Te Whānau o Ōtūmatua
Specialist School · State
- Year levels
- not reported
- Total roll
- 13
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 15 Nash Road, Halswell, Christchurch
- Territorial authority
- Christchurch City
- Phone
- 03-3385089
- annamccoy@halswellcollege.com
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Christchurch · schools in Canterbury
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 Purpose at Te Whānau o Ōtūmatua
- Whakarangatirahia.
- Be the best you can be.
- Every interaction with every ākonga by every staff member has the potential to make a difference for that student.
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 10
- Māori
- 5
- Pacific
- 0
- Asian
- 1
- MELAA
- 0
- Other
- 0
- 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 05 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Year 06 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Year 09 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Year 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 09 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Age 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Age 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Age 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Academic results
Percentage with NCEA level 1 or above — 2025
Too few to report
| Halswell Residential College | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 87.1% |
| Specialist School | 12.7% |
| State: Not integrated | 83.6% |
| New Zealand | 85.2% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Not applicable |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | Too few to report |
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
Too few to report
| Halswell Residential College | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 79.6% |
| Specialist School | 8% |
| State: Not integrated | 75.4% |
| New Zealand | 77.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Not applicable |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | Too few to report |
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
Too few to report
| Halswell Residential College | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 59% |
| Specialist School | 1.8% |
| State: Not integrated | 55.2% |
| New Zealand | 59% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Not applicable |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | Too few to report |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 3 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with VP Award — 2025
Too few to report
| Halswell Residential College | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 13.7% |
| Specialist School | 0.7% |
| State: Not integrated | 14.4% |
| New Zealand | 14.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Not applicable |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | Too few to report |
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
Too few to report
| Halswell Residential College | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 83.6% |
| Specialist School | 79.1% |
| State: Not integrated | 81.4% |
| New Zealand | 83% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | Too few to report |
| Pacific | Not applicable |
| Asian | Not applicable |
| MELAA | Not applicable |
| Other | Not applicable |
| European/Pākehā | Too few to report |
| Total | Too few to report |
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
148.3%
| Halswell Residential College | 148.3% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 38.3% |
| Specialist School | 24.1% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | 111.5% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Asian | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Other | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| European/Pākehā | 126.1% |
| Total | 148.3% |
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
63.1%
| Halswell Residential College | 63.1% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 3.7% |
| Specialist School | 3.4% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Asian | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Other | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| European/Pākehā | 71.6% |
| Total | 63.1% |
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
65.4%
| Halswell Residential College | 65.4% |
|---|---|
| Canterbury Region | 1.7% |
| Specialist School | 1.8% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | Too few to report |
|---|---|
| Male | Too few to report |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Asian | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Other | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| European/Pākehā | 70.4% |
| Total | 65.4% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison exclusion data (2024)
About the school
- Equity Index (EQI)
- 540
- Boarding
- Yes
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 31 December 1983
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
- 6
- Last reviewed
- 11 November 2025
- Latest report
- School Evaluation Report
- Report type
- Evaluation report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (11 November 2025)
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 11 November 2025 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 11 November 2025 — not necessarily the position now. Each line quotes the sentence it came from.
- Also provides
- Four residences: Te Whare a Owaka, Te Whare a Makonui, Te Whare a Huritini and Te Whare a Tauawa
The college has four residences for students Te Whare a Owaka, Te Whare a Makonui, Te Whare a Huritini and Te Whare a Tauawa
- Four residences: Te Whare a Owaka, Te Whare a Makonui, Te Whare a Huritini and Te Whare a Tauawa
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 11 November 2025 — “School Evaluation Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.
School Evaluation 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
Te Otu Mātua HRC Halswell Residential College is a residential short term intervention school for students from both primary and secondary schools. There are 7 students at the school.
Situated in Christchurch, students come from throughout New Zealand to attend the school. Students meet specific entry criteria and are referred to the college by the Ministry of Education and the Resource Teacher Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) service. Students at Halswell Residential College generally have a combination of intellectual impairments and/or are neurodiverse with complex and challenging needs and behaviours.
The college values of Manawa Roa - be resilient , Whanaungatanga - build relationships and Whawhakaaro -reflect , support a philosophy of care. The school aspires, in partnership with students and families, to provide learners with the skills and strategies to engage in their local education and be the best they can be . The college has four residences for students Te Whare a Owaka, Te Whare a Makonui, Te Whare a Huritini and Te Whare a Tauawa . The residences include specific provisions for girls and Māori learners.
A new principal began at the start of Term 4, 2025 after a long serving principal resigned at the end of 2024.
In June 2025, a commissioner replaced the Ministerially appointed combined board of Halswell Residential College and Westbridge Residential School. The Commissioner undertook governance of both schools and is currently facilitating Halswell Residential College’s transition to governance under its own board.
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 June 2024 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.
Expected improvements
The college focused on reviewing assessment methods because it was not clear how consistent or effective they were in measuring student progress and supporting ongoing progress and achievement.
The college expected to see suitable assessment methods embedded and used consistently by staff to inform teaching. It was expected that teachers would better identify, monitor, and address learners' needs in order to improve outcomes.
Findings
The college has made progress in improving assessment. Staff now use a revised assessment framework that tracks progress and achievement based on the New Zealand Curriculum and Daily Living goals. Staff across the college worked together to build their understanding of assessment, especially of the ‘All About Me’ programme. They have developed clear and consistent assessment practices. Learners participate in the assessment of their own progress towards their goals.
The tracking and monitoring of learners’ progress is clearer and comprehensive and provides information for programme planning and goal setting.
Other Findings
The college found it was over assessing students’ skills and learning. The changed assessment approach helped make assessment criteria easier to use and more relevant for students. Now, learner progress is clear and can be recognised and celebrated.
An important factor in this process is that the college led the initiative with less dependence on external input. As a result, staff are more familiar with approaches for developing and monitoring the effectiveness of each learner’s customised programme. There has been an increase in staff and school community collaboration to improve learning and other valued outcomes.
What we know about learner success
This section provides a summary of learner success, wellbeing and foundation school conditions, including any education in Rumaki/Reo Rua settings. The judgments are based on the ERO School Improvement Framework and evidence provided to ERO during the evaluation.
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%
Learner success and wellbeing
This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing.
The college demonstrates a strong and effective approach to supporting learner achievement and wellbeing.
Most learners make progress against their individual academic, residential skills and learning goals. Almost all learners at the school made a 6-month improvement in the reading in 2025.
Most learners who left between Term 4, 2023 and Term 3, 2024 gained sufficient confidence and skills to successfully return to secondary or tertiary education.
Information collected by the school shows that learners made positive gains in terms of their confidence and belief in themselves. Student progress and achievement is monitored through a recently developed, comprehensive tracking system.
A strong, responsive personalised transition programme supports learners and whānau to move into and out of the college setting and access future learning pathways.
Conditions to support learner success
This section provides a summary of leadership, teaching, curriculum and foundation school conditions for improvement.
Leadership is effective, demonstrating a clear commitment to continuous improvement and alignment with strategic priorities.
Leaders establish and regularly review a professional development programme to ensure alignment with strategic goals. This supports staff in delivering curriculum changes and improving outcomes for Māori learners.
Leadership fosters a culture of relational trust and collaborative problem-solving across school and residential settings. Staff are encouraged to reflect and improve continuously, contributing to a supportive learning environment.
Leaders use a range of data, including learner feedback, and achievement tracking, to guide planning, monitor progress in learning, and evaluate the impact of initiatives. This includes systems to track learners after they leave the college.
The curriculum is highly responsive to the diverse needs of learners, providing targeted interventions that foster engagement and personal growth.
The curriculum provides learners with targeted interventions, supporting their engagement in local education through personalised, strengths-based approaches.
The curriculum actively reflects local tikanga Māori, mātauranga Māori , and te reo Māori , with a commitment to equitable outcomes for Māori learners and strong collaboration with mana whenua .
Learning occurs across both school and residential settings, with all staff including kaiako , youth workers, and residential assistants contributing to curriculum delivery. Every interaction is seen as an opportunity to support learning.
Student progress is tracked through observational methods and learning stories. The ‘All About Me’ framework and milestones are used to personalise learning and celebrate progress and achievement.
Strong organisational conditions support inclusive learning, wellbeing and curriculum delivery across the school and residential settings.
Refined assessment practices ensure that assessment is meaningful and manageable, enabling staff to respond flexibly to the individual needs of students.
Staff develop effective programmes, with increased collaboration across the school community to improve learning and wellbeing outcomes for all students.
Leadership, policies, systems, and practices are coherently aligned to drive strategic improvement.
Evaluation for improvement is embedded across the school, with leaders and teachers regularly using evidence to plan, monitor, and evaluate the impact of their actions. This supports strategic improvement and informs future planning cycles.
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 identifies key priorities and actions for improvement.
Key priorities
Embed curriculum and assessment changes through targeted professional development, especially in literacy and mathematics.
Refine and embed the ‘All About Me’ programme alongside national and school curricula to improve student outcomes.
Further improve outcomes through comprehensive analysis, tracking and monitoring of students’ needs, abilities and progress.
Actions to bring about improvement
Within six months:
leaders establish a professional development plan to support staff learning in strategic areas including literacy and mathematics.
teachers and leaders review the ‘All About Me’ programme, identify areas for improvement and alignment and plan next steps
leaders undertake preliminary work to refine systems to track, monitor and report on learners’ progress after their time at Halswell Residential College
Every six months:
leaders and teachers work together to evaluate impact of professional development on staff practice and learner outcomes, adjust as needed and plan for the following term
leaders and teachers work together to review curriculum alignment in relation the ‘All About Me’ to continue to improve student outcomes
Annually:
leaders and the Board analyse data gathered about leavers transition from the college to secondary and tertiary education to identify key findings to inform future planning
leaders evaluate the impact of staff professional development on staff and learners’ outcomes to inform future planning.
Expected outcomes
Improved learner outcomes through targeted teaching and curriculum alignment.
Enhanced staff capability and confidence in delivering responsive education for students in residential specialist school setting.
Clearer understanding, tracking and monitoring of students’ needs, abilities and progress to better inform planning and action.
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
11 November 2025
Read the full report on ero.govt.nz →
All 6 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).