Waihi Central 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

Waihi Central School provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. Of the 102 learners on the current roll, 50% are New Zealand European/Pākehā, 41% identify as Māori, with a small number of learners from a range of ethnic backgrounds.

The Waihi Central School Board appointed a new principal in Term 3, 2024.

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 focused on evaluating how effectively strengthened schoolwide literacy teaching practices improved literacy outcomes for learners. 

The school expected to see teachers refining their practice in response to student achievement information, professional learning and collaborative inquiry. The school also expected to see deliberate and effective teaching practices resulting in improved literacy outcomes for all learners.

Findings 

The school has made some progress. Ongoing professional learning strengthened structured approaches to literacy and grown the consistency of teaching practices schoolwide. Teachers collaborate effectively to grow their practice and plan together. At the time of the review, the impact of these initiatives on achievement outcomes was unclear. Whole school achievement and progress information was unavailable, meaning that evaluation of the impact on student outcomes is not possible.

What we know about learner success

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing. The judgments are based on the ERO78 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.

• Less than half of learners attend school regularly.
• The school is behind the target of 80% regular attendance.
• The school is developing a suitable plan 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 is not yet using an appropriate approach or reliable practices to accurately find out about achievement against the curriculum.
• Teachers are developing their use of 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.

• School leadership was unable to provide ERO with an analysis of schoolwide achievement information over time to show the extent to which learners have made progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The school is unable to identify if they are making progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority. 
• The school does not have good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.

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 benefit from caring and respectful relationships with teachers and peers, building a strong sense of belonging and wellbeing. 
• Local contexts are reflected throughout the curriculum in a way that builds on learners’ experiences, knowledge and understanding.  
• Leadership builds and sustains a high-trust, collaborative staff culture that supports professional growth. 
• Leadership and staff continue to strengthen partnerships with whānau and the wider community, consulting regularly to incorporate valued outcomes into school planning and priorities. 
• Professional learning is well aligned to teacher needs; teachers are committed to professional growth and development. 

Key priorities

• Strengthen staff knowledge and confidence in assessment practices, aligned to the curriculum.
• Implement systems for tracking and analysing learner progress and achievement schoolwide to improve planning and reporting.
• Formalise schoolwide systems for evaluation. 
• Improve regular attendance. 

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within three months:

• leaders and staff implement assessment tools the school will use to measure progress and achievement
• leaders and teachers develop clear, shared benchmarks and expectations for achievement
• develop and implement a targeted Attendance Management Plan

Within six months:

• leaders and teachers use assessment information to inform strategic priorities and identify student progress and achievement targets
• leaders to provide professional learning to further develop consistent staff understanding and use of assessment tools, supporting reliable overall teacher judgements 
• leaders design a schoolwide approach to evaluation, formalising existing practices 

Every six months:

• leaders and teachers moderate progress and achievement data to strengthen confidence and consistency in assessment
• leaders and teachers use student progress and achievement data to evaluate the effectiveness of initiatives to accelerate progress
• leaders monitor attendance trends and outcomes, planning next steps based on evidence and trends

Annually:

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

Expected outcomes

• Consistent and reliable schoolwide assessment practices.
• Reliable progress and achievement information that informs strategic decision making and priorities. 
• Embedded 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

No

Curriculum

Yes

Management of health, safety and welfare

Yes

Personnel management

Yes

Actions for compliance 

ERO has identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

• the Board must have an attendance management plan for its school 
  [Section 137A, Education Amendment Act, 2025]
• evaluate evacuation procedures and report fire drills to Fire and Emergency New Zealand
  [Section 32 Fire and Emergency (Fire Safety, Evacuation, Procedures, and Evacuation Schemes) Regulations 2018].

The Waihi Central School Board has taken steps to address the areas of non-compliance identified above.

Recommendation to the Ministry of Education

ERO has initiated conversations with the Ministry of Education about support to bring about the following improvements:

• Use of mandatory assessment tools to provide reliable student progress and achievement data to inform strategic planning and priorities.

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

5 May 2026