Arawa Street , New Plymouth
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.
Welbourn School provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. The school’s roll is 319. The majority of learners identify as New Zealand European/Pākehā and 15 % identify as Māori.
The school’s vision is for all learners to ‘be life-long learners in an effective learning environment, which will prepare them to adapt and thrive in a changing world’. Central to the school’s kaupapa is for learners to ‘make good choices, be fair, care and share’ through the core values of: Manaakitanga - Respect, Manawaroa - Resilience, Kotahitanga - Collaboration/Partnership and Kaitiakitanga - Guardianship/Caring.
| 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 foundational 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 high quality education for learners are driving excellent school performance. |
| 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 | Almost all 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 becoming more equitable for all groups of learners. |
| Mathematics | Almost all 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 has a suitable plan in place to improve attendance.
Regular attendance is improving towards or beyond the target.
Chronic absence is not yet 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 to some extent 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 and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau 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.
Within six months:
Every six months:
Annually:
Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:
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 tamarik
Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children
Sharon Kelly
Director of Schools (Acting)
23 June 2025
This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Welbourn School, in New Plymouth, caters for students from Years 1 to 6. Of the 410 students, 17% are Māori.
The school’s vision is ‘to be a place where every child is given the opportunity to develop as confident, capable, creative, connected, engaged lifelong learners…soaring to success’. The clearly established values of respect, excellence, innovation, integrity and community have been revisited and endorsed through ongoing consultation with parents and whānau.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
Since the August 2013 ERO report, teachers have had professional learning and development (PLD) opportunities focused on effective teaching practices in literacy, mathematics, science, digital literacy, leadership and cultural practice. The curriculum places value on the arts and a focus on environmental awareness. Local community contexts are used to support student learning.
Most students achieve well in reading and mathematics, with many achieving above expectations. A high majority achieve expectations in writing.
As students progress through the school, equity of outcomes is increased, with nearly all achieving school expectations by the end of Year 6. Many Māori students achieve above school expectations.
Students with identified special needs are well supported. Monitoring and tracking is in place to ensure a timely response to their needs. Each individual is carefully considered in partnership with parents and whānau. As a result these students make good progress in relation to their goals.
The school effectively responds to the needs of Māori and other students whose learning and achievement require acceleration. The disparity for Māori students identified in literacy and mathematics is significantly addressed as students move through the school.
High quality leadership provides clear direction and supports well identified priorities that drive ongoing improvement. Leadership development builds collective capacity that impacts positively on the school’s learning culture. Leaders and teachers work collaboratively to address the identified needs of individual students. Shared responsibility is taken to foster wellbeing and learning that promotes equity and excellence for students.
Those students whose learning and achievement need acceleration are carefully tracked and monitored over time. Specific interventions are put in place based on individual needs. Programmes and strategies are evaluated to ensure that they are fit for purpose. Leaders and teachers know students well, scrutinising assessment information to adapt teaching to enhance the learning of individuals who require additional support. The outcomes of acceleration are documented and reported to trustees.
An ongoing focus on developing culturally responsive practice supports teachers to engage meaningfully with Māori children and their whānau. The school is highly responsive to the views of Māori whānau promoting place-based learning, high visibility of language, culture and identity and meaningful partnerships.
Teaching promotes high levels of student engagement and encouragement for learners to take responsibility for their learning. Effective teaching is enhanced through PLD, teachers’ inquiries, and leaders’ involvement in networking initiatives. Teacher aides are offered PLD to assist them to understand their roles. They are valued staff members.Comprehensive performance management procedures are in place that support teachers as they work to accelerate the achievement of identified learners.
Transitions into, through and out of the school are seamless and well considered. The deliberate use of consistent language throughout the school supports students’ understanding and reinforcement of learning.
The board actively represents and serves the school and community in its stewardship role. Trustees provide significant resourcing to ensure that all students can achieve success. There is strong alignment from the strategic and annual plans through to classroom practice.
Models of effective evaluation practice are evident within the school. Leaders should use this internal expertise to further develop and strengthen the collective knowledge and capability of staff for sustainability and ongoing improvement to teaching and learning.
School leaders have identified building learner agency as a next step. ERO’s evaluation supports this direction.
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:
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the development priority is in:
ERO is likely to carry out the next external evaluation in four-to-five years.
Alan Wynyard
Deputy Chief Review Officer Central (Acting)
Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region
7 February 2018
| Location | New Plymouth |
| Ministry of Education profile number | 2264 |
| School type | Contributing (Years 1 to 6) |
| School roll | 410 |
| Gender composition | Male 56%, Female 44% |
| Ethnic composition | Māori 17% Pākehā 75% Other ethnic groups 8% |
| Māori Medium Education | No |
| Review team on site | November 2017 |
| Date of this report | 7 February 2018 |
| Most recent ERO report(s) | Education Review August 2013 Education Review July 2010 Education Review February 2007 |