Kerr Street , Devonport, Auckland
View on mapTēnā 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.
Devonport Primary is located on Takarunga maunga overlooking the Waitematā harbour. The school was founded in 1870 and caters for students in Years 1 to 6. The school's goal is to nurture curious and compassionate learners, aligning with its motto of moving young minds to higher ground.
| How well are learners succeeding? | Learners experience high levels of success and make excellent progress; outcomes are similarly high for all groups. |
| What is the quality of teaching and learning? | Learners benefit from excellent quality teaching practice that improves progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics. |
| How well does the school curriculum respond to all learners needs? | Learners have rich opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum. There is a consistent focus on supporting learners to gain skills in literacy and mathematics. Learners with complex needs are well supported to achieve their education goals. |
| How well does school planning and conditions support ongoing improvement? | School planning and conditions to support ongoing improvement to the quality of education for learners are well established. |
| How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing? | The school successfully promotes learners’ engagement, wellbeing and inclusion. |
| How well does the school partner with parents, whānau and its community for the benefit of learners? | The school reports usefully and accurately to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress. The school responds well to a wide range of information gathered through community consultation, to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions. |
| Student Health and Safety | The school board is taking reasonable steps to ensure student health and safety. |
This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.
Foundation Skills | |
| Reading | Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners. |
| Writing | Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners. |
| Mathematics | Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are equitable for all groups of learners. |
The school is approaching the target of 80% regular attendance.
The school is developing a suitable plan to improve attendance.
Regular attendance is not yet improving towards or beyond the target.
Chronic absence is reducing over time.
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.
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 significantly extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.
The school is meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets set for 2030.
This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Every six months:
Annually:
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
The Education Review Office reviews schools that are signatories 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 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.
No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.
All schools are required to promote student health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.
During this review the Board has attested to some regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a School Report and is due within three 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)
24 April 2025
This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Devonport Primary School (Auckland) caters for students in Years 1 to 6. There are currently 242 children enrolled at the school. Māori children make up nine percent of the roll.
The school’s stated vision is to develop independent and confident learners who think creatively, reason critically, communicate effectively and learn enthusiastically within a safe and nurturing environment. This vision is underpinned by school values that support learners to be happy, honest, hardworking, helpful and healthy.
Current strategic goals focus on engaging staff and students in a modern learning environment and strengthening community connections through the implementation of the school’s ‘Building Learning Power’ initiative.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
Staff have participated in professional learning and development (PLD) in relation to Assessment for Learning (AFL) with a focus on enhancing student voice. This is underpinned by the ‘Building Learning Power’ model. The school is extensively involved in using the Progress and Consistency Tool (PaCT) to support the reliable assessment of children’s progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.
The school is part of the Devonport-Takapuna Community of Learning, which is currently engaged in the development of effective mathematics teaching around collaborative problem solving. In addition, the school has participated in PLD related to te reo me o ngā tikanga Māori, writing and mathematics, digital learning, play-based learning, positive behaviour for learning and teaching as inquiry.
Since the 2013 ERO report, the Board has successfully managed a number of changes in school leadership and within the teaching team.
The school is very effective in achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for all students.
School data show that achievement has remained consistently high since the 2013 ERO review. Most students achieve at the appropriate The New Zealand Curriculum (NZC) levels in reading, writing and mathematics. This is evidenced through rigorous and robust data collation and analysis by senior leaders and teachers.
By Year 6, Māori students achieve at high levels in reading, writing and mathematics. School data show some disparity between the achievement of boys and girls in writing. Leaders and teachers have recognised this and have set a purposeful target to enhance boys’ writing.
Students achieve very well in relation to other valued outcomes. Most students:
The school is very effective in accelerating learning for those students whose learning progress needs acceleration.
Student achievement data are very well collated and analysed to identify students who would benefit from accelerated progress. Leaders and teachers know and regularly share information about individual students’ progress and achievement. Teachers carefully track and monitor their progress and achievement over time.
A strong emphasis is placed on professional learning to support teaching practices that will help students whose learning needs accelerating. Appropriate interventions for students with additional learning needs are overseen by the learning support team. Data show that good progress is made for most students.
High quality stewardship supports the achievement of equity and excellence. The board adopts a strategic approach to succession planning with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. Trustees carefully resource initiatives that are designed to promote valued student outcomes for all learners. The board engages in evidence-based decision making and uses internal evaluation well to support ongoing school improvements.
Effective school leadership collaboratively develops and pursues the school’s vision, goals and targets for equity and excellence. Leaders foster learning for all within a resilient and collaborative school culture. There is a strong commitment to improvement through reflection and review.
Students experience a well-designed curriculum that provides them with the breadth and depth of a rich and culturally responsive programme. Teachers inquire into the effectiveness of their own practice. They use this inquiry approach to promote innovations in teaching and learning that encourage high levels of student engagement in learning.
The curriculum places a significant emphasis on weaving Māori concepts into programmes that support a bicultural and environmental focus. Students benefit from an external facilitator who supports the learning of te reo and tikanga Māori across the school. A focus on raising and nurturing students’ confidence and skills in te reo and tikanga Māori is woven throughout this specific programme. This approach aligns very well to the school’s robust methodology regarding student agency, collaboration and leadership.
To further support the achievement of equity and excellence and acceleration of learning, leaders and teachers should sustain and build on existing good practices, including:
Before the review, the board and principal of the school completed the ERO Board Assurance Statement and Self-Audit Checklists. In these documents they attested that they had taken all reasonable steps to meet their legislative obligations related to the following:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student safety and wellbeing:
The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2016 (the Code) established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code. At the time of this review there was one international student attending the school.
The school provides international students with a high standard of education. Students experience an inclusive school culture and opportunities to participate in a responsive school curriculum.
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:
ERO is likely to carry out the next external evaluation in four-to-five years.
Julie Foley
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)
Te Tai Raki - Northern Region
31 May 2018
| Location | Devonport, Auckland | |
| Ministry of Education profile number | 1260 | |
| School type | Contributing (Years 1 to 6) | |
| School roll | 242 | |
| Gender composition | Boys 52% Girls 48% | |
| Ethnic composition | Māori Pākehā British/Irish Chinese other European other ethnicities | 9% 82% 2% 2% 3% 2% |
| Provision of Māori medium education | No | |
| Review team on site | April 2018 | |
| Date of this report | 31 May 2018 | |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review Education Review Education Review | December 2013 December 2010 November 2007 |