Colwill School Massey

School Report

ERO recommends the Ministry of Education provide tailored support to bring about the following improvements: ERO recommends the Ministry of Education provide tailored support to bring about the following improvements:

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 

Colwill School Massey is a state, co-educational full primary school that provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. The current roll is 263; 28% of learners identify as Māori, 17% identify as Asian, and 51% are of Pacific heritage. The school’s vision, Learn to Live, promotes confident, respectful, and independent learners. This vision is supported by the school’s core values: Kind (Atawhai), Caring (Manaaki), and Careful (Tūpato).

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

Expected improvements 

Colwill School Massey focused on evaluating how effectively professional development initiatives contribute to responsive teaching, a holistic curriculum and excellent and equitable outcomes for all learners.

Findings 

Teachers strengthened assessment practices through school-wide workshops and Kāhui Ako moderation, leading to some improved teaching and learning. Professional development supported the school’s transition to innovative learning environments, with some spaces reconfigured to better meet student and teacher needs. 

Strengthening partnerships with whānau and the wider community remains a priority to re-establish meaningful engagement and ensure community voice informs school planning.

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.

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.

Attendance

This section is about school attendance and the progress the school is making towards meeting the Government target of 80% regular attendance.

• Less than half of learners attend school regularly.
• 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

This section is about how the school assesses learner progress and achievement.

• The school uses an appropriate approach and reliable practices to find out about achievement against the curriculum.
• Teachers are developing 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 not 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 and 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

• Student wellbeing is actively promoted through a positive school culture, pastoral care systems, and responsive support for individual needs.
• The school demonstrates a commitment to inclusion, ensuring all students feel respected, valued, and supported to succeed.
• Relational trust is evident in the respectful relationships among staff and students, fostering a collaborative culturally responsive learning environment.
• Teachers work in cohesive, collaborative teams, using co-teaching and shared inquiry to strengthen practice and improve learner outcomes.
• The schools board provides effective governance, aligning strategic planning and resourcing with the school’s vision and improvement for learning. 

Key priorities 

• Improve regular attendance, ensuring all students are present and engaged in learning.
• Ensure consistent high quality teaching practices schoolwide focused on improved achievement outcomes for all learners in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Enhance school wide assessment approaches through improved data collection, progress tracking, and targeted monitoring of all learner groups.
• Develop partnerships with whānau and iwi for shared decision-making and continuous improvement.

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within three months:

• school leaders and the board develop and implement strategic and annual planning to prioritise improvement in reading, writing and mathematics for all groups of students
• school leaders implement targeted actions to improve regular attendance

Within six months: 

• leaders review and refine the teaching observation framework to ensure consistency and promote high-quality, school-wide teaching practices focused on continuous improvement 

Every six months:

• school leaders systematically analyse attendance data to identify trends and priority groups, and plan next steps for improvement
• curriculum leaders and teachers use achievement data to monitor progress, adjust target groups, and adapt teaching strategies to accelerate learner outcomes
• school leaders strengthen partnerships by creating meaningful opportunities to engage with whānau and iwi 

Annually:

• school leaders and the Board monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of attendance initiatives and share next step with the school community
• leaders and teachers systematically review and refine school-wide teaching practices to ensure consistency and high quality
• curriculum leaders report achievement outcomes in reading, writing, and mathematics to the Board to guide decision making
• school leaders and the board evaluate existing partnerships and identify further opportunities to engage with whānau and iwi.

Expected outcomes 

• Improved regular attendance towards the government target.
• Consistent teaching and learning practices supported by a rich curriculum, and robust assessment practices embedded schoolwide.
• Increased overall achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Partnerships with whānau and iwi are embedded to strengthen collaboration and improve learner outcomes.

Regulatory and legislative requirements

This section of the report is about how the school meets regulatory and legislative requirements. This includes the provision of education for international students. 

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

Provision for International Students 

This section is about the quality of the provision of education for international students enrolled at the school.

Findings

The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020. The school  has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.

No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.

Recommendation to the Ministry of Education

ERO recommends the Ministry of Education provide tailored support to bring about the following improvements:

• improved levels of student attendance, achievement and engagement. 

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

4 December 2025