Whangaparaoa 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

Whangaparaoa College provides education for learners in Years 7 to 13 and is located on the Hibiscus Coast, north of Auckland. The school roll is approximately 1800, of which 20% identify as Māori, many of whom learn through a kaupapa Māori approach in Te Wānanga. Āhuatanga Whangaparāoa, the schools six values underlie every aspect of school life at the college. There have been a number of changes to the senior leadership team since the last ERO report. 

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.

ERO and the school have been working together to evaluate how well the school is embedding and giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi to support and achieve equitable outcomes for all learners.

Expected improvements

The school expected to see reciprocal and collaborative relationships with whānau, staff, and learners to support equitable outcomes, leaders and teachers consistently demonstrating confidence and capability in te reo Māori and tikanga Māori and learners experiencing rich, responsive, and evolving teaching and learning programmes that reflect their cultures, languages, identities, and the local context.

Findings

Honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi and weaving te Ao Māori perspectives throughout all aspects of school practice remains a key strategic focus. The school made significant progress towards achieving equitable outcomes for Māori learners, with improvements in attendance, retention, engagement, and achievement. Partnerships with the wider school community are increasingly valued, open, and responsive, with a shared commitment to equity and excellence in learner outcomes. Teaching and learning programmes reflect and celebrate the diverse cultures, languages, and identities of learners to further support their ongoing success. 

Other findings

The most significant shift is the marked improvement in National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) outcomes for students enrolled in Te Wānanga (the Māori medium pathway). Almost all students achieved the expected NCEA level for their year of study.  

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.

Most learners are engaged, make good progress and achieve well. There is increasing equity of student outcomes between groups of learners.

• A small majority of Year 11 learners achieved National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Level 1 in 2024. The school is implementing a planned and scaffolded return to NCEA Level 1 with an explicit focus on strengthening literacy and numeracy outcomes. Most Year 12 learners achieve NCEA Level 2, and almost all Year 13 learners achieve NCEA Level 3.
• A small majority of learners gain University Entrance (UE). UE and NCEA Merit and Excellence endorsements are areas school leaders have identified for improvement.
• A large majority of learners are at or above the expected level in literacy and most are at or above the expected level in numeracy by the end of Year 8. Most Year 11 achieve the NCEA literacy and numeracy qualifications.
• A small majority of learners attend school regularly. Regular attendance is improving over time. The school is not yet meeting the Government target of 80%. 

Conditions to support learner success

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

School leaders work collaboratively with clear purpose to strategically improve outcomes for learners. 

• Leaders build and sustain relational trust with the school community to foster a culture of high expectations and commitment to quality teaching for excellent and equitable learner outcomes.
• Leaders effectively consider multiple sources of evidence to coherently plan, implement and review strategic and annual plans to sustain improvement.
• Leaders and teachers engage in effective, targeted and ongoing professional growth and development to ensure coherent and consistent planning.

Learning programmes and teaching are increasingly responsive to learners’ needs, cultural identities and future pathways. 

• Learners have rich opportunities to learn across the breadth of the New Zealand Curriculum as part of cohesive and responsive learning programmes.
• Learners benefit from settled classrooms with teachers increasingly using evidence-based strategies, including learning-focused relational practices to meet learners’ different needs.
• Leaders and teachers consistently support learners to gain sound foundation skills in literacy and numeracy. Data informed initiatives provide additional support for learners who are not yet working at expected curriculum levels. 

Foundations for effective school organisation and performance are established and actively support ongoing school improvement. 

• School wide pastoral care systems and processes are informed by data, solution focused and promote learners’ wellbeing, inclusion and confidence in their identity, language and culture.
• Leaders and teachers work deliberately to reduce barriers to learning and build trusting relationships that support the inclusion and participation of students with additional learning and behaviour needs.
• Leaders and teachers actively build and sustain powerful learning-focused partnerships with parents, whānau and the wider community that enrich student learning, wellbeing and co-curricular opportunities.
• The school Board uses reliable evidence to inform strategic decisions and evaluate school leadership performance. They maintain an explicit focus on supporting equitable and excellent outcomes for learners. 

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

• Improve student attendance and achievement, with a focus on increasing NCEA Merit and Excellence endorsements and UE attainment.
• Align the school’s framework for effective teaching practices to classroom observations to outcomes for learners.
• Enhance student agency and pathways through the continued expansion of the school’s teaching and learning programmes.
• Align assessment practices in Years 7 to 10 to support consistent tracking of progress, especially in foundation learning areas.

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within six months:

• leaders and teachers review the impact of the formalised classroom observations aligned to the effective teaching framework on student outcomes and guide further refinement

Every six months:

• leaders and teachers continue to respond to analysed attendance and achievement data to review the impact of teaching programmes and interventions
• leaders and teachers evaluate the effectiveness of teaching and its impact on students’ learning outcomes to inform next steps
• the school Board continues to receive regular evidence-based reporting on the progress of the strategic goals to inform decision making

Annually:

• leaders and the school Board evaluate the impact of teaching, learning and assessment practices on progress and achievement, identify successful initiatives to inform strategic planning and resourcing
• leaders monitor the integration of curriculum and assessment changes and identify further professional learning needs for the following year
• leaders and the school Board evaluate the effectiveness of school-wide initiatives to inform
  strategic and annual planning and set improvement targets.

Expected outcomes

• A school-wide culture of high expectations, data-informed decision-making, and continuous improvement through internal evaluation.
• Improved and equitable student outcomes across all year levels and qualifications, including increased attendance, NCEA endorsements and UE rates.
• A diverse range of learning pathways supported by consistently embedded inclusive and responsive teaching practices.

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

18 November 2025