Waikaia School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 24
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 22 Leamington Street, Waikaia
- Territorial authority
- Southland District
- Phone
- 03-2027729
- office@waikaia.school.nz
- Website
- http://www.waikaia.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Southland
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 23
- Māori
- 3
- Pacific
- 0
- Asian
- 2
- 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 01 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Year 02 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Year 03 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 04 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Year 05 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Year 06 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 20 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Age 06 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Age 07 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 08 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Age 09 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Age 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 20 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Waikaia School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Southland Region | 61.8% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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%
| Waikaia School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Southland Region | 6.3% |
| Full Primary | 3.9% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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%
| Waikaia School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Southland Region | 2.8% |
| Full Primary | 1.7% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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)
- 407
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Rural settlement
- Date opened
- 31 August 1979
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 January 2026
- Latest report
- School Report
- Report type
- Review report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (15 February 2023)
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 15 February 2023 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 ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 22 January 2026 — “School Report” — section by section, under ERO’s own headings, in ERO’s own order. Nothing is summarised, shortened or reordered.
School Report
T ēnā 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
Waikaia School is a small rural full primary school located in northern Southland. The school roll is 18 students. The school’s mission is to provide positive and engaging learning experiences to nurture confident, capable learners. A new principal was appointed in 2025.
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 February 2023 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.
Expected improvements
The school focused on evaluating the implementation of a consistent reading programme across the school, and the use of assessment tools to give all children opportunities to succeed.
Findings
The school made significant progress in the consistency of assessment and literacy teaching practices. Recent leadership changes bring a clearer focus to the school’s reading, writing and mathematics programmes which is resulting in increased learner progress and overall school improvement.
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 small majority of learners enter Waikaia School significantly behind the expected curriculum level. The school’s efforts are well focused on accelerated progress.
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 high 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? The school is establishing planning and conditions that support improvements in the quality of education for learners.
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 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 1 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 Less than half of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners.
Writing A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners.
Mathematics Less than half of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are 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.
Most learners attend school regularly.
The school is at 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.
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 has good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.
The school has significantly improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.
The school has significantly 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
Learners benefit from a positive, inclusive school culture built on strong values. They experience a strong sense of belonging through supportive relationships with staff and develop resilience, self-regulation and readiness to learn through targeted strategies.
Leaders and the Waikaia School Board work collaboratively and strategically to ensure the focus is on learner wellbeing and progress. Leaders are embedding evidence-based review systems and process to support continuous improvement for all learners.
Leaders set clear expectations and a strong vision for high-quality teaching and learning. All staff share expertise that draws on individual strengths and build collective capacity. Teachers are strengthening their use of learning data to individualise teaching strategies for each learner to make progress.
Key priorities
Refine learning progression frameworks so that their learners and their families understand their achievement and next learning steps.
Improve evaluation systems so that leaders and teachers measure the effectiveness of teaching and learning programmes.
Revise teaching and learning programmes to more strongly reflect the local environment and community partnerships.
Actions to bring about improvement
Within six months:
the principal creates a schoolwide learning progression framework
the principal and the School Board complete the review of the school’s present evaluation systems
the principal and staff purposefully partner with the community to deepen understandings of the local context and integrate these insights into enriching of the school’s teaching programmes
Every six months:
the principal reviews, evaluates and responds to schoolwide reading, writing and mathematics data and wellbeing information, reporting these findings to the Board to inform strategic decision making and support learner engagement and achievement
Annually:
the principal and staff evaluate the impact of the school’s actions towards its strategic priorities in learner wellbeing and engagement, attendance, progress and achievement, to report these findings to the Board and community, and to inform strategic decision making.
Expected outcomes
Learners and their families understand next learning steps to support learner success and wellbeing.
Teachers know the impact of teaching and learning programmes and successfully adapt their practice in response.
Improved progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics across the school.
Learners consistently experience effective, inclusive teaching practices.
Teaching and learning programmes reflect the aspirations of the local community and integrate local knowledge and environments.
Sustained high levels of attendance.
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:
sufficient evidence of identification checking of employees for Workforce Safety [ Section 25 (1), Children's Act 2014]
ensuring that the Board is informed of the required frequency and review of emergency drills [Health and Safety at Work Act 2015].
The board has since addressed 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
22 January 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).