Horowhenua College

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

Horowhenua College in Levin provides education for students in Years 9 to 13. The roll in 2025 was 958. 35% of students identify as Māori, 20% of Pacific heritage, and 10% identify as Asian. The remaining students are New Zealand European/Pakeha. 

Rangitahi Ora provides learning for Māori learners within the school context through te reo Māori, tikanga and mātauranga Māori. The school’s vision is to grow successful young adults aligned with the values; striving to be responsible, build relationships and be successful.

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

Expected improvements

Horowhenua College evaluated how well student voice positively impacts on teaching, learner outcomes and decision making.

The school expected to see students engaged with their learning and benefiting from a relevant and responsive curriculum, teachers seeking authentic student voice and responding in relevant ways to better meet the needs of their diverse learners and strengthen whānau partnership to help students with decision making.

Findings

Some progress has been made. Leaders worked on building greater connectedness of systems and people to drive improved outcomes for students. The school is yet to see a sustained and measurable impact on attendance, progress and achievement for students based on changes in curriculum and teaching approach. 

Teachers had a range of professional learning in Culturally Responsive Restorative Practice, Trauma-Informed Practice and Universal Design for Learning. The school continue to work on the consistency of delivery of professional learning in the classroom. 

The school collects data in reading, writing and mathematics at Year 9 and reading and mathematics at Year 10. Leaders are developing their use of data to inform decision making and measure impact. Data analysis, setting targets for groups of students and evaluating the impact of interventions will support teachers to better meet the needs of diverse students.

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.

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%

Learner success and wellbeing

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing.

The school is working towards improving student attendance, progress and achievement.

• Less than a third of students achieve or exceed the expected curriculum level in reading, writing and mathematics when they start in Year 9. Less than a third of Year 10 students achieve or exceed the expected curriculum level in mathematics, less than half of students achieve or exceed the expected curriculum level in reading.
• Less than half of students achieve National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 1.
• A small majority achieve NCEA Level 2 and less than half achieve NCEA Level 3. Less than a third of students achieve University Entrance (UE).
• Achievement is not yet equitable for Māori and Pacific students. Māori students who participate in the Rangatahi Ora programme achieve equitable outcomes at NCEA Level 1, 2 and 3.
• Less than half of students attend school regularly. Regular attendance and chronic absence are not yet improving. Most students in Rangatahi Ora attend school regularly. 

Conditions to support learner success

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

Strengthening leadership to bring about improvement is a priority. 

• Leaders are establishing systems and processes to support school improvement; however, they are yet to set and pursue appropriate improvement focused goals and targets informed evidence and data.
• Leaders implement a range of programmes and interventions designed to drive improved outcomes for all students and now need to evaluate the impact of actions and plan next steps.
• Leaders provide appropriate and timely support for beginning teachers and teachers new to teaching in New Zealand. 

Leaders and teachers are establishing a responsive curriculum and working towards quality teaching across the school.

• Leaders and teachers are beginning to update the school curriculum to align with the revised New Zealand Curriculum with a focus on literacy and numeracy and prepare for changes in senior qualifications.
• Students have access to a variety of pathways to support success including a Services Academy, Trades Academy and Gateway, as well as a Horticulture Academy.
• Teachers are beginning to use some evidence to adapt lessons for diverse learner needs. Students with additional learning needs are identified and given support.

Leaders and the Board are establishing systems, structures and practices to develop the school conditions required to improve student outcomes.

• The Horowhenua College Board have identified the need to use evidence to drive strategic priorities and decision-making.
• A large pastoral team take collective responsibility to student wellbeing, placing emphasis on student voice and trauma-informed practices for planning and decision making.
• Strong learning relationships and high expectations, supported by strong whānau connections, foster a sense of belonging, engagement and improved achievement for Māori students participating in Rangatahi Ora.
• Leaders need to strengthen evaluation capability to help bring about improvement. Further development of an evidence-based improvement plan is urgently needed to improve student outcomes.

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

The school develop an evidence-based improvement plan to: 

• Improve and sustain regular attendance for all learners.
• Accelerate progress and raise achievement in reading, writing, and mathematics for Years 9 and 10 students.
• Implement a coherent, updated curriculum aligned with the revised New Zealand Curriculum and senior qualification changes, with a strong focus on numeracy and literacy.
• Build leaders evaluation capability to effectively use data to measure the impact of initiatives and use this information to guide strategic and annual planning for improvement. 

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within three months:

• leaders and the school Board develop and implement an improvement plan with timeframes and actions for implementation and regular review of progress
• leaders develop and implement an attendance plan aligned with the Stepped Attendance Response, with clear steps to meet the Government’s 2030 regular attendance goal
• teachers and leaders analyse Years 9 and 10 student data to identify gaps and set measurable improvement targets for reading, writing and mathematics
• leaders and the Board prepare the 2026 annual implementation plan with measurable goals and targets for attendance, progress and achievement that reflect the school’s improvement priorities

Within six months:

• leaders begin to engage in professional learning on using data for evaluation and strategic planning
• leaders finalise curriculum update plan to align with revised New Zealand Curriculum prioritising literacy and numeracy expectations
• teachers embed literacy and numeracy expectations across all subject areas set targeted interventions for students below expected curriculum levels
• leaders review and strengthen processes for gathering teaching quality data; ensure professional learning is applied in practice and provide feedback to teachers

Every six months:

• leaders review attendance data, evaluate impact of actions and adjust strategies to improve regular attendance, report progress to the Board
• teachers and leaders evaluate the impact of literacy and numeracy programmes on student outcomes; adjust strategies as needed
• leaders across the school monitor curriculum changes, particularly the focus on literacy and numeracy, and their impact on accelerating Years 9 and 10 progress
• leaders and the Board assess how evaluation practices are influencing decision-making and identify further professional learning needs 

Annually:

• the Board and leaders evaluate strategies to increase regular attendance toward government targets; identify barriers, next steps and share with the school community
• leaders review overall impact of teaching and curriculum changes on student progress, engagement and achievement; use findings to inform strategic planning
• leaders and the Board evaluate the effectiveness of current programmes and interventions, identify areas for improvement to inform strategic priorities and annual planning.

Expected outcomes

• Improved and sustained levels of regular attendance.
• Improved achievement and equitable outcomes for all students; students below expected curriculum levels make accelerated progress through targeted interventions.
• An updated curriculum is embedded, and literacy and numeracy expectations are consistently applied across all learning areas.
• Teachers use evidence-based strategies, supported by feedback and professional learning; teaching becomes more consistent and responsive to diverse learner needs.
• Leaders and the Board use data-driven evaluation to monitor, measure and evaluate the impact of initiatives and to inform strategic and annual planning 

Recommendation to the Ministry of Education 

ERO recommends that the Secretary for Education consider intervention for an action plan as listed in section 171(1) of the Education and Training Act 2020 in order to bring about the following improvements:

• leaders’ capability to make data informed decisions to guide strategic and annual planning
• improving attendance and raising achievement.

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

11 March 2026