Weston School is a Decile 8, Full Primary (Yrs 1-8). The school has a mix of learning spaces – single cell and open plan environments. Some spaces are yet to be upgraded. Teachers work within one of two teams (Yrs 1-4 or Yrs 5-8). The school has expansive grounds. The school has a roll of 250 students (26/03/2020) from an increasingly diverse range of ethnicities (77% European/Pakeha, 13% Maori, 3% MELAA, 2% Pasifika, 2% Asian, 3% Other).

The school is situated in the centre of the township of Weston, and services the wide rural area around it. This enables it to have a strong rural feel, but being able to offer many opportunities with the size that the school is. The school has an enrolment zone area, in which there are a number of subdivisions being developed, and as a result of these the roll is growing.

Weston School has very strong community involvement, both within the school and beyond the school gates. There is a close relationship with a number of community groups and individuals, who support learning programmes. There is a very committed Home and School Association who provide significant funding to enable additional activities that the Operational Funding cannot meet. The school’s Board of Trustees are also a committed group, who are dedicated to ensuring Weston School is successful in providing the best education for the children of Weston. We pride ourselves in our very inclusive environment.

Teachers at Weston School are committed to providing high quality programmes and experiences for students. As a result there are an exciting and diverse range of opportunities for children in the school. EnviroSchools is a relatively new concept, but has quickly been embraced and underpins much of the way the school operates. There is an increasing commitment of students to the Kapahaka group, Choir, Enviro Group, Bridge Club and sports teams (basketball, miniball, touch, hockey). Students also experience a number of opportunities for learning outside of the classroom, through a range of class trips and camps. Senior students are provided with a number of opportunities to develop leadership skills and experiences.

We are developing innovative opportunities in our school. This includes a Maker Space to support the implementation of Digital Technologies across the curriculum, a space for our Gifted and Talented programme, and a multipurpose learning area for classes to utilise our extensive Science and Technology resources and teaching strengths.

We have also engaged in a Corporate relationship with Craigmore Farming. This is a mutually beneficial relationship where our teachers and students are given opportunities for learning outside the classroom and school, and this is funded by Craigmore. Craigmore have recently made a significant donation that has enabled us to purchase a large polycarbonate tunnel house to support our Enviro Group and wider school activities.

We are part of the Whitestone Kahui Ako, working alongside one secondary school and six other full primary schools. Teachers benefit from the cross school discussions in Professional Learning Groups. We work closely with the local early childhood centres and kindergartens to support the transition of students into our school, and also with the local secondary schools to ensure transitions for our students out of our school are also beneficial for all.

At Weston we encourage the involvement of family/whanau and community involvement. We have staff, students and whanau who are committed to ensuring that our children are provided with the highest quality education, across all learning areas. Students are excited learners who are a pleasure to teach.