Waihola District School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 26
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- Kilgour Street, Waihola
- Territorial authority
- Clutha District
- Phone
- 03-4177021
- admin@waihola.school.nz
- Website
- not reported
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Otago
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 25
- Māori
- 5
- Pacific
- 0
- Asian
- 0
- MELAA
- 1
- 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 01 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Year 02 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Year 03 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Year 04 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Year 05 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Year 06 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 07 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 0 | 25 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Age 06 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Age 07 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Age 08 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 09 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Age 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 0 | 25 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Waihola District School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Otago Region | 36.8% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 0% |
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%
| Waihola District School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Otago Region | 4.6% |
| Full Primary | 3.9% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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%
| Waihola District School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Otago Region | 2% |
| Full Primary | 1.7% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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)
- 461
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Rural settlement
- Date opened
- 26 January 1997
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
- 22 April 2024
- Latest report
- Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
- Report type
- Profile report
- Board assurance
- The board did not attest to all areas (22 April 2024)
Areas the board did not attest to, in ERO’s words: Assets; Board Administration; Curriculum; Finance; Management of Health, Safety and Welfare; Personnel Management. The report says what that meant and what happened next.
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 same report — the board assurance report of 22 April 2024 — also sets out actions for compliance: the non-compliance ERO identified during that process. This is that section of the report in full, in ERO’s words.
ERO has identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
The school’s policies and procedure framework is not currently readily available to the school community or board members. It needs updating and a schedule of regular review requires establishing to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements [Education and Training Act 2020].
The board has not yet addressed the areas of non-compliance identified.
School governance and leadership should:
review and update the school’s policy and procedures framework and ensure this is available to school community members, staff and board members
establish a schedule of regular review to ensure practice aligns to policies and procedures and that governance receives appropriate ongoing assurances that the school is meeting legislative and regulatory requirements.
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 26 — 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.
November 2016
27
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 7 March 2017
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 22 April 2024 — “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 24 months of the Education Review Office and Waihola District 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
Waihola District School is a small rural primary school, in the Clutha District, for children in years 1 to 8. Children learn together in two multi-level classrooms. The school’s vision for learners is that they will ‘’work collaboratively within a supportive and inclusive community, setting goals, constructing knowledge and striving to be the best they can be’’. The school is currently under the governance of a Ministry of Education appointed commissioner.
The school’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
Student learning – supporting all students to make sufficient rates of progress in the learning of the New Zealand Curriculum and develop skills for communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, character and citizenship
Student engagement – improving regular attendance and enhancing student voice and agency in classes and throughout the school
Student wellbeing – strengthening social and emotional learning to further promote student wellbeing
Professional learning for teachers – particularly in the development and delivery of local curriculum that meets the diverse aspirations and needs of students
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Waihola District School ’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the implementation of responsive curriculum and effective teaching of literacy.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is that leaders and teachers are in the process of implementing the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum | Te Mātaiaho and related teaching practices for literacy and numeracy.
The school expects to see:
teachers develop shared understandings of the new literacy curriculum and effective teaching strategies
teachers adapting teaching strategies to meet the diverse needs of students
students being able to talk about their next learning steps and their progress in literacy learning
students have sufficient opportunities to learn in the breadth of the literacy curriculum
students making expected rates of progress in literacy learning.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support it in its goal to improve student progress and achievement in literacy:
students are well-known and learn together in a positive, inclusive environment
leaders and teachers use assessment well to know how students are progressing and to plan how to support their next learning steps
teachers work closely with education specialists to adapt teaching to meet the needs of diverse students.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
professional learning for teachers on the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum and common practice model for teaching literacy
review of the school’s literacy curriculum
implementation of tailored teaching interventions for accelerating the learning of students at risk of not achieving at expected levels in literacy
school-wide and teacher reflection and evaluation of the impact of teaching on students’ literacy learning.
ERO has concerns about
During the evaluation the school principal and board sought Ministry of Education and NZSTA support to address emerging concerns. A breakdown in constructive communication across different levels of the school was impacting on the board’s ability to effectively operate as the governing body of the school and set the policies by which the school is managed and the principal’s ability to act as the board’s chief executive in relation to the control and management of the school. [Education and Training Act 2020 Sections 125 and 130]
ERO cannot be assured that the school is meeting its legislative and regulatory obligations as the board has not yet attested to the Board Assurance Statement.
Recommendation
ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education continues with intervention in order to bring about:
effective working relationships between the board and school management; and between management and staff
strengthened governance and leadership for effective policy review and implementation.
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
22 April 2024
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 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).