Review 22 April 2026
LatestSchool 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
Horotiu School is located on the banks of the Waikato River north of Kirikiriroa (Hamilton) and provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school has 197 students with 51% Māori, 37% New Zealand European|Pākehā, 5% Asian, 4% Pacific and 3% of other ethnic backgrounds. The school’s vision “Strive together for success” and mission ’Allowing and empowering children to develop who they are now and inspiring them to be the best they can be” is supported by te tongikura, naa Kingi Taawhiao “Ki te kotahi te kaakaho ka whati, ki te kaapuia e kore e whati” and the values of Be a Role-model, Be Respectful and Be an Active Learner.
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 July 2022 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings.
Expected improvements
The school aimed to strengthen its uses of data and evaluation to plan for student learning and improvement. Key goals included listening closely to Māori students and whānau to help shape the curriculum and build a shared understanding of what Māori success looks like. The school wanted to take deliberate steps to support student wellbeing and boost meaningful engagement in learning.
Findings
Since the 2022 profile report, the school strengthened data literacy and evidence-based evaluation through deliberate acts of leadership, purposefully gathered Māori student and whānau voice to inform curriculum and definitions of success as Māori. The school implement targeted actions to improve student wellbeing and engagement through culturally responsive and community-connected practices.
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 sufficient opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum. There is an increasingly consistent focus on supporting learners to gain skills in foundational 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 is improving its reporting to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress. The school is improving its collection and use 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 1 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 64% | 65 to 79% | 80 to 90% | Over 90% |
| Reading | A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more 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 | A large majority of 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 students 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 reducing over time.
Assessment
This section is about how the school assesses learner progress and achievement.
The school is improving its approach and the reliability of its practices to accurately 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
- Learners demonstrate a strong sense of belonging and maintain positive, respectful relationships with their teachers and classmates. The school values are strongly embedded and exhibited. Learners express pride in their school and learning achievements. They participate in a wide range of school activities.
- Student wellbeing is a clear priority and is actively promoted across the school.
- Teachers know learners well. Structured teaching practices in reading, writing and mathematics occurs in orderly, inclusive learning environments. Learners are well supported to engage and apply new learning.
- The curriculum is strongly connected to the local context, fostering cultural links and valuing tikanga, local history and te reo Māori. This ensures learners to see themselves and their culture reflected in their learning and supports engagement and belonging.
- Leadership is highly collaborative and responsive, valuing input from parents and staff to strengthen teaching and learning. Strong communication, relational trust, and well‑established systems create a positive and well‑organised learning environment.
Key priorities
- Sustain and further improve regular attendance.
- Strengthen strategic and annual planning by embedding clear, measurable student‑outcome indicators to evaluate the impact of curriculum, teaching, and improvement actions on learner progress and achievement.
- Align and embed the English and mathematics curriculum, integrating updated assessment practice across teaching and learning programmes.
- Evaluate the impact of improvement strategies on learner progress and achievement, including equity and excellence, and assess the effectiveness of professional learning programmes on teacher practice and student outcomes schoolwide.
Actions to bring about improvement
Every six months:
- leaders track, monitor and review student attendance, adjust strategies as necessary and report to the Board and community
- leaders and teachers monitor the consistency of teaching and learning approaches in reading, writing and mathematics for alignment with curriculum and assessment requirements
- leaders and teachers use progress and achievement data to evaluate the impact of professional learning programmes on student achievement outcomes
Annually:
- the Horotiu School Board evaluate the impact of strategies used to further improve students’ regular attendance to inform decision making about next steps to improve attendance
- the school Board, leaders and teachers evaluate the changes made to the school curriculum and the use of data to enhance achievement in literacy and mathematics
- leaders and teachers evaluate the impact of their professional learning and teaching actions on student outcomes.
Expected outcomes
- Strengthen schoolwide evaluation capability to understand the impact of the curriculum and teaching on learner outcomes and inform planning and strategic decision making.
- Regular attendance meets or exceeds the Government target of 80%.
- Student progress and achievement is sustained, improved and equitable.
- The school curriculum fully aligns with The New Zealand Curriculum and assessment requirements.
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
22 April 2026