Wairakei 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 

Wairakei School is in the Wairakei Village, a few kilometres north of Taupō, and provides education for students in Years 1 to 6. The school has 322 students with 72% New Zealand European|Pākehā, 19% Māori and 9% of other ethnic backgrounds. The school’s vision, educate students with POWER to be confident learners, and its goal of Rising to Success are supported by the values of Pride, Opportunity, Whānau, Excellence, and Respect.

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

Expected improvements

The school focused on improving assessment practice, strengthening consistent and effective teaching in writing and deepening partnerships with whānau, hapū, and iwi to achieve equity and excellence for all learners.

Findings 

The school strengthened its assessment practice by retraining staff in the Progress and Consistency Tool (PaCT) and moderation, revising the assessment schedule. It improved writing through targeted professional development, structured literacy, and curriculum‑linked initiatives. Teaching practice was further enhanced through coaching and shared learning. The school also rebuilt strong connections with the wider community following COVID. 

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?The school is working towards high levels of success and progress for all learners.What is the quality of teaching and learning?Learners benefit from good 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?The school is establishing planning and conditions that support improvements in the quality of education for learners.How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing?The school reasonably 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 SafetyThe school board is taking reasonable steps to ensure student health and safety.

Achievement in 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.

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 small majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

Writing

Less than half of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

Mathematics

A small 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 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 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.
• 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.

• The school is developing 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 and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau 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 peers. 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.
• Students needing additional support are clearly identified and an appropriate range of interventions and supports are offered.  
• Teachers know learners well and use structured teaching practices in reading, writing and mathematics. within orderly, inclusive learning environments where learners are well supported to engage and apply new learning.
• A new Leadership team use data to inform decisions for change and improvement, fostering a culture of quality teaching equity and excellent learner outcomes, strengthening relational trust and collaboration across the school.
• The Wairakei School Board and staff work in strong partnership with the local marae, actively building relationships that support the school’s strategic priorities and learner success. 

Key priorities

• Sustain and further improve current gains in regular attendance by monitoring and analysing patterns of attendance.
• Strengthen assessment for learning practices and processes so leaders and teachers systematically evaluate the impact of teaching on learner progress and achievement.
• Use high‑quality assessment information to improve teaching and learning, and accurately report outcomes for each learner.
• Embed structured literacy, mathematics, and other teaching practices that promote high‑quality teaching and learning.
• Evaluate the impact of recent curriculum changes on learner outcomes.

Actions to bring about improvement 

Every six months:

• leaders and the school Board analyse learner’ attendance, progress and achievement information to inform next steps and respond to any disparity in outcome for groups of learners
• leaders and teachers monitor the consistency of teaching and learning approaches in reading, writing and mathematics for alignment with curriculum and assessment requirements

Annually:

• the school Board reviews the impact of strategies to improve regular attendance and uses the findings to guide strategic decisions
• the school Board, leaders and teachers evaluate the impact of changes made to the school curriculum and use of data on achievement in literacy and mathematics.

Expected outcomes

• Regular student attendance meeting or exceeding the Government target.
• Student progress and achievement is sustained, improved and equitable.
• Consistent schoolwide assessment and evaluation practices to understand the impact of the curriculum and teaching on learner outcomes and inform planning and strategic decision making.

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

1 May 2026