Harrisville School

Waikato

Harrisville School ERO Report

Education Review Office reviews for Harrisville School in Waikato, New Zealand.

Review 29 August 2025

Latest

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 

​Harrisville School, located in Tuakau, provides education for learners in Years 0 to 6. The roll of 208 includes 30% of students who identify as Māori and 50% Pākehā | New Zealand European students. The remaining students identify as other ethnic groups. The school values are respect | manaakitanga, responsibility | haepapatanga, resilience | manawaroa and build positive relationships | whanaungatanga. 

​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​ 

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? ​Success and progress for all learners is increasing.​ 
What is the quality of teaching and learning? Learners benefit from ​high 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 ​rich​ opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum. 

There is ​a consistent​ focus on supporting learners to gain 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? ​School planning and conditions to support ongoing improvement to the quality of education for learners are well established.​ 
How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing? ​The school successfully 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 ​reports usefully and accurately​ to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress. 

​The school responds well to a wide range 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 65% 

65 to 79% 

80 to 90% 

Over 90% 

Reading 

​Most​ learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. 

Results are ​not yet equitable​ for all groups of learners. 

Writing 

​A large majority of​ learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. 

Results are ​not yet equitable​ for all groups of learners. 

Mathematics 

​Most​ learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. 

Results are ​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 large 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 uses an appropriate approach and reliable practices to find out about achievement against the curriculum.​
  • ​Assessment information is used well 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 ​has​ good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.
  • The school ​has significantly​ improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.
  • The school ​has to some extent​ extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.
  • The school is making progress towards Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and is likely to meet them by 2030. 

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 

  • Almost all students demonstrate a strong sense of belonging, build positive relationships with their teachers and peers, and report feeling safe at school.
  • Teachers and leaders clearly identify learners most at risk of not achieving and provide effective support to accelerate their learning and promote success.
  • Leadership fosters high levels of relational trust and collaborates positively with the school community, working well towards the strategic vision and improvement goals.
  • The Board makes informed decisions about resource allocation to ensure students have equitable learning opportunities.
  • Teachers implement a structured approach to teaching literacy and mathematics across the school, which strengthens students' foundational skills.
  • Students participate in a wide range of meaningful and engaging learning opportunities across the curriculum.
  • Leaders and teachers participate in professional learning that aligns with the school's improvement and strategic goals and enhances their collective ability to meet learner needs.
  • Teachers regularly inquire into and reflect on their practices to drive student progress and achievement. 

Key priorities  

  • Maintain high levels of overall achievement and support students to excel and achieve excellence and increase equitable outcomes for identified groups of learners.
  • Review and refine current assessment and planning practices to align with new curriculum and assessment requirements.
  • Strengthen and embed strategies to increase regular student attendance. 

Actions to bring about improvement 

Every six months: 

  • leaders and teachers extend the analysis of schoolwide data to inform school targets and actions for continuous improvement
  • leaders and teachers engage in ongoing professional learning to strengthen the quality of teaching and assessment practices focused on the school’s improvement goals 

Annually: 

  • leaders and the School Board evaluate and report on the effectiveness of actions to enrich student learning, enable equitable outcomes and improve attendance.  

Expected outcomes 

  • Increased equity and excellence for all learners through a well aligned and embedded curriculum.
  • Increased rates of regular attendance to meet the Government target of 80% of students attending regularly. 

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 some 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 Evaluation 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 (Acting)​ 

​29 August 2025​ 

Read the full report on ero.govt.nz →

ERO report information is sourced from the Education Review Office.