Mt Cook School (Wellington)

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

Mt Cook School (Wellington) provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8 in Wellington city. Of the 289 learners enrolled, 52% identify as Asian, 15% Māori and 13% European/Pākehā. The school’s values of manaakitanga, belonging and caring, āuahatanga, creative learning and problem-solving, waewae Kai Kapua, kindness and generosity, and Mana Tamariki, self-determination and self-awareness.

The school’s Technology Centre provides specialised technology education for Year 7 and 8 learners from 16 local schools.

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 May 2023 ERO report. It includes an explanation of the expected improvements and findings. 

Expected improvements and findings

ERO and the school have worked together to evaluate how effectively the mathematics programme meets the needs of learners and accelerates their progress in mathematics. 

The leadership team have involved all staff in a consistent collaborative approach to the development of schoolwide expectations and planning for quality teaching practices. 

Schoolwide achievement information is regularly tracked and monitored, enabling well-considered support to be provided for all learners. Levels of achievement in mathematics have improved, and progress has been accelerated for many students.  

Highly supportive whānau are well-informed about the learning and progress of their children. The use of a culturally responsive approach to learning, informed and supported by tangata whenua and whānau, has further strengthened partnerships resulting in the acceleration of many students at risk of not achieving. 

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. 

• 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 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 significantly 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.

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 wide range of initiatives to accelerate students’ learning and enhance their wellbeing and sense of belonging are in place. Responsive learning and support programmes provide targeted support for English Language Learners as they transition into school.
• Leadership fosters a collaborative, mana-enhancing culture which promotes a shared understanding of high-quality teaching practices through ongoing staff inquiry, collegial discussions and targeted initiatives.
• Rich teaching and learning programme reflect the school’s culturally diverse student body and increasingly responds to families/whānau aspirations for their children. Learning programmes meaningfully engage and extend students to follow their interests and use their strengths and knowledge.
• Structured literacy is being well implemented schoolwide and structured mathematics programmes are well-embedded across the school.
• Targeted professional learning builds strong teacher practice that improves student achievement and increases equitable outcomes.

Key priorities

• Implement and embed structured literacy and mathematics.
• Strengthen student engagement, equity of achievement, and accelerate the achievement of target learners.
• Align teaching and learning programmes to reflect the context of the school and new curriculum requirements.
• Improve regular attendance. 

Actions to bring about improvement

Within six months: 

• the Board and leaders continue to prioritise high levels of regular attendance and embed in-depth planning, monitoring and reporting to improve attendance 

Every six months:

• leaders review and report on the impact of teachers’ professional practice through classroom observations and learners’ progress and achievement in structured literacy and mathematics; and planned next steps to the Board
• leaders report to the Board on the ongoing review of curriculum developments with a focus on literacy and mathematics teaching and learning programmes
• the Board and leaders review the impact of initiatives to improve student attendance and make changes if needed and adapt to better target strategies

Annually:

• leaders and the School Board, analyse schoolwide achievement in structured literacy and mathematics, including that of identified learners and strategically plan actions that will improve the achievement and learning outcomes of all students
• leaders and the Board evaluate the impact and outcomes of the curriculum, the growth of teachers’ practices and learners’ cultural learning schoolwide and strategically plan next steps to further strengthen student engagement and accelerate achievement
• leaders and the Board evaluate the effectiveness of initiatives to increase student attendance; strategically plan and implement more targeted actions for the next year.

Expected outcomes 

• Students who are well supported to effectively apply structured learning strategies.
• Improved achievement outcomes with more students experiencing accelerated progress in literacy and mathematics.
• A constantly improving and developing curriculum that enables leaders and staff to strengthen their professional practice.
• Deepened schoolwide capability in cultural practices that helps to improve the achievement and wellbeing of all learners.
• Improved and sustained rates of high regular attendance.
   

Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

This section of the report is about how the school meet 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 some regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Actions for Compliance

ERO has identified the following area of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

• ensure that staff appointments process includes a record of the completion of a risk assessment based on the of information collected 
  [Sections 25, 26 and 27 of the Children’s Act 2014: Safety checks of children’s workers].

The school has taken steps to address the identified area of non-compliance.

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

16 September 2025