Waterview School

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 

Waterview School provides education for approximately 300 learners in Years 1 to 6. The school’s community is diverse with 27% of learners of Pacific descent and 14% identifying as Māori.

The school’s vision of Growing as Learners Together is supported by four core values of Successful | Angitu, Responsible | Kawenga, Friendly | Whakahoahoa and Respectful | Whakaute.  

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 January 2023 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.

Expected improvements

The school focused on evaluating how well culturally responsive practice supports the wellbeing of all learners and raises their achievement.

The school expected to see learners develop a strong sense of their cultural identity that supports their engagement and active participation. The school also expected to see staff consistently using culturally responsive teaching practices to create an inclusive environment where all students achieve and experience success in the learning process.

Findings 

The school has made significant progress with this focus. Ongoing consultation with whānau, staff and learners has informed the development of seven principles of Culturally Responsive Practice (CRP). Learner voice has been central, providing the narrative to unpack each principle. Effective professional learning and targeted readings support staff understanding and implementation. The principles are embedded in teacher planning and visible across the school. Learner voice shows that students are valued for who they are and have a strong sense of belonging. Ongoing review and reflection continue to strengthen how the individual principles of CRP are enacted across the school. 

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 1 to 6

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.

• The small majority 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 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 to some extent 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 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

• Positive, empowering relationships between learners and teachers foster a strong sense of belonging, wellbeing and self-belief. Students are well supported to be active participants in their learning and speak confidently about their learning goals.
• Learners requiring additional support are promptly identified, with targeted interventions implemented to address needs and reduce barriers to learning.
• A strategic, experienced and responsive leadership team ensure school planning and conditions support high expectations for all learners.
• A highly collaborative culture among all staff drives rich, reflective conversations about teaching and learning outcomes.
• Professional learning is well aligned to school priorities and effectively supports teacher capability and practice.
• Ongoing consultation and effective communication with whānau build strong, reciprocal and trusting partnerships that enable shared decision-making and reflect community aspirations.
• Structured literacy is embedded in the junior school and is being implemented in Years 4 to 6. Implementation of the refreshed mathematics and English curriculum is well underway across the school.
• The school’s strategic focus on improving attendance positively impacts regular student attendance. Regular attendance has significantly improved since the last ERO review. 

Key priorities

• Improve equitable achievement outcomes for all learners with a particular focus on mathematics.
• Embed schoolwide internal evaluation systems to guide strategic decisions and drive continuous improvement.
• Further improve regular attendance for all learners.

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within three months:

• leaders design a schoolwide approach to evaluation, formalising existing practices
• leaders and teachers identify groups of learners who are at risk of underachieving and plan targeted actions at school, team and classroom levels
• leaders and the Board review existing attendance initiatives and plan next steps 

Every six months:

• leaders and teaching staff engage in professional learning to further grow their knowledge and skills in delivering the refreshed literacy and mathematics curriculum
• leaders and teachers use student progress and achievement data to evaluate the effectiveness of initiatives to accelerate progress, adjusting these where needed
• leaders monitor attendance trends and outcomes, planning next steps to respond to evidence

Annually:

• leaders report on achievement and attendance information to the Board, sharing next steps and emerging priorities with the school community
• leaders review and refine schoolwide evaluation systems in consultation with staff.

Expected outcomes

• Increasingly equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners.
• Embedded schoolwide evaluation systems driving continuous improvement in learner outcomes.
• Improved rates of regular attendance for all learners.

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

3 February 2026