Waimarama 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 

Waimarama School, located in the coastal setting of Waimārama, provides education to students in Years 1 to 6. The school’s current roll is 23, and most learners are Māori. A Limited Statutory Manager (LSM) was appointed to the school in November 2023, and a new School Board was formed during 2024. The LSM supported the Board in employment, finances and communication functions and to establish policies and procedures. This role shifted to specialist help in June 2025. A new principal was appointed at the start of Term 2, 2025.

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

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 8

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 a third of learners attend school regularly.
• The school is significantly behind the target of 80% regular attendance.
• The school is yet to have 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 improving its approach and the reliability of its practices to accurately find out about achievement against the curriculum.
• Teachers are developing 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 principal, new to the school, is addressing the lack of progress and achievement information.
• The school is developing good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.
• The school has no data to show improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.
• The school has no data to show improved achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.
• The school is not 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

• A recently appointed principal is purposeful in leading learner-focused change, giving priority to the delivery of teaching and assessment practices that align to The New Zealand curriculum.
• Teachers know their students well; students learn in a positive and affirming environment that acknowledges and celebrates their cultural identity and individual strengths.
• Students benefit from explicit instruction in reading, writing and mathematics that is adapted to meet their needs and abilities within multi-level classrooms; further developing teacher expertise in teaching structured literacy and mathematics is an identified next step.
• The school has a reciprocal relationship with the local marae that enhances the practices of Waimaramatanga - tikanga and kawa- that is significant to the local hapū.

Key priorities

• Improve regular attendance.
• Use reliable assessment tools and strategies to gather student achievement information.
• Improve student progress and achievement including for those students who require acceleration in their learning.
• Share accurate information on student progress and achievement with whānau, the School Board and the school community.
• Strengthen the quality of teaching to effectively deliver and assess structured approaches in literacy and mathematics, and the English and mathematics curriculum.

Actions to bring about improvement

Within three months:

• the School Board and leaders work the school community to develop and implement a suitable attendance plan to improve regular attendance
• staff begin professional learning to increase capacity in the delivery and assessment of structured approaches to the teaching of literacy and mathematics

Termly:

• leaders and teacher review attendance improvement actions, share updates with the School Board and the school community, and adjust plans as needed to improve regular attendance 

Within six months:

• leaders review current processes to ensure appropriate approaches to assessment and moderation processes are in place and that data is being used to guide classroom practices
• leaders and teachers collect, analyse and use robust assessment data to inform teaching practice across the curriculum

Every six months:

• leaders and teachers review how current approaches support learners' achievement in reading, writing, and mathematics and appropriately respond to their learning needs and take steps to maintain progress
• leaders report to the School Board and whānau on progress and achievement of tamariki within 
  The New Zealand Curriculum, using a range of reliable data and processes to ensure accuracy of the information 

Annually:

• leaders and the School Board work together to evaluate learners progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics and identify improvement priorities to guide strategic and annual planning
• leaders and the School Board evaluate patterns in attendance for all learners, use this information to identify next steps to continue to increase rates of regular attendance.

Expected outcomes

• Improved rates of regular attendance.
• Increasing numbers of learners achieve at or above expected curriculum levels in literacy and mathematics including improvement for those learners at risk of not achieving.
• Accurate assessment information that is shared with whānau, School Board and the community.

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

No

Actions for Compliance 

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

• ensure safety checking processes for staff appointments contain sufficient records of identity and background checks and ensure that risk assessment is undertaken and recorded
  [Education and Training Act 2020 s104, Children’s Act 2014]
• use good quality assessment information to report to each student at the school and their parents on student’s progress and achievement
  [Education (School Boards) Amendment Regulation 2022 regulation 21]
• monitor and evaluate boards own performance against planning documents
  [Education (School Planning and Reporting) Regulations, 2023 s. 639]
• ensure records of discipline procedures are maintained as evidence that processes are followed.
  [Education and Training Act 2020 section 78-89]

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

Recommendation to the Ministry of Education 

ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education continues with specialist help so that:

• the School Board fully understands its roles and responsibilities
• the principal is supported to make the necessary changes for high quality teaching and learning. 

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 (Acting)

17 September 2025