Waitara 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

Waitara Central School provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. The roll is 141. Approximately 70% of students are Māori and 30% Pākeha/New Zealand European. The school’s vision is Connecting the hearts and minds of our rangatahi and mokopuna. The school values are Maia-Confidence, Kaha-Courageous, Manaaki-Compassionate, Pākiki-Curious

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 developing and using a shared approach to teacher inquiry to make positive differences to learner outcomes. The school expected to see improved learning outcomes, the teaching team developing their teaching knowledge and whānau who were actively engaged in their child’s learning. 

Findings 

The school made good progress and now uses a schoolwide teacher inquiry approach. Teaching staff work together to identify and respond to the strengths and needs of their learners and use increasingly consistent schoolwide approaches to learning. Learners make progress and achievement, and attendance have improved. Whānau actively engage in school events and are provided with ongoing information about their child’s learning.

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 0 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 is developing a suitable plan 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 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

• Effective school leadership has built strong relational trust amongst the teaching team to create a collective responsibility to drive school improvement.
• Strong school culture, immersed in tikanga and te ao Māori, and expressed through well-known values, is in place. Learners have a strong sense of belonging and enjoy learning within an inclusive community of care.
• Teaching staff have high expectations of every learner. Teachers work together to use consistent ways of teaching, and they adapt learning to provide for a range of learning needs.
• Regular attendance rates have recently improved due to strategic focus and the identification and removal of a range of barriers to school attendance. 

Key priorities

• Regularly and clearly analyse student progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics with a particular focus on boy’s writing.
• Use schoolwide learning data to identify trends and track progress for groups of learners over time.
• Investigate and implement ways of developing student ownership of learning (student agency) so that all learners know how to achieve their next steps.
• Sustain structured literacy approaches and embed the schoolwide structured mathematics approach.
• Engage in targeted professional learning to fully implement the mathematics and English curriculum requirements.
• Take further action to improve attendance rates. 

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within six months:

• the School Board implements its attendance plan to improve attendance
• leaders and teachers engage in relevant professional development to fully implement the new mathematics and English curriculum requirements

Every six months:

• leaders and the School Board consult with their community and use the information to inform decision making
• leaders provide to the School Board achievement and progress information for groups of learners in reading, writing, and mathematics
• leaders provide attendance information to the School Board detailing the strategies that are working to improve attendance

Annually:

• leaders and teachers evaluate literacy and mathematics programmes, including professional learning and classroom resources to understand their impact on learners and decide next steps
• leaders and teachers assess what is working to build student agency and identify areas to improve
• the School Board shares progress and achievement information in reading, writing, and mathematics with the community
• the School Board reports on attendance trends to their community and reviews the attendance plan.

Expected outcomes

• Improvements in attendance, achievement, progress and wellbeing for all learners.
• Improved outcomes for boys in writing.
• Learners understand their next steps and can clearly explain how they take ownership of their learning. 

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

8 October 2025