244 Argyle Otahuti Road , Waianiwa
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.
Waianiwa school is located on the boundary of Invercargill and provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The school’s roll is 68. Many learners have English as a Second Language. Waianiwa’s school mission statement: Our students will be confident, actively involved learners with the necessary skills to succeed in a global environment.
| How well are learners succeeding? | Success and progress for all learners is increasing. |
| What is the quality of teaching and learning? | Learners benefit from good 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 sufficient 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 is improving its collection and use 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 | A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level. Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners. |
| Writing | A large majority of 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 approaching the target of 80% regular attendance.
The school has a suitable plan in place to improve attendance.
Regular attendance is improving towards the target.
Chronic absence is reducing overtime.
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 making progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority.
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 and staff have strengthened relationships with the school community, creating an inclusive environment where whānau, staff, and student voices contribute to the school's strategic vision.
Learners have many opportunities for leadership roles within the school community. Through these valued experiences, students develop skills such as teamwork, resilience and problem solving, empowering them to contribute meaningfully to school life.
Learning support for students who need this, and professional development for staff to identify relevant teaching approaches, increases learner achievement in literacy and mathematics.
Teachers collaborate to ensure consistent teaching approaches. They provide a clear and structured framework so that students identify their next steps in learning and increase their understanding of what they learn and why (student agency) across all year levels.
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:
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)
17 April 2025
This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Waianiwa is a small, rural Years 1 to 8 school in Central Southland. The school has a roll of 40 students. A significant number of students arrive and leave during the school year, many in connection to seasonal changes in the local agricultural industry. Some students have English as a second language (ESOL).
The school’s vision is that students will be confident, actively involved learners with the necessary skills to succeed in a global environment. The values of responsibility, perseverance, cooperation, friendship, kindness, honesty and respect are promoted.
To achieve its vision the board has set strategic goals focused on promoting all students’ progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics (particularly those not yet at expected levels), effective teaching, and parental and community involvement in students’ learning.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
Since the 2017 ERO review the school has been recapitated from a Years 1 to 6 to a Years 1 to 8 school.
Teachers have participated in professional development about the teaching of reading and mathematics.
The school is largely effective in achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for its students. The significant proportion of students arriving and leaving during the school year makes trends and patterns over time difficult to interpret.
School achievement information for 2017 to 2019 shows that:
The school is not yet reporting on students’ achievement and progress in other areas of the curriculum.
The school is effective in accelerating learning for those students who need this. This is particularly apparent in curriculum areas such as reading and mathematics that have been the focus of teachers’ professional development.
Students participate and learn in a caring, collaborative and inclusive learning community. The school’s values are consistently and deliberately fostered by adults and children. These are effectively supporting students to develop respectful relationships and to value difference and diversity. The cultures and languages of students and their families are known, valued and visible in the school environment and aspects of the curriculum. Together with a strong ethos of pastoral care for children and families, this promotes a sense of belonging.
Students needing additional support are quickly identified and appropriately supported to make progress. Parents have regular, well-considered opportunities to learn about and be involved in their children’s learning.
There is a strategic, coherent approach to building teacher capability and promoting effective teaching. Trustees and leaders ensure teachers have multiple opportunities to learn, apply new knowledge and reflect on effective practice within and across schools. Professional development, appraisal, curriculum review and development processes are well aligned and support the school’s strategic and achievement goals.
School leadership effectively and consistently promotes the conditions for effective teaching and student learning and wellbeing. The principal fosters relational trust, collaboration and a culture of critical reflection focused on improving outcomes for students. As a result, teachers are reflective and collaborate well to review and document shared understandings of effective practice.
There are clear and consistent expectations for behaviour, teaching and learning. Student, parent and whānau perspectives are regularly sought to inform decisions and curriculum planning.
School leaders are aware, and ERO confirms, that aspects of curriculum development and design are a work in progress. It is timely for the school to evaluate and develop its curriculum to ensure that:
Aspects of internal evaluation could be strengthened to better understand the effectiveness and quality of curriculum, programmes and teaching/learning practices. This should include use of a systematic internal evaluation process to evaluate key school priorities and valued outcomes for learners.
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:
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Waianiwa School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.
ERO’s Framework: Overall Findings and Judgement Tool derived from School Evaluation Indicators: Effective Practice for Improvement and Learner Success is available on ERO’s website.
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:
To improve current practice, the board of trustees should:
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region - Te Tai Tini
10 June 2020