Western Springs College-Ngā Puna o Waiōrea
Secondary (Year 9-15) · State
- Year levels
- 9–13
- Total roll
- 1,759
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- Motions Road, Western Springs, Auckland
- Territorial authority
- Waitematā Local Board Area
- Phone
- 09-8156730
- admin@wsc.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Auckland
Can my child go here?
This school has an enrolment scheme, so a place is not open to every address. How enrolment zones work
Loading zone map…
Zone boundaries shown here are approximate. Ministry of Education data warns these boundaries do not have high spatial precision and can place neighbouring addresses on different sides of a line. This is not a confirmation of enrolment eligibility — always confirm directly with the school. Zone geometry also does not reflect enrolment priority rules (siblings, special character categories, ballots) — it shows the mapped boundary only.
Check if your address is in zone →
Source: Ministry of Education, CC BY 3.0 NZ
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.
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.
- School day starts
- 8.50am (first bell)
| 8.50 | First Bell |
- 8.50am (first bell)
- How to enrol
- https://wsc.school.kiwi/index.php/enrolment/application
Enrolments begin after Open Week in July. Parents/caregivers who live in-zone should complete an [online enrolment application here](https://wsc.school.kiwi/index.php/enrolment/application).
- https://wsc.school.kiwi/index.php/enrolment/application
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 Mission
- All students and staff, inspired by a love of learning, are challenged to discover and develop their unique personal strengths so that they are well equipped to share in the building of a just and sustainable society.
- International students
- Accepted, as stated
At Western Springs College we welcome international students who want to experience a real Kiwi secondary shool with high standards and modern values.
- Accepted, as stated
- Voluntary donation
- $500 per year for one student or $600 per year for a family
Parents/caregivers are asked to make an annual donation. These funds help provide for educational, cultural, social activities and health services not covered by government funding. School donations make a vital contribution to the running of our school. They provide, but are not limited to, these services and programmes: - a comprehensive sports academy programme; - school wide performing arts programme; - comprehensive student health services; - development of our IT programme. We really appreciate the payment of your donations: Currently, the school donation is: $500 for one student or $600 for a family.
- $500 per year for one student or $600 per year for a family
What is on offer beyond the classroom?
The sports, arts, clubs and groups this school names on its own website. Not a complete list of what any school offers, and not a count — a school that names more here has written more down, which is not the same as doing more.
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.
- On offer
- annual athletics day
We have our annual athletics day where the fastest, strongest and toughest students are crowned champions
- road cycling team
We have a road cycling team that compete in a time trial series, followed by North Island SS and completing our programme at the Nationals Track & Road Cycling champs.
- equestrian events
Western Springs students have opportunities to compete in teams or as individuals representing WSC across a number of school equestrian events throughout the year, including showjumping, dressage and eventing.
- Tennis
Tennis is played on Mondays in the North Harbour Zone.
- Badminton
Badminton is played at a competitive and social level in a college sport sanctioned competition.
- netball
Springs netball is open to all girls from Y9 –Y13 in a competitive or social level.
- First XIII league team
Our First XIII league team has played the top division for the past 3 years, we also have an under 15 (9 aside) team competing.
- Snowboarding
We usually send several teams to the North Island Secondary Schools Snowboarding Champs.
- Squash
Over the past 3-4 years, Squash has been a popular and very successful sport, having won 6 titles in the last three years.
- School Production – Bi-annual
- Dance & Drama Class Productions – annual
- Senior Dance Showcases
- Collections Senior Dance Showcase – Term 3
- Year 13 Choreography show – Term 3
- YouDance – Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland Youth Dance festival
- Junior Arts Festival – Term 4
- Junior Dance troupe
- Hip hop crew – open to years 9 – 13
- 48 Hour Film Festival
- Chamber Group
- Jazz Band
- Choir
- Musical Theatre Ensemble
- Play it Strange
- Rockquest
- Pasifika Beats
- Stand Up Stand Out
- Talent Quest
- InstrumentalVocal Lessons
- Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival
- Senior Productions
- Theatre Sports
- Sound and Lighting
- annual athletics day
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 1,000
- Māori
- 479
- Pacific
- 235
- Asian
- 422
- MELAA
- 77
- Other
- 24
- International
- 105
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 09 | 101 | 43 | 47 | 15 | 3 | 183 | 2 | 297 |
| Year 10 | 100 | 56 | 57 | 17 | 9 | 215 | 13 | 344 |
| Year 11 | 105 | 42 | 57 | 17 | 8 | 240 | 34 | 401 |
| Year 12 | 98 | 50 | 73 | 19 | 4 | 205 | 38 | 409 |
| Year 13+ | 82 | 40 | 66 | 9 | 2 | 214 | 21 | 373 |
| Total | 486 | 231 | 300 | 77 | 26 | 1057 | 108 | 1824 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 13 | 78 | 32 | 36 | 12 | 3 | 148 | 2 | 237 |
| Age 14 | 109 | 58 | 63 | 15 | 8 | 209 | 9 | 345 |
| Age 15 | 108 | 44 | 47 | 17 | 8 | 239 | 16 | 373 |
| Age 16 | 94 | 47 | 67 | 21 | 5 | 208 | 37 | 400 |
| Age 17 | 90 | 42 | 65 | 11 | 1 | 222 | 35 | 398 |
| Age 18 | 7 | 7 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 31 | 8 | 69 |
| Age 19+ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Total | 486 | 231 | 300 | 77 | 26 | 1057 | 108 | 1824 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Academic results
Percentage with NCEA level 1 or above — 2025
94%
| Western Springs College-Ngā Puna o Waiōrea | 94% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 90.1% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 88% |
| State: Not integrated | 83.6% |
| New Zealand | 85.2% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 94.9% |
|---|---|
| Male | 93.3% |
| Māori | 92% |
| Pacific | 93.2% |
| Asian | 98.5% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 94.8% |
| Total | 94% |
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
91.7%
| Western Springs College-Ngā Puna o Waiōrea | 91.7% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 85.3% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 81% |
| State: Not integrated | 75.4% |
| New Zealand | 77.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 93.2% |
|---|---|
| Male | 90.4% |
| Māori | 87% |
| Pacific | 88.6% |
| Asian | 98.5% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 93.1% |
| Total | 91.7% |
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
77.9%
| Western Springs College-Ngā Puna o Waiōrea | 77.9% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 71.7% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 61.8% |
| State: Not integrated | 55.2% |
| New Zealand | 59% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 82.4% |
|---|---|
| Male | 74% |
| Māori | 72% |
| Pacific | 79.5% |
| Asian | 80% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 79.7% |
| Total | 77.9% |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0 — Table 2: Comparison NCEA level 3 data (2023-2025)
Percentage with VP Award — 2025
25.3%
| Western Springs College-Ngā Puna o Waiōrea | 25.3% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 14.6% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 15.2% |
| State: Not integrated | 14.4% |
| New Zealand | 14.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 29.5% |
|---|---|
| Male | 21.6% |
| Māori | 41% |
| Pacific | 22.7% |
| Asian | 13.8% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 24.6% |
| Total | 25.3% |
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
92.4%
| Western Springs College-Ngā Puna o Waiōrea | 92.4% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 88.9% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 83.5% |
| State: Not integrated | 81.4% |
| New Zealand | 83% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 92.6% |
|---|---|
| Male | 92.3% |
| Māori | 89% |
| Pacific | 93.2% |
| Asian | 98.5% |
| MELAA | Too few to report |
| Other | Too few to report |
| European/Pākehā | 94% |
| Total | 92.4% |
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
18.9%
| Western Springs College-Ngā Puna o Waiōrea | 18.9% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 29.7% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 35.8% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 4.6% |
|---|---|
| Male | 33.1% |
| Māori | 26.5% |
| Pacific | 21.8% |
| Asian | 20.7% |
| Other | 25.5% |
| European/Pākehā | 14.2% |
| Total | 18.9% |
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
0.3%
| Western Springs College-Ngā Puna o Waiōrea | 0.3% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 3% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 4% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0.6% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0.5% |
| Total | 0.3% |
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%
| Western Springs College-Ngā Puna o Waiōrea | 0% |
|---|---|
| Auckland Region | 1.4% |
| Secondary (Year 9-15) | 1.7% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| 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)
- 422
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- Some students taught in te reo Māori
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 25 January 1903
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
- 5
- Last reviewed
- 30 September 2024
- Latest report
- School Evaluation Report
- Report type
- Evaluation report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (30 September 2024)
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 30 September 2024 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.
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 1759 — 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.
May 2015
1293
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 19 June 2015
September 2010
1110
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 9 November 2010
We draw no line between these. Each was counted for its own report, years apart, by a different review team, and a roll moves between reviews for reasons none of these figures record — so the difference between any two of them measures nothing.
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 30 September 2024 — “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.
Context
Western Springs College – Ngā Puna o Waiōrea , is to the west of Auckland’s inner city and provides education for learners in Years 9 to 13. The school’s mission is to encourage learners to discover and develop the personal strengths needed to share in developing a just and sustainable society. Ngā Puna o Waiōrea operates as ‘a school within a school’ and supports learners to be successful in both te ao Māori and te ao Pākehā .
There are two parts to this report.
Part A: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction, including any education in Rumaki /bilingual settings.
Part B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.
Part A: Current State
The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.
Learner Success and Wellbeing
The school is working towards equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners.
Most students in Years 12 and 13 achieved the National Certificate of Achievement (NCEA) at their respective levels, the majority of Year 11 students gained Level 1 and over half of senior students gained certificate endorsements; disparity has yet to be resolved in the achievement for Pacific and Māori students at all levels of NCEA, including University Entrance.
The majority of Year 9 and 10 students are achieving at or above the expected curriculum level in reading, writing and mathematics.
Attendance information shows the school is not yet meeting the Ministry of Education’s targets for regular attendance; close monitoring and support is provided by senior leaders, heads of houses and teachers to improve attendance rates.
Conditions to support learner success
Leaders increasingly foster a culture committed to high quality teaching and improving equity in student outcomes.
Leaders are strengthening relational trust and effective collaboration within the school community to achieve the strategic vision and improvement goals.
Systems and processes are in place for increasingly effective planning, coordination and evaluation of the school’s curriculum and teaching.
Professional learning and coaching build the capability of teachers working in an innovative learning environment to use collaborative practices and co-teaching pedagogies that support the improvement of teaching and learning.
Curriculum and teaching practices support the many different needs of learners.
The school’s curriculum offers a variety of learning opportunities that provide for a wide range of learner needs and interests.
Learners with additional learning needs are included and supported through targeted interventions and teaching strategies and practices that promote equity and success.
Teachers create a collaborative learning environment for learners using differentiated and responsive teaching practices.
The school is strengthening and aligning key conditions that support strategic improvement.
A co-governance constitution signals the school’s commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi ; the board is continuing to develop partnerships and processes for shared decision-making focused on improving outcomes for all learners.
The board regularly scrutinises learner engagement, wellbeing, progress and achievement information to identify strategic improvement priorities to support learner success.
Staff professional development continues to support a research-based common model of practice for teaching and learning in an innovative learning environment.
Learner wellbeing and inclusion are well supported by a range of policies, programmes and approaches that embrace diversity and promote respectful relationships and restorative practices.
Learner success and wellbeing
Ākonga are motivated to learn through authentic Māori learning environments.
Challenges with insufficient resourcing is disadvantaging ākonga outcomes and the sustainability of a progressive immersion environment. A collaborative resourcing project aims to address the challenges.
Whānau voice and support promote high levels of ākonga engagement.
Conditions to support learner success
Ākonga are inspired by their mentors who are experts in their fields.
Kaiako capacity is stretched with an increasing roll and on-going staff recruitment challenges.
School governance and leadership are at an early stage of building relational trust.
Established whānau coordinators contribute to the functioning of the rumaki .
Part B: Where to next?
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
refine and embed evidence-based and responsive strategies for teaching and learning to reduce disparity in achievement for all learners, especially Māori and Pacific, and improve rates of attendance
further embed coherent student data collection and management systems to inform decision making for school improvement
strengthen whānau and wider community engagement within Kura Auraki (English medium), including with whānau Māori and Pacific families, drawing on best practice embedded in Ngā Puna o Waiōrea
implement and monitor strategies to support and strengthen academic progress of all ākonga .
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows:
Within six months:
further integrate student data collection and management systems to systematically monitor student progress, achievement and attendance and strengthen teachers’ and leaders’ data analysis capability
develop and implement planning to strengthen whānau and wider community engagement, with particular focus on Pacific learners’ families and whānau of ākonga Māori in Kura Auraki
review current strategies in Ngā Puna o Waiōrea to monitor academic progress and develop relevant strategies, targets and actions to meet individual learner needs.
Every six months:
review and evaluate the professional development programme to ensure it is aligned with the school’s improvement goals and learner needs
use attendance and achievement information to track and report on the progress of all learners, particularly those at risk of not achieving
meet with families and whānau to share learning goals and develop strategies that promote learner success and address barriers to progress, attendance and engagement
analyse and report progress and achievement data from Kura Auraki and Ngā Puna o Waiōrea to whānau and the board.
Annually:
collect a range of evidence to coherently plan and monitor the school’s strategic improvement cycle
evaluate and report to the board on the effectiveness of strategies to improve learners’ attendance, progress, achievement outcomes and wellbeing.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
improved attendance, engagement and achievement outcomes for all learners in both Kura Auraki and Ngā Puna o Waiōrea
learning-centred partnerships between parents, whānau and the school based on whakawhanaungatanga and manaakitanga to establish relevant goals that promote learner success
integrated data collection and management systems and strong data analysis capability which inform decision making for school improvement and support learner attendance, progress and achievement.
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Evaluation Report and is due within three 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
Shelley Booysen Director of Schools
30 September 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 5 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).