West Rolleston Primary School

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 2 June 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

West Rolleston Primary School provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. The current roll is 736. 50% of students identify as New Zealand European/ Pākehā , 22% as Asian, 13% as Māori , 10% as Indian and 5% as Pacific.

The school’s vision of Growing Happy Healthy Learners (GROW) is underpinned through the values of Ako | We learn with purpose, Manaakitanga | We show care and kindness for others and Tiakitanga | We look after today to protect the future .

The school has a satellite class for Waitaha Specialist School.

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 March 2023 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.

Expected improvements

The school focused on evaluating learner progress and achievement in writing.

The school expected to see overall gains in writing achievement data across the school, alignment in writing programmes across the school and increased teacher confidence.

Findings

Targeted professional learning strengthened teaching practice in writing and supports the application of shared approaches across the school. Teachers apply this learning to literacy and numeracy programmes to support improving learner outcomes. Students show a sound awareness of their learning by clearly explaining their goals and describing the actions they take to work towards them.

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? Success and progress for all learners is increasing.

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 rich opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum. There is a 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 high quality education for learners are driving excellent school performance.

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 responds well to a wide range 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 A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more 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 small majority 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.

The large majority of learners attend school regularly.

The school is approaching 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 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 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.

Areas of strength

Learners experience a strong sense of belonging within a welcoming, inclusive, and caring school community that is well supported by staff, leaders, and the West Rolleston School Board.

Leaders regularly reflect on current practice with a focus on improvement and future development, drawing on research to inform curriculum design. Purposeful systems and structures support teachers to collaboratively reflect on practice, supporting a shared understanding of effective teaching.

Learners engage in a meaningful curriculum that is regularly evaluated to reflect local contexts, deepening their learning through authentic experiences.

Structured approaches to the teaching of literacy are well established across all year levels; the school is embedding and refining mathematics programmes that align with the new curriculum requirements.

Learners with additional needs are well supported through strong partnerships with parents, whānau , local iwi , and external agencies, as well as personalised planning and tailored supports.

Teachers and teaching assistants access targeted professional learning opportunities that build their skills, support wellbeing and grow leadership capacity across the school.

Strategic leadership and a supportive Board provide clear vision and direction, using attendance, wellbeing and achievement data, strategic and annual planning, and regular evaluation to drive school improvement.

Key priorities

Raise achievement for all learners, with a targeted focus on accelerated progress in reading, writing and mathematics for learners not yet meeting year-level expectations.

Enhance consistency of high-quality teaching practices through deepening teacher understanding of the new curriculum and assessment requirements.

Increase and sustain regular attendance.

Actions to bring about improvement

Every six months:

leaders provide ongoing staff professional learning in literacy and mathematics to embed the new assessment tools and curriculum content

leaders and staff work with the community to communicate and engage with parents and whānau about assessment and curriculum changes

leaders gather, analyse and use information from qualitative surveys of staff and students to evaluate the effectiveness of implementing the new curriculum requirements

leaders and teachers monitor student attendance and learning progress, respond to the data and report to the Board to inform decision making

Annually:

leaders evaluate and report on the impact of the school’s actions towards its strategic priorities, using wellbeing, attendance, progress and achievement information to guide future planning

leaders report to the Board and community on the progress of the school’s implementation with its strategic priorities.

Expected outcomes

Improved student achievement in reading writing and maths for all groups of learners.

Well-embedded and consistently high-quality teaching and assessment practices schoolwide.

Sustained regular attendance that meets the Government’s target of 80%.

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

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

2 June 2026

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →