Hastings Boys’ High School

School Evaluation 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

Hastings Boys’ High School is a secondary school for boys in Years 9 to 13. The school roll of 795 includes 48% of students who identify as Māori, 34% Pākehā/New Zealand European, 23% Pacific and 8% Asian. The school is guided by its Ākina Man values: Ngākau Aroha|Empathy, Whakaute | Respect, Ngākau Tapatahi | Integrity, and Hihiri | Diligence. Over recent years there has been change in the school’s leadership. A new principal was appointed during 2024.

The school offers academic qualifications pathways in National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) which includes a building academy, and the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) in Year 11.

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

Expected improvements

Hastings Boys’ High School focused on evaluating the extent the school was meeting students' cultural identities and learning needs, thereby strengthening student success and achievement with equity and excellence for Māori and Pacific students.

Findings

The school has made some progress. Following leadership changes since the last report, the school has refined its focus to a strategic and collaborative approach to school improvement. This has positively influenced school culture and established a foundation for consistency of student engagement and achievement throughout the school.

What we know about learner success 

This section provides a summary of learner success, wellbeing and foundation school conditions, including any education in Rumaki/Reo Rua settings. The judgments are based on the ERO School Improvement Framework and evidence provided to ERO during the evaluation.

Learner success and wellbeing

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing.

• A large majority of students enter the school well below the expected curriculum levels and make significant progress over Years 9 and 10. By the end of Year 10 a large majority of students are achieving at or above expected curriculum levels in literacy and a small majority in numeracy. The school is yet to achieve equitable outcomes for all Year 9 and 10 students.
• Most Year 11 students enter NCEA, however, less than half achieve NCEA Level 1 as they are yet to meet the literacy and numeracy requirements. Additionally, a fifth of Year 11 students enter IGCSE and almost all achieve this. 
• A large majority of students in Years 12 and 13 achieve NCEA Levels 2 and 3; less than half of students achieve University Entrance. The school is yet to achieve equitable outcomes for all groups of students in Years 11 to 13.
• Students report that they value a strong sense of belonging and support throughout the school, and that they enjoy a wide variety of learning and extra-curricular opportunities.
• The school is not yet meeting the Government’s target for regular attendance with less than half of students attending school regularly. Regular attendance is improving and remains a priority for the school.

Conditions to support learner success

This section provides a summary of leadership, teaching, curriculum and foundation school conditions for improvement.

• Leaders model strong relational practices in their developing of consistent evidence-based processes to support continuous improvement for all students. 
• Leaders prioritise professional learning for staff that focuses on consistency of evidence-based, responsive teaching practice to improve outcomes for all students.
• Leaders strengthen relational trust and collaboration across all levels of the school community to achieve the strategic vision and improvement goals.

• Students experience a curriculum that provides a wide range of learning opportunities for students’ interests and promotes engagement in learning.
• Students benefit from settled, respectful classrooms with most teachers using evidence-based teaching strategies tailored to support students’ different needs.
• Students are well supported through planned transitions into, within and beyond school contributing to a strong sense of belonging and support for their post-school pathways.

• The Hastings Boys’ High School Board actively represents and serves the school and community in its stewardship role with sustainability of student and staff wellbeing, and student progress and achievement being key priorities.
• The school’s vision and values, embracing both the school’s tradition and current and future opportunities, are evident in all aspects of the school, underpinning decision making and actions of leaders, staff and students.
• Evidenced-based support systems and interventions are increasingly effective in targeting additional learning and pastoral care to students who require it.
• Leaders, staff and students recognise, value and increasingly cater for the diverse identities, languages and cultures of students, whānau and the community. 

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 identifies key priorities and actions for improvement.

Key priorities

• Strengthen evidence-based responsive teaching and learning so that all students make progress, achieve well and ensure equitable outcomes. 
• Embed a shared understanding of effective internal evaluation to understand what is working and support ongoing improvement.
• Improve regular attendance.

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within three months:

• leaders and the Board review the attendance plan, identify areas for further improvement and adjust as needed

Within six months:

• evaluate the implementation of the school’s evidence-based responsive teaching framework for all students to measure progress on reducing disparities in achievement
• leaders review and refine current evaluation practices and establish systematic processes across the school

Every six months:

• leaders, teachers and the Board review schoolwide attendance and engagement data to evaluate the impact of strategies aimed at improving regular attendance and student progress and achievement 

Annually:

• leaders evaluate the implementation of evidence-based responsive teaching, identify areas for ongoing improvement and plan for the next year
• the Board and leaders review the effectiveness of strategies for increasing student attendance, progress and achievement across the diversity of the school to guide strategic and annual improvement planning.

Expected outcomes

• A school culture of evaluation where all staff regularly use evidence, including student and community feedback, to refine approaches that drive ongoing improvement for all students.
• All students make progress, achieve well and have equitable outcomes.
• Improved levels of regular attendance.

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

10 April 2026