Whatawhata School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 278
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- 9 Kura Street, Whatawhata, Hamilton
- Territorial authority
- Waikato District
- Phone
- 07-8298820
- office@whatawhata.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Waikato
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.
- Getting there
- Two school buses provide transport to and from school: the West (bus one) route and the South and East (bus two) route
Bus: There are two school buses that provide transport to and from school. If you are over 3.2km from school, you are entitled to bus transport or a travel subsidy. The West (bus one) and South and East (bus two) routes can be found [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Lvxxi2o8lVYQqf6zCrhx-tyMZkFlaxrooWtr_CPGlK8/edit?usp=sharing). Contact the office for further information.
- Two school buses provide transport to and from school: the West (bus one) route and the South and East (bus two) route
- How to enrol
- https://enrolments.linc-ed.com/apply/NZ/2087
Along with filling out the [form attached](https://enrolments.linc-ed.com/apply/NZ/2087)
- https://enrolments.linc-ed.com/apply/NZ/2087
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
- Kapa Haka
We are proud to offer Kapa Haka for our students. We have a junior and senior team.
- Kapa Haka
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 203
- Māori
- 97
- Pacific
- 25
- Asian
- 8
- MELAA
- 9
- 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 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 35 |
| Year 02 | 17 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 43 |
| Year 03 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 36 |
| Year 04 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 43 |
| Year 05 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 41 |
| Year 06 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 34 |
| Year 07 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 28 |
| Year 08 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 18 |
| Total | 95 | 34 | 8 | 13 | 1 | 207 | 0 | 278 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 32 |
| Age 06 | 17 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 41 |
| Age 07 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 37 |
| Age 08 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 40 |
| Age 09 | 15 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 46 |
| Age 10 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 35 |
| Age 11 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 26 |
| Age 12 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 20 |
| Age 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 95 | 34 | 8 | 13 | 1 | 207 | 0 | 278 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
0%
| Whatawhata School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 53.9% |
| 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 | 0% |
| 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%
| Whatawhata School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 6.6% |
| Full Primary | 3.9% |
| State | 4.5% |
| New Zealand | 4.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 0% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 0% |
| Asian | 0% |
| 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%
| Whatawhata School | 0% |
|---|---|
| Waikato Region | 2.4% |
| 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 | 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)
- 446
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- Some students taught in te reo Māori
- Urban / rural
- Rural settlement
- Date opened
- 30 April 1878
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
- 18 October 2024
- Latest report
- School Evaluation Report
- Report type
- Evaluation report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (18 October 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 18 October 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 278 — 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.
March 2019
274
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 1 May 2019
This is one count taken for one report. It says what the roll was on that day, and nothing about how the roll has moved.
What ERO wrote in its latest report
This is ERO’s report of 18 October 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
Whatawhata School is a semi-rural primary school situated in the small town of Whatawhata , west of Hamilton. The school provides education for Years 1 to 8 in English-medium and Māori bilingual classes. The school values are: ‘to care, kia Manaaki , to grow, kia whakatupu , to achieve, kia whakatutukitanga .’
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
Outcomes for learners are becoming increasingly equitable and excellent.
Most learners make sustained progress, and the majority achieve at the expected curriculum level in reading, writing and mathematics; targeted interventions are in place for students below expected levels of achievement.
Student wellbeing data shows positive shifts that confirms school strategies support emotional and social wellbeing.
The majority of students attend regularly; strengthening whānau relationships is a focus to reach the Ministry of Education regular attendance target.
Conditions to support learner success
Strategic leadership sets responsive goals and targets to improve conditions and outcomes for learners.
Leaders implement schoolwide initiatives to continually enhance reading and writing outcomes for all learners.
Leadership effectively grows teacher capabilities across the school; this supports the provision of targeted supports for improved learning and wellbeing outcomes.
Leaders continue to embed a localised curriculum in collaboration with mana whenua ; this increases students experience of culture, language and identity across the school.
Responsive teaching practices create positive and respectful learning environments.
Teachers participate in ongoing professional development to improve responsive practice; they increasingly use deliberate approaches to enhance teaching and learning programmes.
Students benefit from relational and affirming teaching practices within well-established classroom routines and expectations.
Evidence-based teaching practices underpinned by reliable assessment data is used to support teaching to improve student outcomes.
Māori medium Reo Rua pathways for learners are seen as a key focus in the school’s strategic plan to improve outcomes for Māori learners.
Schoolwide systems, processes and practices for student wellbeing continue to strengthen.
Schoolwide professional development is focused on improving student wellbeing and a sense of belonging.
Partnership with parents and whānau continue to grow including identifying strategies to improve students’ progress and achievement.
Students’ views are increasingly sought to inform school decision-making: student leadership opportunities are valued and fostered.
Part B: Where to next?
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
increase student outcomes by further embedding literacy focus across the school, including teachers sharing best practice to respond better to student needs
build teacher capability and capacity by further strengthening the use of data and evidence to inform targeted teaching and learning
strengthen and formalise the localised curriculum, including strengthening the use of te reo Māori schoolwide
continue to improve regular attendance to meet the Ministry of Education attendance targets.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Every six months:
continue to embed and evaluate effective teaching practices for literacy, utilising established school systems, to further enhance quality teaching, and improve learner progress and achievement in literacy
review the impact of leadership and teacher professional learning, on leaders' growth and development to support improve outcomes for all learners
further strengthen partnerships with mana whenua by integrating te reo Māori me onā tikanga and mātauranga Māori in the school's curriculum to support learners' strengths, identity and culture
report progress towards meeting attendance targets to the board.
Annually:
review and report on progress made with literacy initiatives, and identify key next steps to continue to improve teacher practice and student outcomes
leadership will review the use of data to inform teaching and learning programmes across the school to identify shifts in practice
review localised curriculum implementation and formalise into a curriculum framework with measurable outcomes and indicators of student success, including te reo Māori me onā tikanga
report trends and patterns of attendance for the year to the board and identify next steps.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
improved learner progress and achievement in literacy from effective teaching practice
increased capacity and capability of leaders and teachers to embed data and evidence-based teaching practices that adapt and respond to all learners needs
a formalised and cohesive localised curriculum that embeds the use of te reo Māori me onā tikanga schoolwide
improved regular attendance outcomes to meet the Ministry of Education targets.
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
18 October 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 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).