Waikino 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

Waikino School is a small school in the Bay of Plenty that provides education for students in Years 0 to 6. The roll of 84 includes 83% of learners who identify as New Zealand European, all other ethnic groups, including Māori are approximately 16% of the school roll. A developed garden, a large maker‑space area, and an established bush‑focused programme provide unique contexts for the school’s curriculum.

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

ERO and the school expected to see an ongoing partnership with Ngāti Tara Tokanui and Hāpori Whānui so that school values and the curriculum, reflected whānau and iwi aspirations. The enhanced partnership would support the cultural capability of the school community and ensure all learners experience a curriculum informed by local tikanga and iwi partnership that promoted excellent and equitable outcomes for all.

Findings

School leaders have strengthened their relationship with Ngāti Tara Tokanui , using annual consultation to ensure school practices and the development of their Te Taiao and Kaitiakitanga passports are aligned with iwi expectations. Whenever possible, staff build their reo Māori capability through targeted, meaningful learning opportunities, basic reo Māori is interchanged with English in classrooms and whānau Māori from the school community are supporting staff and students to further develop te Āo Māori concepts to enrich the school’s environmental stewardship through iwi knowledge and perspectives.

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? The curriculum reflects learner interests and strengths, with increasing alignment to national expectations. The school is focused on embedding consistent approaches to ensure learners gain the literacy and mathematics skills they need. 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 fosters engagement and wellbeing, supporting learners to feel included.

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 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 small majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

Writing Less than a third of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

Mathematics A small 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.

Less than half 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 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 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 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

Leaders and teachers promote an inclusive, supportive culture through a shared understanding of each students’ interests and learning needs.

Wellbeing is intentionally prioritised and balanced alongside academic expectations. This holistic approach supports students to feel confident and ready to learn, contributing to positive engagement and emerging progress.

Whānau express confidence in the school’s culture, and leadership. Their feedback highlights strong relationships, open communication, and a shared sense of pride in the school’s commitment to inclusive education.

High levels of relational trust between teachers contributes to cohesive practice, smooth classroom routines, and a stable foundation for increased engagement.

Students enjoy the hands-on learning opportunities provided by the school, particularly the bush sessions and design cycle lessons, that foster curiosity and creativity.

Key priorities

Prioritise the changes required to fully embed the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum in line with expectations, including redesigning the school curriculum to align with the teaching and assessment practices of the cu rriculum.

Increase the progress and achievement of all students, particularly in writing, by strengthening the use of assessment information to identify target students and implement high‑impact strategies to accelerate progress.

Improve regular attendance for all students.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within three months:

leaders and teachers, review the school’s Curriculum Implementation Plan to fully implement the curriculum, consistently across the school

Every six months:

leaders analyse progress and achievement data to further develop and consistently embed teaching, learning and curriculum priorities, and report findings to the board

teachers collate the evidence of their practice in the delivery of writing and report the impact of actions and strategies on learner outcomes in writing

leaders and teachers monitor the effectiveness of attendance initiatives to determine what is working, identify areas that need adjustment, and report findings and next steps to the Waikino School Board

Annually:

leaders analyse and report key outcomes, including whole‑school literacy progress (with specific attention to priority learners) and annual attendance outcomes to the Board and wider school community

leaders, Board members and staff review actions in the annual plan and provide evaluative evidence that shows the impact on strategic priorities to inform next steps.

Expected outcomes

Curriculum planning, teaching, assessment, and reporting practices align with New Zealand Curriculum used consistently across the school.

Learners are highly engaged and achieving equitable and successful outcomes, particularly in writing.

Improved attendance rates for all learners.

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 area of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

hold regular trial evacuation practices and report these to the School Board and Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) [Health and Safety at Work Act 2015; Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017; Fire Safety, Evacuation Procedures and Evacuation Schemes Regulations 2018].

The Waikino School Board has since taken steps to address the area 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 →