About Us

Westbrook School is an urban primary school on the western fringe of Rotorua. The school has a roll of approximately 520 students from Year 0 to 6 by the end of the year. The school has an administration block, a large hall, 25 classrooms, resource room, and library. We also have three adventure playgrounds, a brand new multi-purpose turf and a garden enclosure. The school site is in two parts - the main site is on Malfroy Road and an additional field is located in Memphis Place (a short walk from the Malfroy Road site).

Our students come from a diverse range of backgrounds. The ethnic make-up of the school is approximately 54% NZ European, 38% Maori, 4% Pacifika and 4% other ethnicities. Our students come from the full range of socio-economic backgrounds. Children from all different walks of life blend together and benefit from the diversity within our school.

Westbrook has an inclusive philosophy and a staff that supports the individual learning needs of students. Westbrook therefore, attracts a high number of students with additional needs. We also have a number of students for whom English is their second language.

Our students enjoy success in the academic, sporting and cultural arenas. We ensure that our students are offered a wide range of experiences which allow them to demonstrate their excellence across the curriculum.

The Westbrook Way is a unique feature of our school culture. The Westbrook Way is a set of shared, school-wide values which our students and staff are expected to demonstrate and follow. The Westbrook Way values of Whanaungatanga, Respect, Responsibility, Initiative and Excellence are reinforced and encouraged by staff and students at every opportunity. School-wide incentives are in place for children demonstrating our Westbrook Way values in the classroom and playground. We believe that our school culture plays an important part in promoting learning and achievement as well as helping to foster citizenship and positive social values. We are a PC4L (Positive Culture for Learning) and a Restorative Practice School. Our students are supported by KidsCan.

We believe that our staff are a key part of our school context and contribute significantly to our students success. They are professional, committed and a dedicated group of teachers and support staff. We are privileged to have a very stable staff - many have been at the school for over 15 years.

Our supportive Board, through targeted resourcing, has had a direct, positive impact on student achievement and learning in our school. Our Board is open to our recommendations on what actions need to be taken to better address the learning needs of our students and strategic decision making, as well as requests for resourcing.

Our FOTS (Friends of the School) committee engage in a substantial amount of fundraising each year and are also committed to supporting us in providing our students at Westbrook with quality learning experiences and resources. Recent examples of their support have been financial assistance with school camps, providing lunches for those students who do not have enough food and the purchase of sports uniforms, playground equipment and transport to events.

Enrolments

If you find you are within our enrolment zone, we like to meet with all new students and their families, as they enrol and least a day before you wish them to start. This gives us a chance to introduce ourselves and get to know the child and their whanau before they begin at Westbrook. Please note that part of our enrolment process is to contact the child's previous school to ensure we have all relevant information.

We also encourage families to enrol their children who are almost 5 years of age in Kickstart. This is a transition to school programme aimed at preparing four year olds for school a term before they turn five. It allows the children to meet some of the Westbrook staff including their teacher, and some of the children they will be in the same class with. This eases the nerves of the students and their parents and makes the transition smoother.

Westbrook School currently has an enrolment scheme which is designed to limit overcrowding at our school. Please note: We take ALL 5 year olds that are NEW to school. If you are seeking an out of zone enrolment for your child (if they have attended another school previously), please fill out an 'out of zone' form and make an appointment to see either the Junior or Senior Deputy Principal. As part of our process for out of zone students, we will always contact the previous school for all relevant information.

Please contact the school if you wish to enquire about enrolling your child and to find out if you are within our enrolment zone. We are happy to answer any questions you may have about the school.