Whenuakite School

What ERO wrote in its latest report

This is ERO’s report of 18 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

Whenuakite School provides education for learners in Years 0 to 8. The school roll of 150 student includes 84% New Zealand European| Pākehā , 9% Māori and 5% Asian ethnicities. The school’s vision is Te Akonga o Whenuakite will Endeavour for All Round Personal Hauora and Success. This vision is underpinned by the school’s values, known as the K.I.T.E Way – Kind, Innovative, Trustworthy and Enthusiastic.

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 August 2022 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.

Expected improvements

Priorities from the last review focused on growing collective capacity to implement the school curriculum in ways that improved outcomes for learners. The school expected to see common understandings among students, their whānau , and teachers about learning progressions; ongoing growth in teacher capability that enabled students to take increasing ownership of their learning; and full enactment of the school’s values, vision, and curriculum to support trends toward equity and excellence.

Findings

The school implement professional learning to support consistent, high-quality teaching practices and to grow learner agency. Strong partnerships with whānau are evident through interviews, newsletters, community involvement, and engagement with Ngāti Hei . The school strengthened the use of te reo Māori and tikanga practices and increased kapa haka participation, embedding a stronger cultural identity across the school. Leadership continues to prioritise the development of a rich and varied curriculum that reflects the school’s values and vision and promotes equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners.

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? Learners have sufficient opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum. There is an increasingly 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? 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 reasonably 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 is improving its reporting 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 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 small majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are not yet equitable for all groups of learners.

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

Mathematics A small majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are not yet 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 small 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.

Chronic absence is not yet 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 is developing 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 not extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.

The school is not 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

Students learn in caring, respectful and inclusive environments where they actively participate in their learning and demonstrate a strong sense of belonging and pride in their school.

Learners confidently set and achieve goals that are meaningful to them, demonstrating increasing ownership of their learning.

Leaders, staff, and the Whenuakite School Board maintain a strong focus on meeting the needs of all students by providing programmes that effectively support learning and wellbeing.

Leadership is collaborative, seeking and valuing feedback from staff and the wider school community to inform decisions that enhance teaching and learning.

Leaders and teachers work cohesively to implement structured and coherent approaches to the teaching of literacy and mathematics.

The school’s curriculum reflects local contexts, affirms learners’ identities, and promotes engagement in learning.

Regular communication from leadership, supported by ongoing professional learning opportunities, builds the collective capability of staff.

Key priorities

Meet attendance targets using the school’s attendance management plan to inform future actions.

Increase the rates of progress for all groups of students in reading, writing and mathematics.

Strengthen the analysis and use of achievement information to accelerate student progress.

Teachers inquire into their practice to evaluate the impact of their actions on student progress.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within three months:

Leaders and teachers identify students requiring attendance support and use the attendance management plan to guide targeted actions that strengthen engagement

Teachers target identified learners and use deliberate strategies to accelerate their progress in reading, writing, and mathematics

Every six months:

Leaders, teachers and the school Board monitor progress against attendance targets and share key insights with families and whānau to strengthen collective responsibility for improvement

Leaders and teachers review the progress of identified target learners and develop further strategies that support accelerated learning

Annually:

Leaders and teachers review and strengthen the attendance plan strategies and work with parents and whānau to address ongoing barriers to regular attendance

Leaders review schoolwide teaching and learning practices to determine further professional development for staff

Leaders evaluate and report to the school board on student achievement and accelerated progress in reading, writing and mathematics to inform ongoing strategic planning for improvement.

Expected outcomes

Improved and sustained rates of regular attendance meet or exceed the Government target.

Increased levels of achievement and equity enable student success.

Strengthened evaluation practices improve outcomes for students.

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

18 May 2026

Read this report on ero.govt.nz →