Wa Ora Montessori

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.

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

Wā Ora Montessori located in Naenae, Lower Hutt provides education for learners from six years of age until Year 13. Of the 251 learners enrolled, 63% identify as Pākehā/New Zealand European, 20% as Asian and 11% as Māori.

The special character of the school, based on the Montessori philosophy underpins the approach to the learning, growth and development of each student. The school’s values are learning, ecology, generosity of spirit and a mutually supporting community.

Wā Ora Preschool provides education for learners aged from three to six years on the same site.

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

The school evaluated how effectively interventions and programmes accelerated the progress and achievement of students in writing, with a particular focus on priority learners in the primary and early adolescent areas.

Findings

Overall, progress in writing for Years 2 to 9 has stabilised but has not improved over time. Disparity between boys’ and girls’ achievement has continued with girls achieving better than boys. Schoolwide professional development in writing in supports teachers to review and strengthen their professional practice. Further professional development in structured writing and use of aligned assessments to support more targeted teaching and support remains a next step.

What we know about learner success

This section provides a summary of learner success, wellbeing and foundation school conditions, including any education in Rumaki/Reo Rua settings. The judgments are based on the ERO School Improvement Framework and evidence provided to ERO during the evaluation.

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%

Learner success and wellbeing

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing.

A large majority of learners increasingly experience success, progress and wellbeing

• Most learners in Years 1 to 10 achieve at or above expected levels for mathematics, a large majority achieve at or above for reading and a small majority achieve at or above for writing.
• Almost all learners achieve literacy and numeracy National Certificate of Education Achievement (NCEA) co-requisites at Year 11.
• Almost all students achieve NCEA Level 2 and a large majority of students achieve NCEA Level 3. A small majority achieve University Entrance (UE). Achievement outcomes are equitable for Māori and Pacific learners.
• Students appreciate the school’s special character and express a strong sense of inclusion and belonging.
• A large majority of students attend school regularly. Regular attendance is improving. A suitable Attendance Management Plan is in place and improving attendance remains a priority for school leaders and the Wā Ora Montessori School Board.

Conditions to support learner success

This section provides a summary of leadership, teaching, curriculum and foundation school conditions for improvement.

Leaders set and pursue clear improvement goals to enhance student outcomes

• Leaders use appropriate evidence to plan and monitor the school’s strategic improvement cycle and systematically evaluate the effectiveness of strategies to increase learner success and wellbeing.
• Well-paced change management processes contribute to a shared sense of professional purpose and relational trust; staff, whānau and student views and feedback guide curriculum developments and teaching approaches.

Students benefit from good quality teaching practices and a responsive curriculum that supports their engagement and progress in learning

• Structured literacy and mathematics programmes increasingly engage primary students in learning; more focused strategies for middle and senior students use a range of rich local contexts making learning relatable and purposeful.
• Teachers are improving their use of assessment information to better plan and target their professional practice. Accelerating the achievement of target groups is an ongoing next step.
• Teachers set clear expectations, create settled respectful learning environments to effectively support students to build skills and confidence in their learning.

School systems and processes to support student outcomes are well aligned and embedded, clearly communicated and well understood

• Programmes and practices to promote student wellbeing, inclusion and confidence in their identity and culture are woven through learning programmes and the wider curriculum.
• Leaders, staff and the school community give effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and work with Māori whānau and mana whenua to support and promote te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and te ao Māori.
• The Wā Ora Montessori School Board effectively represents, serves and works collaboratively with the school’s community to develop the strategic direction, improvement priorities and goals related to learning, wellbeing and achievement.

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 identifies key priorities and actions for improvement.

Key priorities

• Strengthen and sustain the explicit teaching of structured writing across the school to accelerate progress and increase equitable outcomes for all learners including those that require targeted support and teaching.
• Implement new assessment tools and processes to provide useful and accurate achievement information and identify learning goals to fine tune teaching and learning programmes.
• Further improve and sustain high rates of regular attendance.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within six months:

• leaders report to the school Board on the ongoing impact of teacher’s professional development and writing programmes on improving learning, including the accelerated progress of learners receiving targeted support
• leaders keep the school Board well informed about the implementation of new assessment tools and strategies

Every six months:

• leaders report to the Board on the ongoing impact of targeted teacher professional development and the impact of writing programmes on improving learning, including the acceleration of achievement for learners receiving targeted support
• the Board and leaders review and report on the impact of attendance planning and if needed, make changes to better target these strategies and actions to further lift and sustain high attendance

Annually:

• leaders and the Board analyse and report on the impact of strengthened teacher practice on schoolwide achievement in writing before setting annual improvement targets
• leaders and teachers analyse the impact of the new assessment tools and use this information in strategic planning for teaching and learning
• leaders, teacher and the Board analyse and report on the impact of attendance planning to set annual attendance priorities.

Expected outcomes

• Consistent, high-quality teaching in writing accelerates progress, achievement and increased equity in learner outcomes.
• Assessment tools and practices are used in deliberate and strategic ways so that they are useful and accurate, enabling teachers to teach more effectively and leaders to gauge how well students are achieving and what they need to learn next.
• Sustained, high rates of regular student attendance.

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