Waltham School
Hastings Street East, Waltham · Canterbury
Composite score
Developing
Below median
Rank #2,182 of scored NZ schools
In summary
Waltham School, a full primary in Christchurch, achieved a composite score of 77. The school's most recent ERO review found learners achieve best in reading, with school leaders identifying a need to accelerate progress in writing and mathematics for some groups. Strengths include good quality teaching practice, strong inclusive pastoral care, clear school leadership, and engaging learning opportunities with structured literacy and mathematics approaches.
Best suited for
Students aged 5-11 in Waltham looking for a state-funded setting.
Is Waltham School a good school?
Waltham School scores 42/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Below median nationally. ERO trajectory has declined across recent review cycles. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
Strengths from the latest ERO report
- Learners achieve best in reading; inclusive and pastoral care provisions are well implemented with staff collaborating to address individual needs
- School leaders prioritise collaboration and provide clear direction for school improvement, building on positive school culture and community partnerships
- Learners provided with wide variety of engaging learning opportunities with strong focus on structured literacy and mathematics approaches
Summary derived from ERO reports + audited financials + MoE records. Every claim links to its source — see data transparency at the bottom of this page.
Score breakdown
6 axes, each scored 0–100 on a national absolute scale. As at 2025.
standdowns 136.4/1k · suspensions 27.7/1k · exclusions 9.4/1k · bottom 10% of band (n=468) · why? ▼ hide
-5.2% roll over 5yr (2020→2025) · below band median (n=469) · why? ▼ hide
77/100 from ERO review 2025-02 · above band median (n=471) · why? ▼ hide
⚠ Insufficient EQI-band peers (n<10) to compute per-axis percentile context. The score above is absolute; treat it as a single-school read rather than a peer comparison.
Real ERO composite (from the latest review): 77/100.
Latest ERO review
2025-02-28 · Sharon Kelly, ERO
- Learners achieve best in reading; school leaders have identified that there is a need to accelerate progress in writing and mathematics for some groups of learners.
- Learners benefit from good quality teaching practice that improves progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.
- The school successfully promotes learners' engagement, wellbeing and inclusion.
- A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level in reading, with results equitable for all groups.
- School is behind the 80% regular attendance target; chronic absence is not yet reducing over time.
"School leaders prioritise collaboration and provide clear direction for school improvement, they effectively build on the positive school culture and use of wider community partnerships to ensure that learners, whānau and staff are well supported."
Composite score across reviews
3 ERO reviews on file, 2018–2025. Click a point to read that review.
Trajectory across review cycles
Year-over-year change per dimension based on consecutive ERO reviews.
The school's teaching dimension shows a decline in demonstrated effectiveness. The 2018 report highlighted that 'The majority of children achieve at or above expectations in mathematics, reading and writing' with strong monitoring and intervention practices. By 2022, the focus had shifted to 'implementing and sustaining effective teaching practices to support priority learners in literacy and numeracy,' suggesting achievement gaps had widened and teaching consistency needed strengthening.
2018-02 → 2022-08 diff source
Teaching quality improved significantly between 2022 and 2025. The 2022 report focused on implementing effective practices for priority learners in literacy and numeracy, while the 2025 report confirms that 'good quality teaching practice' now improves progress across reading, writing and mathematics, with structured approaches and enhanced professional learning in place.
2022-08 → 2025-02 diff source
Both reports describe strong wellbeing provisions at Waltham School with consistent emphasis on pastoral care and positive culture. The 2018 report highlighted a 'strong focus on children's holistic wellbeing, engagement and learning' alongside 'strong pastoral care provisions,' while the 2022 report similarly emphasizes an 'inclusive culture' that supports 'sense of belonging, positive social interactions, and wellbeing.' The framing evolved slightly from holistic wellbeing and engagement to a more specific focus on belonging and social interactions, though pastoral care systems remained well-established in both periods.
2018-02 → 2022-08 diff source
Both reports affirm strong collaborative leadership and positive school culture. The 2025 report provides more detail on leadership practices, emphasizing strategic direction, reflective culture, and community consultation, while the 2022 report focused more broadly on team culture promotion. The leadership rating remains strong in both, though the overall school score decreased slightly from 85 to 82.
2022-08 → 2025-02 diff source
Both reports affirm the school's strong wellbeing provisions, with consistent emphasis on inclusive culture and pastoral care. The 2025 report adds explicit recognition that "The school successfully promotes learners' engagement, wellbeing and inclusion," while the 2022 report framed this through an "inclusive culture [that] supports students' sense of belonging, positive social interactions, and wellbeing." The language has become more direct about engagement outcomes, though the core strengths remain aligned.
2022-08 → 2025-02 diff source
Discipline (age-standardised, per 1,000 students)
Stand-down = sent home temporarily. Suspension = formal investigation. Exclusion = removed from school. National averages shown for comparison.
Stand-downs · 2024
136.4
22 this year · NZ avg ~37
Suspensions · 2024
27.7
3 this year · NZ avg ~5
Exclusions · 2024
9.4
1 this year · NZ avg ~1.5
Government funding
Crown funding only (school operations + teacher salaries + property). Excludes locally-raised funds, international fees and trading income — those are in the audited financial report above.
Total Crown funding · 2022
$2.05M
Per-student funding · 2022
$7,689
2018
$1.7M
2019
$2.1M
2020
$2.0M
2021
$2.2M
2022
$2.0M
Roll by year level
July 2025 roll return.
- Year 01 24
- Year 02 30
- Year 03 29
- Year 04 35
- Year 05 31
- Year 06 41
- Year 07 35
- Year 08 29
Roll by ethnicity
Share of total roll. Students who identify with multiple ethnicities are counted once.
- European/Pākehā 41.4%
- Asian 35.7%
- Māori 23.3%
- Pacific 13.9%
- Other / MELAA 4.1%
Location
Hastings Street East, Waltham. Nearby schools marked in grey.
Map tiles © OpenStreetMap, © CARTO
Schools nearby
Within 15km, sorted by distance. Add any to compare with Waltham School.
TKKM o Waitaha
Composite · 0.7km · 214 roll
55
+13 vs this
Hillview Christian School
Composite · 0.8km · 567 roll
82
+40 vs this
St Mark's School (Christchurch)
Full Primary · 1km · 239 roll
79
+37 vs this
Catholic Cathedral College
Secondary (Year 7-15) · 1.3km · 578 roll
71
+29 vs this
Te Kura o Ōpāwaho – Opawa School
Full Primary · 1.5km · 367 roll
54
+12 vs this
St Peter's School Te Kura Haoika
Full Primary · 1.5km · 172 roll
82
+40 vs this
Frequently asked
Is Waltham School a good school?
Waltham School scores 42/100 on the SchoolsNearMe composite — a weighted average of 5 axes (academic, outcomes, retention, wellbeing, trajectory). Below median nationally. ERO trajectory has declined across recent review cycles. The full breakdown is below; every input links to its source.
What does the latest ERO review say?
ERO's 2025-02 review identified 6 key findings. Learners achieve best in reading; school leaders have identified that there is a need to accelerate progress in writing and mathematics for some groups of learners.
How do I enrol my child at Waltham School?
Contact the school directly on 03-3793137, email admin@waltham.school.nz, or visit www.waltham.school.nz. For state schools, check your home address against the school's enrolment zone — some schools are in-zone-only.
What are the fees?
Waltham School is a state school. There is no tuition fee for domestic students; voluntary donations may be requested.
What is the roll size?
Waltham School has 266 students, with an EQI of 489 (mid-range socio-economic context).
When was the school last reviewed by ERO?
The Education Review Office last reviewed Waltham School in 2025-02, signed by Sharon Kelly. 4 ERO reports are on file in our archive.
Data transparency
Every fact on this page links to its source. We never publish a claim without provenance — read our methodology for the full rules.
Sourced from
- ero.govt.nz
- schoolsdata.co.nz
- crimestats.co.nz