Howick 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 

Howick College, located in Cockle Bay, East Auckland, is a coeducational secondary school providing education for students in Years 9 to 13. The roll in 2024 was 2151, 14% of learners identify as Māori, 24% identify as Asian and 14% are of Pacific heritage. The majority of students are NZ European / Pākehā. The school's vision Whakamanawahia Tētehi Hapori O Ngā Ākonga Hihiri – Inspiring a Community of Passionate Learners is underpinned by the values: Courtesy, Commitment, Curiosity, and Courage.

Since the last ERO report a new Principal and three deputy principals have been appointed to the leadership team.

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

Expected Improvements

Howick College evaluated how well the junior curriculum promotes academic success and supports students through curriculum design and assessment strategies. 

The school expected to see a junior curriculum that fosters academic success, cultural confidence, and social-emotional competence for all student, supported by responsive teaching and the integration of mana ōrite mō te mātauranga Māori across all aspects of school life. 

Findings 

The school has made good progress. School leaders have refreshed aspects of the junior curriculum to better support all students to develop their individual capabilities and achieve academic success. 

Teachers and leaders continue to develop their cultural capability through ongoing professional development and consistent approaches to observations and feedback of relational teaching practice. School leaders have developed and strengthened strategies for internal evaluation.  

What we know about learner success

This is a summary of learner success, which guides the School Board’s future strategic direction, including any education in Rumaki/bilingual settings.

Learner Success and Wellbeing 

This section provides a summary of learner success and wellbeing.

• Almost all students achieve National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) at Levels 2 and 3 and a small majority achieve University Entrance (UE).
• The school has identified disparity in UE for Pacific students and has planning in place to respond to this; Māori learners’ achievement outcomes are becoming more equitable.
• By the end of year 10, a small majority of students achieve at or above curriculum level for literacy and numeracy; results are not yet equitable for all groups of students.
• A small majority students attend regularly. Improving attendance is a priority for school leaders. Regular attendance is improving, and chronic absence is reducing.

Conditions to support learner success

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

• Leaders and teachers actively promote a professional learning culture that prioritises high-quality teaching and continuous improvement in learner outcomes.
• Purposeful planning of teaching and learning is informed by evidence-based practices and is well monitored; staff work collaboratively to implement planned improvements across key school priorities.
• School leaders foster and maintain high levels of relational trust working collaboratively with staff to design and implement effective teaching and learning programmes.

• The curriculum is designed and delivered to provide diverse, meaningful learning experiences that promote student engagement and support progress across learning areas.
• Teachers create calm, respectful learning environments and effectively support students to develop skills and confidence to take ownership of their learning.
• Staff engage in ongoing professional learning that strengthens their use of effective teaching approaches; there is a consistent focus on continuous improvement in teaching and learning across all curriculum areas.

• The Board actively represents the community and makes well-informed decisions underpinned by the school’s values and strategic direction with by regular comprehensive reporting to promote student success.
• Student feedback is regularly collected, valued and informs leadership decisions. Further opportunities are identified to strengthen this practice by gathering feedback from specific learner groups.
• The school’s values are clearly understood and consistently reflected in daily practices, systems and documentation. 

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 actions for improvement.

Key priorities 

• Significantly improve rates of regular attendance to support learner engagement and meet the Government target of 80% regular attendance.
• Enhance and embed relational and responsive teaching practices to promote equity and improve outcomes.
• Strengthen targeted approaches to improve UE outcomes and increase excellence endorsements in NCEA. 

Actions to bring about improvement 

Within six months:

• school leaders review attendance data to identify trends and respond to target groups
• school leaders establish a structured system for PLD, classroom observation, and feedback to strengthen relational and culturally responsive teaching practices
• curriculum leaders review courses and pathways to ensure students have clear opportunities to achieve UE and excellence endorsements

Annually:

• school leaders monitor and evaluate the impact of attendance initiatives and report to the board
• curriculum leaders evaluate the impact of relational and culturally responsive teaching practices on improving learner outcomes
• school leadership celebrate and share success to further strengthen high expectations of achievement in UE and excellence endorsement results.

Expected outcomes 

• Increased regular attendance towards Government targets.
• Relational and culturally responsive practices are further embedded across the school, supported by a structured observation framework that promotes equitable outcomes for all learners.
• Increased UE and excellence endorsement achievement results for all groups of learners.

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 

13 October 2025