| Female | not reported |
|---|---|
| Male | not reported |
| Māori | not reported |
| Pacific | not reported |
| Asian | not reported |
| MELAA | not reported |
| Other | not reported |
| European/Pākehā | not reported |
| Total | not reported |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 1: School leavers enrolled in tertiary education one year after leaving school (2022-2024 leaver cohorts)
— 2023
not reported
| Female | not reported |
|---|---|
| Male | not reported |
| Māori | not reported |
| Pacific | not reported |
| Asian | not reported |
| MELAA | not reported |
| Other | not reported |
| European/Pākehā | not reported |
| Total | not reported |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: School leavers enrolled in tertiary education two years after leaving school (2021-2023 leaver cohorts)
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
9.6%
| Craighead Diocesan School | 9.6% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 38.3% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 43.4% |
| State : Integrated | 16.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 9.6% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 124.4% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 8.6% |
| Total | 9.6% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison stand-down rates data (2024)
Age-standardised suspension rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Craighead Diocesan School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 3.7% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 4.6% |
| State : Integrated | 1.6% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison suspension rates data (2024)
Age-standardised exclusion rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Craighead Diocesan School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 1.7% |
| Secondary (Year 7-15) | 2% |
| State : Integrated | 0.5% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison exclusion data (2024)
About the school
- Equity Index (EQI)
- 409
- Boarding
- Yes
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Medium urban area
- Date opened
- 30 April 1911
The Equity Index is used by the Ministry to allocate equity funding. It describes the socio-economic barriers a school’s students face, not how good the school is. How the Equity Index works
What did ERO find?
The Education Review Office reviews every school and publishes what it finds in full. We quote ERO’s report here, section by section, in ERO’s own words and order, and link to it. We do not summarise a report, pick a line out of one, or turn one into a score. How ERO reviews schools
- Reports ERO holds
- 5
- Last reviewed
- 10 August 2023
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (10 August 2023)
A board assurance statement is the board’s own account of whether it took all reasonable steps to meet its legal obligations, on the date shown. It is not ERO’s finding. ERO reports separately, in the same report, on any non-compliance it identified during that process.
The board assurance report of 10 August 2023 carries no actions-for-compliance section — the section ERO uses when it names non-compliance it identified. That is what this report contains; it is not ERO saying it found none. Other reports ERO holds for this school may say something different.
The roll ERO recorded, and when
ERO writes a roll into each report it publishes: a count taken for that report, on the day shown, by the review team that was there. The Ministry of Education’s current roll for this school is 410 — the figure at the top of this page, and the one to use for how big the school is now. These are a different measurement by a different body, so they will rarely agree, and a difference between them is not a change in the school.
June 2016
336
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 15 August 2016
This is one count taken for one report. It says what the roll was on that day, and nothing about how the roll has moved.
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 10 August 2023 — “Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.
Background
This Profile Report was written within 2 years of the Education Review Office and Craighead Diocesan School working in Te Ara Huarau , an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website. www.ero.govt.nz
Context
Craighead Diocesan School is a state-integrated Anglican school for girls in Years 7 to 13 located in Timaru , South Canterbury. About one third of students come from outside Timaru and are accommodated as boarders in the school’s co-located boarding hostel. The school’s vision for learners is that they become confident, resilient and courageous contributors to a dynamic world.
The school’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
ensuring the special character, cultures, languages, identities and wellbeing of all students are valued and visible in the everyday life of the school
developing a coherent, challenging, future-focused curriculum which is responsive to the needs, interests and lives of learners
fostering a strong sense of connection across the school community through wellbeing initiatives, collaboration with regional schools and partnerships with local iwi .
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Craighead Diocesan School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well junior curriculum, effective teaching and opportunity to learn are supporting Year 7 to 9 students to make sufficient progress and achieve in literacy.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
literacy is a key competency for accessing and having success in the senior curriculum and national qualifications
school data shows that about 20% of students are entering school achieving below expectations for reading
the need to respond to the current review of the New Zealand Curriculum and introduction of new National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) literacy and numeracy requirements.
The school expects to see:
all students make sufficient progress and achieve success in literacy - particularly those students who enter school not yet achieving at expected levels
students understand and value the importance of literacy and have growing confidence in their literacy competencies across learning areas.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support it to improve junior students’ literacy learning:
curriculum and learning support leadership and resourcing focused on promoting effective teaching practice and improving student learning outcomes
strengthened systems and practices for identifying and responding to all students’ literacy learning needs on the basis of quality assessment information
positive learning culture characterised by caring, respectful partnerships between teachers and students, teachers and families and between students.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
embedding systems and practices for collecting and sharing good quality information on student literacy learning needs
support for teachers to implement a range of evidence-based practices to support literacy learning across the curriculum and for diverse learners
curriculum development that provides relevant, inclusive and sufficient opportunities for all students to learn, practice and develop their literacy competencies.
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.
Shelley Booysen Director of Schools
10 August 2023
About the School
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Read the full report on ero.govt.nz →
All 5 reports ERO holds for this school
ERO reviews a school every few years — around four years between reviews is the usual cycle — so an older date here reflects where a school sits in that cycle, not how it is doing.
Source: Education Review Office, CC BY 4.0.
Roll date: 30 June 2026 (2026).