Willowbank School (Howick)

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 

Willowbank School located in Dannemora, provides education for students in Years 0 to 6. Approximately 67% of students identify as Asian, 15% as Pākehā|New Zealand European, 8% Middle Eastern, 4% Pacific heritage 4% and 3% as Māori.

The school vision, ‘discover, develop and nurture’ is supported by the ‘Willowbank Way' values.

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

Expected improvements

The school focused on evaluating the extent that the school’s vision is realised in discovering learner potential, developing their understanding of learning and nurturing reciprocal relationships and how well the ‘Willowbank Way’ values impact on student wellbeing and learning. 

Findings 

The ‘Willowbank Way’ values are well established across the school and its community. Students and teachers consistently apply and reference the values in both classroom and playground settings, and teachers integrate them into curriculum delivery. This approach has strengthened student wellbeing, supported engagement in learning and fostered a strong sense of belonging and inclusion. 

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 6

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 large majority of students attend school regularly.
• The school is approaching 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.

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 to some extent 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 for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority.

Areas of strength

• Student wellbeing, sense of belonging and high engagement are well supported by calm, respectful and highly inclusive learning environments. 
• Leaders establish strong systems and processes including clear curriculum planning, teaching and assessment documentation and data analysis to build school wide consistency in teaching practice.
• Student achievement information is used well by leaders and teachers to inform teaching practice.
• Good quality reporting on achievement and progress to the Willowbank School Board allows the board to make resourcing decisions to inform strategic direction.
• Teachers engage in professional learning in structured literacy and mathematics to improve learner outcomes. 

Key priorities

• Improve regular attendance to meet government targets. 
• Accelerate progress and achievement for equitable and excellent learning outcomes for all groups of students.
• Align current mathematics and literacy programmes and assessment with changes to The New Zealand Curriculum.
• Embed schoolwide internal evaluation systems to evaluate the effectiveness of initiatives.

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within six months:

• leaders review and align literacy and mathematics programmes and assessment practices with changes to The New Zealand Curriculum
• leaders and teachers implement and monitor the school’s attendance plan

Every six months:

• leaders and teachers evaluate the impact of teaching and learning, including assessment practices, on learner outcomes to inform curriculum decision making
• leaders and teachers evaluate student progress and identify steps to further improve achievement, particularly for those learners not yet achieving at expectation
• leaders closely monitor the effectiveness of initiatives to improve student attendance, adjust where needed and report to the school Board and parent community

Annually:

• leaders and teachers monitor, review and update the school’s curriculum and assessment practices 
• leaders and the school Board review and student attendance, progress and achievement, share with the community and identify priorities for improvement.

Expected outcomes

• High achievement, excellent and equitable outcomes for all students.
• Enhanced internal evaluation practices that effectively inform decision making to improve learner outcomes.
• Embedded curriculum and assessment practices aligned with The New Zealand Curriculum.
• Improved levels of regular attendance.

Regulatory and legislative requirements

This section of the report is about how the school meets regulatory and legislative requirements. This includes the provision of education for international students.

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

Yes

Provision for international students 

This section is about the quality of the provision of education for international students enrolled at the school.

Findings

The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code and has completed an annual self-review of its implementation of the Code.

At the time of this review there was one international student attending the school, and no exchange students.

Systems and processes for international students are well established and support ongoing improvement of learning and wellbeing outcomes. International students participate fully in the life of the school. Students engage in learning programmes, school-wide activities and are well supported to learn English if this is required.   

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 May 2026