Dominion Road School

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 22 April 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

Dominion Road School provides education for learners in Years 0 to 6. The school roll has about 191 learners and is culturally diverse. Students for over thirty-three different ethnic backgrounds attend the school. 25% of learners have Tongan heritage. The values of the school are respect, attitude and perseverance.

The school has three satellite classrooms on its site for the Central Auckland Specialist School.

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 August 2022 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.

Expected improvements

The school priorities focused on teachers using culturally responsive practice to lift learner engagement and assessment information to improve teaching practice and achievement.

Findings

The school changed their priorities to learn how to implement structured reading, writing, and mathematics to align with changes in The New Zealand Curriculum. Teaching remains underpinned by assessment for learning and students can talk about their learning. The school developed a strong local curriculum in collaboration with their Community of Learning | Kahui Ako . Leaders evaluate to understand the impact of initiatives on learner outcomes and decide strategic priorities.

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.

A large majority of learners enter Dominion Road School significantly behind the expected curriculum level. The school’s efforts are well focused on accelerated progress.

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 a 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 successfully 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 0 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 large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are not yet equitable for all groups of learners.

Writing A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

Mathematics A large 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.

The small majority of learners 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 improving towards or beyond the target.

Chronic absence is reducing over time.

Assessment

This section is about how the school assesses learner progress and achievement.

The school uses an appropriate approach and reliable practices to 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 has 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 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

The school is a warm and welcoming place where every child is valued for who they are. The many cultures in the community are seen as real strengths for celebrating language, culture and identity and supporting engagement.

The leadership and teaching teams work closely together. They take a deliberate and steady approach to implementing the changes to The New Zealand Curriculum so that learning stays consistent and supportive for all students.

Teachers receive training that matches what they need in their classrooms, helping them improve their teaching practice and children’s progress.

The school regularly reviews how well teaching and learning are working, always looking for ways to lift outcomes for students.

The new Dominion Road School Board and school leaders are committed to supporting school improvement and have a strong partnership with Ngāti Whātua o Ōrākei to improve outcomes for learners.

Key priorities

Improve progress, achievement and equity in outcomes for all learners.

Embed teaching approaches so those students who need to make faster progress, do so.

Integrate curriculum, assessment and reporting practices aligned to The New Zealand Curriculum, so that teaching and learning remain coherent and consistent across the school.

Improve regular school attendance.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within six months:

teachers implement a small set of high impact practices, such as explicit teaching, with regular, short term inquiry cycles, to monitor accelerated progress for learners who need this

leaders and staff update the school’s curriculum maps to reflect and establish twice-yearly reporting using the current assessment tools and progress descriptors

Every six months:

leaders and teacher's monitor and evaluate teaching practice and develop further strategies to accelerate progress for groups of learners who need this most

leaders review and report progress, achievement and wellbeing data to the school Board and community

leaders with teachers review curriculum development, ensuring alignment with school priorities and responsiveness to learner needs

leaders, teachers and the school Board monitor progress against attendance targets and share key insights with families and whānau to strengthen collective responsibility for improvement

Annually:

leaders with teachers evaluate schoolwide, the impact on learner outcomes of improving teaching practice and the extent to which school expectations and best practice are reflected

leaders and teachers report on the impact of the attendance plan in improving students’ regular attendance to inform strategic planning.

Expected outcomes

A sustained increase in rates of regular attendance.

Improved and equitable learner outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics.

A well embedded curriculum that supports teaching and learning.

Regulatory and legislative requirements

This section of the report is about how the school meets regulatory and legislative requirements. This includes the provision of education for international students.

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

Provision for international students

This section is about the quality of the provision of education for international students enrolled at the school.

Findings

The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.

No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.

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

22 April 2026

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →