Whareama School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 50
- Enrolment zone
- No
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 82 Langdale Road, Masterton
- Territorial authority
- Masterton District
- Phone
- 06-3723808
- office@whareama.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Wellington Region
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.
- Term dates
- Term 1, 2026: 28 January to 2 April
Term 1: 28 January to 2 April 2026
- Term 2, 2026: 20 April to 3 July
Term 2: 20 April to 3 July 2026
- Term 3, 2026: 20 July to 25 September
Term 3: 20 July to 25 September 2026
- Term 4, 2026: 12 October to 11 December
Term 4: 12 October to 11 December 2026
- Term 1, 2026: 28 January to 2 April
- Getting there
- The school at present operates three buses: Homewood | Riversdale Bus, Blairlogie Bus and Town Bus.
The school at present operates three buses using the following timetable Homewood | Riversdale Bus Departs Matariki Farm picking up students on the Homewood Road and at Riversdale Beach. Afternoon 2:45pm Departs school to return students to Riversdale Beach and Homewood Road. Blairlogie Bus Departs Wharerua picking up students at Awatoitoi, Rewanui, Blairlogie and then ICA. Afternoon 2:45pm Departs school dropping students to ICA and then Blairlogie, up as far as Awatoitoi. Town Bus Departs from Henley Lake and drives out to school.
- The school at present operates three buses: Homewood | Riversdale Bus, Blairlogie Bus and Town Bus.
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
- To develop and empower engaged R U R A L learners.
- Whareama School aims to provide a stimulating, supportive and positive learning environment, encouraging children to achieve their best in academic, social, cultural and physical areas.
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
- cross country
Whareama School participates in a variety of sports culminating in competitions with other country schools in cross country, athletics and swimming.
- athletics
Whareama School participates in a variety of sports culminating in competitions with other country schools in cross country, athletics and swimming.
- swimming
Whareama School participates in a variety of sports culminating in competitions with other country schools in cross country, athletics and swimming.
- cross country
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 44
- Māori
- 9
- Pacific
- 2
- 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 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| Year 02 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Year 03 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 11 |
| Year 04 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Year 05 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Year 06 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Year 07 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Year 08 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 12 |
| Total | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 53 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 |
| Age 06 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Age 07 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 11 |
| Age 08 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 09 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Age 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Age 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Age 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 12 |
| Total | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 0 | 53 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
108.3%
| Whareama School | 108.3% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 24.7% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 223.1% |
| Māori | 284.7% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 43.9% |
| Total | 108.3% |
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%
| Whareama School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 2.6% |
| Full Primary | 3.9% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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%
| Whareama School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 0.9% |
| Full Primary | 1.7% |
| State | 1.9% |
| New Zealand | 1.8% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | Not available (source marker: "nd") |
| 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)
- 451
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- All students taught in English/other setting
- Urban / rural
- Rural other
- Date opened
- 31 January 1897
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
- 27 May 2025
- Latest report
- School Report
- Report type
- Review report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (16 December 2021)
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 16 December 2021 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 this report states about the school
As stated in ERO’s report of 27 May 2025 — not necessarily the position now. Each line quotes the sentence it came from.
- Year levels
- Years 1 to 8
provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8
- Years 1 to 8
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 27 May 2025 — “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.
About the School
Whareama School, located in rural Wairarapa , provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. There are 48 students on the roll; 27% are Māori and 73% are New Zealand European/ Pākehā . Whareama School’s R.U.R.A.L. values of Respect, Unique, Resourceful, Achievers, Leaders reflect the community’s aspirations for their students. The principal resigned at the end of 2024. The school board is in the process of appointing a principal.
Progress since August 2022 ERO report
ERO and the school have been working together to evaluate how well the achievement of learners at risk of not achieving was accelerated for continuous and sustained achievement.
Student achievement has improved with accelerated progress for many targeted students. Schoolwide achievement information is shared, tracked and monitored, enabling well-considered support to be provided for all learners. The use of a sequenced approach to evaluation, led by the principal and involving all staff, ensured a consistent, collaborative approach to planning with clear schoolwide expectations for quality teaching practices.
Highly supportive whānau are well-informed about the learning and progress of their children. A culturally informed approach to teaching and learning is developing partnerships with whānau , local hapū and iwi . This work supports student engagement and increased acceleration of students’ progress from better targeted teaching and learning programmes.
How well placed is the school to promote educational success and wellbeing?
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 an increasingly consistent focus on supporting learners to gain 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 ongoing improvement to the quality of education for learners are well established.
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 0 to 8
This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.
Foundation Skills
Reading Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.
Writing Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.
Mathematics Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.
Attendance
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
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
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 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 Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and is likely to meet them by 2030.
Part B - Findings for the school
This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.
Areas of Strength
Schoolwide information shows increasing equity of achievement across all levels of the school. Targeted learning support, in class programmes and initiatives led by the principal, have successfully accelerated achievement.
Structured literacy and mathematics are already well embedded in the school curriculum. Staff have undertaken professional learning to strengthen their teaching practice in these core subjects. A well-embedded inquiry model supports teachers to review, strengthen and grow their professional practice, focused on improved student achievement and accelerated progress.
Whānau , the community and local hapū are committed and actively support the learning and wellbeing of the students, their teachers and leaders.
Key priorities and actions for improvement
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
continue to implement structured literacy and mathematics that promotes student engagement and embeds high quality teacher practice
develop aligned, consistent and well-understood expectations for literacy and mathematics
continue to strengthen culturally appropriate practices within the school curriculum to promote active student engagement, wellbeing and accelerate the achievement of all learners
continue to monitor and focus on improving schoolwide attendance.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Every six months:
review the effectiveness of teachers’ professional practice through classroom observations and learners’ achievement in structured literacy and mathematics; report progress and planned next steps to the board
monitor and report on the development of schoolwide assessment expectations to the board
continue to review the impact of the school curriculum and the development culturally appropriate practices through teacher and students’ inquiries and reflections
report to the board and review the impact of initiatives to improve student attendance
Annually:
analyse schoolwide achievement in structured literacy and mathematics, including that of identified learners; use this data to report to the board, and to strategically plan actions that will improve the achievement and learning outcomes of all
review school assessment processes and expectations; identify initiatives that have been most successful and use this information in schoolwide strategic planning
evaluate the impact and outcomes of the curriculum, the growth of teachers’ and learners’ cultural practices across the school; strategically plan next steps to further strengthen student engagement and accelerate achievement
evaluate the effectiveness of initiatives employed to increase student attendance; strategically plan implementation for the next year.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
students who effectively apply structured learning strategies, improved achievement outcomes and accelerated progress in literacy and mathematics
robust assessment systems and processes that inform teachers’ planning and practice, and support all learners to know how well they are achieving and what they need to learn next
a constantly improving and developing a school curriculum that enables leaders and staff to strengthen their professional practice, deepen schoolwide capability in cultural practices and improve the achievement and wellbeing of all learners
improved rates of attendance.
Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements
All schools are required to promote student health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
During this review the Board has attested to some regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:
Board Administration
Yes
Curriculum
Yes
Management of Health, Safety and Welfare
Yes
Personnel Management
Yes
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 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
Sharon Kelly Director of Schools (Acting)
27 May 2025
Education Counts
This 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).