Dawson School
Contributing · State
- Year levels
- 1–6
- Total roll
- 284
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- Haumia Way, Otara, Auckland
- Territorial authority
- Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board Area
- Phone
- 09-2745390
- office@dawson.school.nz
- Website
- http://www.dawson.school.nz/
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Auckland
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.
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.
- In their words
- Our aim is to create a learning environment where programmes are child centred and interactive, encouraging students to develop skills, attitudes and knowledge to become life long learners. We encourage students to their full potential by learning in a supportive, positive and safe school environment that ensures academic, cultural and sporting achievement.
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 30
- Māori
- 52
- Pacific
- 224
- Asian
- 28
- MELAA
- 4
- Other
- 2
- International
- 0
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 01 | 6 | 40 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 44 |
| Year 02 | 9 | 46 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 57 |
| Year 03 | 8 | 39 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 48 |
| Year 04 | 4 | 27 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 35 |
| Year 05 | 7 | 44 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 51 |
| Year 06 | 7 | 38 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 49 |
| Year 07 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| Total | 44 | 242 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 296 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 7 | 39 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 44 |
| Age 06 | 8 | 43 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 52 |
| Age 07 | 7 | 43 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 52 |
| Age 08 | 3 | 25 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33 |
| Age 09 | 9 | 45 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 53 |
| Age 10 | 7 | 38 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 49 |
| Age 11 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| Total | 44 | 242 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 296 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
17.4%
| Dawson School | 17.4% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 29.7% |
| Contributing | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 39.8% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 106.8% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 17.4% |
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%
| Dawson School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 3% |
| Contributing | 3.5% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| 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%
| Dawson School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 1.4% |
| Contributing | 1.5% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| 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)
- 515
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 25 January 1978
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
- 3
- Last reviewed
- 23 March 2026
- Latest report
- School Report
- Report type
- Review report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (18 October 2022)
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 18 October 2022 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.
What this report states about the school
As stated in ERO’s report of 23 March 2026 — not necessarily the position now. Each line quotes the sentence it came from.
- Year levels
- Years 1 to 6
provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6
- Years 1 to 6
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 23 March 2026 — “School Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.
School Report
Tēnā koutou e mau manawa rahi ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Mā wai rā e kawe, mā tātau katoa.
We acknowledge the collective effort, responsibility and commitment by all to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter.
Every New Zealand state and state integrated school has an ERO review at least once every four years to evaluate what is working well for learners and what needs to be improved.
About the School
Dawson School provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. Of the 315 students on the roll, 81% are of Pacific heritage, 16% are Māori and 6% New Zealand/ Pākehā students. The school’s vision is Whakaaro tēnei rā, Hoatu āpōpō , Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow . The values are: Truthful I Tika ; Whanau Together I Whakawhānaungatanga ; Love I Aroha ; Respectful I Manaakitanga ; and Safe I Āhuatanga .
Education Counts provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement, school enrolments and school zones. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
An explanation of the terms and judgements used in this report can be found here: Reporting | Education Review Office
Improvement and progress
This section is about the progress the school has made since the October 2022 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.
Expected improvements
The school focused on evaluating how well how effectively teaching and learning programmes promote oral language and accelerate learning outcomes for all learners. The school expected to see teachers using a systematic approach to strengthen evaluation, teachers and whānau setting challenging and appropriate goals for oral language learning and students making accelerated progress.
Findings
The use of data and other information to inform strategic direction and annual implementation planning has improved. A focus on building teaching capability and learner outcomes is evident. Internal evaluation has been strengthened to inform school priorities.
A focus on building confidence and skills in oral language, particularly in Years 1 and 2, has seen significant gains for learners. Their progress is well monitored and teaching responds to assessment information. Learner outcomes in reading and mathematics have improved.
What we know about learner success
This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing. The judgments are based on the ERO School Improvement Framework and the evidence provided to ERO during the evaluation.
Almost all learners enter Dawson School significantly behind the expected curriculum level. The school’s efforts are well focused on accelerated progress. Approximately a third of the school have English as their second language.
How well are learners succeeding? Success and progress for all learners is increasing.
What is the quality of teaching and learning? Learners benefit from good quality teaching practice that improves progress and achievement in reading, writing, and mathematics.
How well does the school curriculum respond to all learners needs? Learners have rich opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum. There is an increasingly consistent focus on supporting learners to gain skills in foundational skills in literacy and mathematics. Learners with complex needs are well supported to achieve their education goals.
How well does school planning and conditions support ongoing improvement? School planning and conditions to support ongoing improvement to the quality of education for learners are well established.
How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing? The school reasonably promotes learners’ engagement, wellbeing and inclusion.
How well does the school partner with parents, whānau and its community for the benefit of learners? The school reports usefully and accurately to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress. The school responds well to a wide range of information gathered through community consultation, to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions.
Student Health and Safety The school board is taking reasonable steps to ensure student health and safety.
Achievement in Years 1 to 6
This section is about learner achievement. It outlines how well learners across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level of The New Zealand Curriculum in foundational skills.
Less than a third Less than half Small majority Large majority Most Almost all
0 to 33% 34 to 49% 50 to 64% 65 to 79% 80 to 90% Over 90%
Reading A small majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.
Writing Less than half of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are not yet equitable for all groups of learners.
Mathematics A small majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.
Attendance
This section is about school attendance and the progress the school is making towards meeting the Government target of 80% regular attendance.
Less than half of students attend school regularly.
The school is behind the target of 80% regular attendance.
The school has a suitable plan in place to improve attendance.
Regular attendance is not yet improving towards or beyond the target.
Chronic absence is not reducing over time.
Assessment
This section is about how the school assesses learner progress and achievement.
The school is improving its approach and the reliability of its practices to accurately find out about achievement against the curriculum.
Teachers are developing their use of assessment information to adjust teaching practices to ensure ongoing improvement in teaching and student progress.
Progress
This section is about how well the school supports all learners to make sufficient progress.
The school is developing good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.
The school has to some extent improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.
The school has to some extent extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.
The school is making progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority.
Next steps for improvement
This section provides more detail for the school to include in its strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school. It outlines what the school is doing well and identifies actions for improvement.
Areas of strength
Students’ cultures are valued and acknowledged in daily school life. They have many opportunities to build on their interests and develop capabilities through a curriculum that includes a strong sustainability focus, education outside the classroom and the performing arts. Their sense of belonging is evident.
Teachers are well supported to develop capability. They collaboratively implement structured literacy, with continued focus on oral language skill building in Years 1 to 3. Significant progress is evident for this group of learners.
Teachers use and build on effective teaching and learning strategies that engage learners and support their sense of success.
Leaders are supportive and collectively promote the school’s inclusive kaupapa of whakawhanaungatanga and manaakitanga . Students’ views on active participation and their wellbeing are used to inform improvements for engagement in learning.
The views of parents and staff are actively sought to inform key improvement priorities, such as attendance. Feedback is used to identify crucial needs and actions to facilitate family engagement for improved regular attendance.
Key priorities
Effective teaching of writing is understood and embedded.
Analysed progress and achievement data for all year levels, for sharper response to students’ learning needs in reading, writing and mathematics.
Developing a cohesive, overall school picture of student achievement with clear identification of equity outcomes (gender and ethnicity) in reading, writing and mathematics.
The attendance plan fully implemented.
Actions to bring about improvement
Within six months:
leaders and teachers develop a shared understanding of the effective teaching of writing and implement agreed approaches
leaders ensure analysed achievement data is available for all year levels, with gender and ethnicity breakdowns; monitor the responses to this data to address equity outcomes
leaders and teachers implement the attendance plan, involving and familiarising the school’s community with the strategies
Every six months:
leaders and teachers monitor and evaluate the extent to which the teaching of writing has improved learner progress and achievement
leaders and teachers clearly analyse progress and achievement data for all year levels, with clear outlines of subsequent teaching responses
leaders and teachers evaluate, report and respond to the impact of the attendance plan in improving students’ regular attendance; the outcomes are reported to the School Board and community
Annually:
leaders and teachers evaluate schoolwide, the impact on learner outcomes of improved teaching capability in writing
leaders report to the School Board clearly analysed schoolwide achievement data that shows how well equity in outcomes is addressed and the trajectory of improvement in reading, writing and mathematics
leaders and teachers report on the impact of the attendance plan in improving students’ regular attendance to inform further strategic planning.
Expected outcomes
Effective teaching of writing embedded schoolwide.
Improved and equitable learner outcomes in reading writing and mathematics.
Analysed progress and achievement data at all year levels informing teaching and learning.
Comprehensive, well analysed schoolwide achievement data that informs school decision making.
Students attending school regularly.
Regulatory and legislative requirements
This section of the report is about how the school meets regulatory and legislative requirements.
Board assurance with regulatory and legislative requirements
This section of the report reviews the school's policies, procedures, documentation, and checks that it meets all regulations, maintains a safe environment, and supports students' wellbeing.
During this review the Board has attested to meeting regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:
Board administration
Yes
Curriculum
Yes
Management of health, safety and welfare
Yes
Personnel management
Yes
The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Report and is due within four years.
Me mahi tahi tonu tātau, kia whai oranga a tātau tamariki Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children
Sharon Kelly Director of Schools
23 March 2026
Read the full report on ero.govt.nz →
All 3 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).