Inverell Avenue , Manukau City, 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.
Wiri Central School is located in South Auckland and provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. Mōkai Āwhina provides Māori bilingual learning and Fofoa i Vaoese provides Samoan bilingual learning. The school’s vision of Learning today for a better tomorrow is underpinned by the four core values of Kotahitanga, Manaakitanga, Whanaungatanga and Rangatiratanga.
There are two parts to this report.
Part A: An evaluative summary of learner success and school conditions to inform the school board’s future strategic direction, including any education in Rumaki/bilingual settings.
Part B: The improvement actions prioritised for the school’s next evaluation cycle.
The following findings are to inform the school’s future priorities for improvement.
| The school is working towards achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for learners. |
| Leadership is strengthening high trust, collaborative relationships across the school to increase consistent approaches to teaching and learning. |
| Students have increasingly meaningful opportunities to learn through an engaging curriculum. |
| School conditions that underpin successful outcomes for learners are strengthening. |
The agreed next steps for the school are to:
The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.
Within three months:
Within six months:
Every six months:
Annually:
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
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 Evaluation 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
Acting Director of Schools
4 February 2025
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
As of July 2024, the Wiri Central School Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
For further information please contact Wiri Central School, School Board.
The next School Board assurance that it is meeting regulatory and legislative requirements will be reported, along with the Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report, within three years.
Information on ERO’s role and process in this review can be found on the Education Review Office website.
Sharon Kelly
Acting Director of Schools
4 February 2025
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Wiri Central School has made good progress in addressing priority areas for development. Collaborative practices are supporting improved teaching practices. Students experience settled learning environments and variety in classroom programmes.
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO ‘s overall evaluation judgement of Wiri Central School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.
Wiri Central School in Manurewa, provides education for children from Years 1 to 8. Māori and Samoan children each make up one-third of the roll. Tongan and Cook Island Māori children make up 20 percent. The school’s two language-based units are Mōkai Awhina, offering bilingual education in te reo Māori, and Fofoa i Vaoese, a Samoan bilingual option.
The senior leadership team includes a long-standing principal and deputy principal, and a recently appointed deputy principal. They are supported by six leaders of learning, including two who are new to their role. Since the 2017 ERO review, almost half of the staff are new to the school.
The 2017 ERO report noted a school focus on student wellbeing, the loyalty of the local community, and families’ intergenerational connections with the school. ERO identified concerns with systems and processes for:
For these reasons ERO decided to monitor the school’s progress through a longitudinal review process.
Over the past two years the school has worked with ERO, the Ministry of Education, and an external facilitator, to make improvements in specific areas of concern. As a result, quality systems and processes for monitoring overall school achievement and building leadership to sustain change, have significantly improved. Governance processes and internal evaluation have been strengthened, and continue to be ongoing areas of focus for the school.
Priorities for school review and development identified in 2017 included:
The school has made progress in all of the priority areas.
Senior leaders have developed and implemented schoolwide systems and processes to address low student achievement. Interventions are now happening earlier for students whose achievement needs improvement. Leaders and teachers share information about good teaching practices to support teaching and learning.
The progress of target students is discussed at all levels. These discussions focus on developing a shared understanding of how teachers can accelerate progress, and foster learning partnerships with parents, in order to accelerate student achievement. Partnerships with families are providing parents with ways to support their children’s learning at home.
Schoolwide information shows small positive shifts in students’ achievement compared with the 2017 data. Senior leaders acknowledge it is too soon to see significant improvement in school data across all curriculum areas. They have recognised that where there is poor student attendance, the impact on low student achievement is high. Leaders are considering strategies to increase students’ engagement with the school curriculum.
Leaders and teachers have reviewed the school curriculum. They have made good shifts towards a shared understanding of the school vision and the development of teaching approaches that increase student ownership of their learning. Teaching and learning practices are becoming more consistent and embedded across the school.
Teaching practices in Mōkai Awhina continue to be strengthened by new staff members’ use of its curriculum and assessment. Fofoa i Vaoese has had some changes in staff and an additional class. Teachers in this unit are beginning to develop their own Samoan curriculum and assessment practices. Students from both units participate in schoolwide activities, events and programmes.
A schoolwide culture of staff professional learning and sharing is promoting clear expectations. New appraisal processes include specific goals focused on lifting student achievement. Leaders continue to provide opportunities for teachers to share evidence of effective practices that contribute to raising student achievement.
The principal and senior leaders should continue to evaluate and refine systems and processes that guide improvement. They should plan intentional strategies to sustain recent improvements and current good practices. The principal and senior leaders agree to continue to:
The school is increasingly well placed to continue to review and improve its performance.
Senior leaders work collaboratively. They have developed a strategic approach to building leadership capability to sustain and embed changes. Professional learning focused on leadership is helping to build the capability of the leaders of learning and supporting them to develop a shared understanding of their roles and responsibilities.
The school has developed and implemented the Wiri Whānau Way to guide positive relationships and behaviour management. Leaders should review the content and use of the school’s anti-bullying policy, to address the high number of reported incidents.
Good frameworks have been developed to guide internal evaluation across the school. It is timely for trustees, leaders and teachers to strengthen their shared understanding of the purpose of internal evaluation, including its impact on outcomes for students.
The board of trustees works collaboratively. This has supported the board’s capability to strengthen support for school improvement initiatives. There is a willingness from trustees to continue to strengthen their governance roles and responsibilities through external support.
The school is a member of Te Kaahui Ako o Manurewa |Community of Learning, which is made up of local schools. This is fostering useful school connections and initiatives that could support improved outcomes for students.
The school has been through a period of significant change, challenge and improvement, and is now moving into the next phase of this change process. The senior leaders and trustees should continue to evaluate systems and processes to support ongoing improvement. The principal and trustees agree to:
Before the review, the board of trustees 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:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:
In order to improve practice, the board should:
ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education continue to provide support for Wiri Central School to build teacher capacity and capability to sustain practices that result in improved outcomes for students.
Wiri Central School has made good progress in addressing priority areas for development. Collaborative practices are supporting improved teaching practices. Students experience settled learning environments and variety in classroom programmes.
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO ‘s overall evaluation judgement of Wiri Central School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.
Steve Tanner
Director Review and Improvement Services Northern
Northern Region
9 May 2019
| Location | Wiri, Auckland | |
| Ministry of Education profile number | 1576 | |
| School type | Full Primary (Years 1 to 8) | |
| School roll | 374 | |
| Gender composition | Boys 55% Girls 45% | |
| Ethnic composition | Māori Samoan Tongan Cook Island Māori other ethnic groups | 34% 39% 11% 9% 7% |
| Special Features | Māori Bilingual 3 classes MMI Samoan Bilingual 4 classes | |
| Review team on site | March 2019 | |
| Date of this report | 9 May 2019 | |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review Education Review Education Review | June 2017 May 2014 April 2011 |