Wilford School
Full Primary · State
- Year levels
- 1–8
- Total roll
- 207
- Enrolment zone
- Yes
- Gender
- Co-Educational
Where is it, and how do I get in touch?
- Address
- William Street, Petone, Lower Hutt
- Territorial authority
- Lower Hutt City
- Phone
- 04-5683425
- office@wilford.school.nz
- Directions
- Get directions
Other schools nearby: schools in Wellington Region
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.
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
- Ō Mātou Uara ❘ Our Values:
- Mana: Our inner value. How we feel about ourselves. Our self-confidence. Our strength.
- Āwhina: We are a supporter of others. We help others to succeed.
- Rangatiratanga: We have independence. We show leadership. We foster leadership in others.
- Ako: We are all teachers and learners. We have curiosity. We strive for new knowledge.
Who goes here?
Ethnicity breakdown of the total roll, shown as context. Not ranked, and not compared against any average.
- European
- 138
- Māori
- 51
- Pacific
- 24
- Asian
- 47
- MELAA
- 5
- 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 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 40 |
| Year 02 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 33 |
| Year 03 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 24 |
| Year 04 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 30 |
| Year 05 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 31 |
| Year 06 | 13 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 28 |
| Year 07 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 17 |
| Year 08 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 23 |
| Total | 69 | 35 | 54 | 2 | 0 | 137 | 0 | 226 |
| Māori | Pacific | Asian | MELAA | Other | European/ Pākehā | International students | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age 05 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 37 |
| Age 06 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 34 |
| Age 07 | 5 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 26 |
| Age 08 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 31 |
| Age 09 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 30 |
| Age 10 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 29 |
| Age 11 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
| Age 12 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 24 |
| Age 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Total | 69 | 35 | 54 | 2 | 0 | 137 | 0 | 226 |
Source: Education Counts, Ministry of Education, CC BY 4.0
Student engagement
Age-standardised stand-down rate per 1,000 students — 2024
8.8%
| Wilford School | 8.8% |
|---|---|
| Wellington Region | 24.7% |
| Full Primary | 35.6% |
| State | 40.2% |
| New Zealand | 37.1% |
Trend and demographic breakdown
| Female | 0% |
|---|---|
| Male | 18.6% |
| Māori | 0% |
| Pacific | 54% |
| Asian | 0% |
| Other | 0% |
| European/Pākehā | 0% |
| Total | 8.8% |
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%
| Wilford 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 | 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%
| Wilford 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 | 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)
- 428
- Boarding
- No
- Language of instruction
- Some students taught in te reo Māori
- Urban / rural
- Major urban area
- Date opened
- 25 January 1927
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
- 4
- Last reviewed
- 2 September 2024
- Latest report
- School Evaluation Report
- Report type
- Evaluation report
- Board assurance
- The board attested to all areas (2 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 same report — the board assurance report of 2 September 2024 — also sets out actions for compliance: the non-compliance ERO identified during that process. This is that section of the report in full, in ERO’s words.
ERO and the board have identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
on the basis of good quality assessment information, the board has not received or reported to the school’s community on the progress and achievement of students as a whole or students who are not progressing or at risk of not progressing, including the progress and achievement of Māori students [Regulation 21 of Education (School Boards) Amendment Regulations 2022]
for persons that the board employed or engaged as a paid children worker, the board has not maintained checks to ensure all teachers hold a current registration with the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand [Sections 25, 26 and 27 of the Children’s Act 2014 and regulations 5-8 of the Children’s Regulations 2015]
has documents showing that suitable human resource management practices are implemented. [Section 599 of the Act: Performance of Teachers, Section 600 of the Act: Equal employment opportunities]
The board has since taken steps to address the areas of non-compliance identified.
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 207 — 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.
August 2019
342
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 1 November 2019
February 2018
311
Counted while ERO’s review team was at the school. Education Review Office, report of 6 April 2018
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 2 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
Wilford School is in Petone and provides dual-medium education for students in Years 1 to 8. A new principal and board of trustees have recently been appointed. Over the past year the board has addressed health and safety matters. A Ministry of Education special advisor supports the school with curriculum development in their Rumaki space ( Ngā Puawai ). The school’s values of Mana , Āwhina , Rangatiratanga and Ako support the kaupapa for students to experience success as they learn together as one.
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
Improvements are required to ensure outcomes for learners are equitable and excellent.
Achievement information for Years 1 to 8 shows that a majority of students achieved at or above the expected curriculum levels in reading, writing and mathematics; increasing equity for groups of learners is required, particularly for Māori and Pacific learners.
The majority of learners attend school regularly in relation to the Ministry of Education target, but not consistently for groups of students; the school continues to focus on improving attendance for these groups to reduce inequity of outcome.
Conditions to support learner success
Leadership is taking steps to foster a culture committed to quality teaching and equitable outcomes for learners.
Leaders establish expectations for high quality, evidence-based teaching with staff, and support and monitor their implementation.
Leadership supports and facilitates the ongoing improvement and development of teacher capability for improved learner outcomes.
Leaders have identified greater schoolwide consistency in teacher planning and assessment as areas to be further strengthened.
Teachers are establishing ways to adapt their practice to respond to learners’ strengths and needs.
Learners are supported to engage, inquire and apply new learning within an inclusive, positive learning environment.
Relationships between staff and students are founded on mutual respect and practices promoting student wellbeing, inclusion and engagement in learning.
Teachers are working towards addressing barriers to learning, using data to inform responsive practices that support improved learner outcomes.
Improvements to organisational conditions are establishing a culture of shared responsibility and strategic development.
Schoolwide planning, assessment and reporting are being aligned to promote improved learner wellbeing.
The board is strengthening governance practices to improve accountability for improvement actions focused on learner outcomes and has placed the school well to progress its improvement strategies and dual-medium identity.
Parents and whānau are respected for what they bring to their child’s learning; their views about school improvement are valued; relationships with whānau of children in Ngā Puawai are steadily building to re-engage whānau in school decision-making.
Part B: Where to next?
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
support teachers to further develop consistent and responsive teaching and learning practices with a focus on affirming and meeting the many different learning needs and interests of students
strengthen the use of achievement information to inform responses and teaching practice to improve achievement outcomes for all learners
strengthen whānau engagement and partnership with the school to improve attendance and achievement outcomes.
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows:
Within six months:
use research informed teaching and learning practices to build teacher, student and whānau understanding of how children learn best
continue to work with whānau to be involved in their child’s learning and assist understanding about the importance of regular attendance and the correlation between attendance and academic progress and achievement.
Every six months:
collect, moderate, analyse and use data to report on the progress, attendance and achievement of all learners
review and report on the effectiveness of changes to teaching practice, through teacher observation, collection of learner voice and learner outcomes
meet with whānau to sustain active participation in the planning and decision-making of the school.
Annually:
analyse and report schoolwide achievement data to the board, to strategically plan actions that will improve attendance, achievement and learner outcomes
evaluate identified initiatives that have been most successful in accelerating learner progress
conduct a wellbeing survey with learners to assist with evaluating the extent of engagement and participation in learning.
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
consistently effective and responsive teaching, learning and assessment practices schoolwide, resulting in improved and equitable achievement outcomes for all learners
improved levels of learner attendance and whānau engagement
a shared understanding of how to support learner 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
2 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 4 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).