Hamilton West School

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 29 May 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

Hamilton West School provides education for learners in Years 0 to 8. The school has a roll of 679 students, comprising 51% Asian, 20% New Zealand European/ Pākehā , 18% Māori , 6% Pacific and 5% Middle Eastern, Latin American or African.

The school’s vision is Our Best Always, underpinned by the school’s values of Ako (learning together), Manaakitanga (caring), Rangatiratanga (personal best), Kaitiakitanga (guardianship), and Whanaungatanga (respect) .

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

Expected improvements

The school expected to see distributed leadership help build professional capability and collective capacity to improve outcomes for learners. Leadership was expected to actively support the growth of culturally responsive teaching practices that improve student achievement, alongside the consistent embedding of tikanga and te ao Māori perspectives across the school curriculum, supported by coherent progressions in te reo Māori . The school also expected student voice, used alongside student achievement information, to more strongly inform teaching practice and better meet the needs of all learners.

Findings

Distributed leadership increasingly builds professional capability and collective capacity through curriculum teams, coaching processes, and targeted professional learning to support more consistent and effective teaching practice for learners.

Leadership actively supports culturally responsive teaching practices, as evidenced by the strengthened use of te reo Māori progressions, professional learning in te reo Māori , and improved consistency in the inclusion of tikanga and te ao Māori perspectives within the curriculum.

These practices are underpinned by clearer, schoolwide approaches, including class and school treaties, karakia , and culturally inclusive programmes. Student achievement information, alongside the growing use of student voice in classrooms and hui , is being used more deliberately to inform teaching practice and respond to the needs of all learners.

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.

How well are learners succeeding? The school is working towards high levels of success and progress for all learners.

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 sufficient 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 is improving its collection and use 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 8

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 small majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are not yet equitable for all groups of learners.

Mathematics A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are not yet 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 large majority 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 yet 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.

Assessment information is used well 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

Wellbeing data shows a large majority of students have a strong sense of belonging and benefit from caring, respectful relationships with their teachers.

Students with a wide range of learning and wellbeing needs are well supported through strong pastoral care that promotes engagement, self-management and learning success.

A newly developed technology curriculum supports strong levels of engagement for students in Year 7 and 8 through practical and relevant learning experiences.

Teachers regularly monitor the progress of identified students and use this information to inform next teaching and learning steps.

Regular opportunities for teachers to collaborate and share effective practice strengthen collective capability to respond to the diverse and emerging needs of learners.

A structured approach to the teaching of literacy and mathematics is consistently implemented across the school, with ongoing professional learning supporting coherence of practice, particularly for new staff.

The new leadership team is fostering a positive, improvement-focused school culture that prioritises quality teaching and learning and strengthens effective collaboration across the school.

Key priorities

Improve regular rates of attendance and reduce chronic absence.

Strengthen the management and use of student achievement data to inform responsive, targeted actions and accelerate learner progress.

Improve equity and raise overall school achievement for all learners, with a particular focus on writing.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within three months:

leaders and teachers review attendance data, clearly identify students with irregular absence and set specific targets to increase regular attendance

leaders and teachers use schoolwide progress and achievement data to identify learners most at risk of not achieving and set clear targets to accelerate progress in reading, writing and mathematics

Every six months:

the school board, leaders and teachers monitor progress against attendance targets and share outcomes with parents and whānau to strengthen collective responsibility for improvement

leaders and teachers strengthen the analysis of achievement data to monitor and report on rates of learner progress and refine teaching strategies to increase accelerated learning outcomes

Annually:

the Hamilton West School Board and leaders review the Attendance Management Plan and strengthen strategies to address ongoing barriers to regular attendance

leaders report to the school board on the impact of targeted actions to improve learner progress and achievement, informing future strategic priorities and annual planning.

Expected outcomes

Increased rates of regular attendance that meet the 80% Government target and reduce rates of chronic absence over time.

Strengthened school-wide data analysis and evaluation practices to support effective, responsive actions.

Improved school-wide achievement, resulting in greater equity for all learner groups and improved writing outcomes.

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

Actions for compliance

ERO has identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

ensuring police vets for non-teaching staff are renewed every three years. [s104 Education and Training Act 2020]

The board has taken steps to address the areas of non-compliance identified.

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

29 May 2026

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →