69 Glen Road , Stokes Valley, Lower Hutt
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.
Tawhai School, located in Stokes Valley, provides education for learners in Years 1 to 6. There are 326 learners on the roll; 55% are Pākehā, 18% are Māori, 16% are Asian and 12% are Pacific. Tawhai School’s vision reflects the community’s aspiration that the school will ‘poipoia te kakano, kia puawai - nurture the seed and it will blossom‘.
The school expected to see Māori learners’ engagement and achievement improved through the building of positive relationships, cultural capability and learning based partnerships with whānau. Schoolwide achievement information shows that Māori learners’ progress has been accelerated, and they are achieving highly in reading, writing and mathematics. Tu Rangatira student leaders are empowered to take on leadership and mentoring roles in the life of the school by sharing their interests, skills and knowledge with others.
A deliberate strategy to improve and sustain high achievement was put in place by the board, staff and whānau. Regular consultation and kōrero with Māori whānau and Tawhai Rōpu Whānau guide strategic and annual planning and the development and enactment of a rich curriculum. Culturally appropriate practices have been strengthened through staff professional learning in te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori.
| 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 high 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 an increasingly 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 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 | Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners. |
The school is behind 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 reducing over time.
The school is making sufficient progress to meet Government reading, writing and mathematics targets by 2030.
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 high 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 making progress towards Government reading, writing and mathematics targets and is likely to meet them by 2030.
An explanation of the terms used in the Parent Summary can be found here: Guide to ERO school reports
This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.
Leaders, well supported by a highly effective board of trustees, share a clear vision for the school strongly based on improving all students’ rates of progress, achievement and wellbeing.
Ongoing evaluative inquiries, undertaken by leaders and teachers, track learner progress and guides teacher planning and teaching. Targeted professional learning builds strong teacher practice that leads to improvements in student achievement and learning outcomes.
Learners at risk of not achieving are well supported, and many have their progress accelerated. Learning programmes are engaging and extend students’ interests, strengths and knowledge.
There are a wide range of effective initiatives in place to enhance students’ wellbeing and sense of belonging. A strong culture of inclusion is modelled and enacted by staff and students.
Structured literacy and mathematics are consistently prioritised in the curriculum. Whānau and key representatives from the local marae are actively involved in the ongoing development of the school’s curriculum.
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:
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 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
7 April 2025
This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
This Profile Report was written within eighteen months of the Education Review Office and Tawhai School working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website www.ero.govt.nz
Tawhai School is a year 1 to 6 primary school which promotes educational success through holistic learning in Lower Hutt, Wellington. The school is well supported by the Board of Trustees that actively involves and encourages whānau engagement, learner achievement and wellbeing. Tawhai has a culture of innovative and sustainable teaching enabling students to lead their learning. The school has strong relationships with both local marae, which guide and support tikanga and cultural practices.
Tawhai School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
to engage and empower teachers to make the Tawhai School curriculum thrive
to empower our children to flourish by taking risks and action in their learning
to nurture collaboration with whānau to enable active learning partnerships.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Tawhai School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate Māori learners’ engagement and achievement, through building positive relationships and cultural awareness.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to raise levels of Māori engagement and achievement, through fostering positive relationships across the school, building cultural capability and deepening learning-based partnerships with whānau.
The school expects to see:
multiple opportunities for whānau and student involvement, voice gathering, and participation in goal setting. Māori whānau and the Tawhai roopu whānau consulted to ensure successful outcomes for Māori students
teachers strengthening culturally responsive practices in the classroom, such as te reo me tikanga Māori and the nurturing and growth of the school’s cultural narrative.
The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to raise engagement and achievement through building positive relationships and cultural awareness:
a Board of Trustees committed to resourcing the growth of staff cultural competence and pedagogical practice
aligned systems and processes that support authentic internal evaluation that enable leaders and teachers to measure the impact of building positive relationships and cultural awareness
positive, engaged staff committed to their improvement journey and the raising of engagement and achievement of all Māori learners.
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
professional development that challenges and impacts on leaders’ and teachers’ culturally responsive practices and supports equity and excellence for all Māori learners
further strengthening partnerships with whānau through learning-based conversations and deliberately planned reciprocal interactions.
ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.
Kathy Lye
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
15 February 2023
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
As of October 2021, the Tawhai School Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
For further information please contact Tawhai 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.
Kathy Lye
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
15 February 2023
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home