Profile

Westmere School commenced operation with one classroom and 36 students in May 1894. We currently have 10 classrooms and a roll of 239 (Term 4 - 2023) students.

Since its inception Westmere School has served a strong rural community committed to the school's longevity and culture. This culture is the mainstay for complete learning, covering a raft of opportunities for students. Westmere School invites anyone to join in our learning environment. Most students begin from Year One and stay right through to departing onto Secondary, but a number of students enrol at Years 7 and 8 as the school offers an attractive alternative to Intermediate. Westmere prides itself on the acceptance levels into their preferred secondary school and the positive feedback it receives about its students who go into secondary school with the necessary skill levels.

Students are taught the values of fair play, and caring through the buddy systems that the school runs. This provides opportunities for older children to learn responsibility and at the same time caring for new students to the school. Westmere School is committed to Education Outside the Classroom as an adjunct to existing learning mechanisms to enhance students understanding of life long skills, providing a balance all through the learning process.

Support from the local community is the corner stone for any schools success. Coupled with the support of well trained and competent, stable staff to ensure the needs of the students are totally met. Westmere is proud of its very active and positive PTA and Board of Trustees. The PTA maintains a strong presence providing lunch at a small cost to the students each Friday as well as raising funds to ensure all students have the opportunity to play sports in uniform and attend annual camps by subsidising these. The Board of Trustees manages the schools annual funding to ensure the school runs smoothly, prioritizing expenditure to ensure resources are kept current and the learning environment is enhanced.

Westmere School offers rural and urban students equal opportunity to learn. Whilst the school started out originally to service a local rural community its popularity has increased to attract the urban population. Westmere School is still definitely a rural school and rural traditions are strong but at the same time given its proximity to Wanganui, Westmere is easily accessed by urban Wanganui.

Transport to school is usually by bus or private car but a growing number of children do cycle to school. A bus service is provided for most rural children and can be accessed by urban children at a small cost.
Westmere School is committed to enhancing the Scholastic and cultural needs of its students to ensure balance between inside and outside the classroom is achieved.  Students are all encouraged to participate in the Districts Mathex and Science Fair, which are run annually. In general Westmere participants fair well in those annual events.

Westmere School employs a teacher specifically to cater for children with reading needs. These are met through focused teaching and learning. This teacher is, in part, funded by the Board of Trustees.

The school usually performs one operetta or other public performance every year. A high level of participation occurs with students involved in the production, from acting in the operetta through to making the props and setting up music and the stage. Our school has, for several years now, been involved with the A.F.S. organisation in the hosting of a group of approximately 10 children from another part of the world. They come to New Zealand for between 6 - 8 weeks to enhance their English Language. This has an excellent cultural spin-off for all the children at Westmere School.

The school environment offers a community swimming pool, permanent cricket pitch, rugby and soccer fields to fulfil the sporting needs of the students. Westmere has invested considerable money on establishing two netball courts, which offers greater hardcourt area for students to develop individual skills. The school also has two playgrounds, one is designed specifically for the junior children and the other for the seniors to help them build their confidence and fitness.

Swimming is strong within the school curriculum, supported by the strength and ability of the teams entered each year in the inter school sports. Westmere School recently invested over $100,000 to upgrade the pool and surrounding area and we are very proud of this facility. Our swimmers do very well in Cluster and Wanganui wide competitions. 

A balance of sporting activities is made available to all students. The school has a very strong tradition of encouraging involvement in all Saturday sporting codes both summer and winter with parents and teachers playing an active role in managing and coaching these teams. Uniforms and equipment are provided by the school and PTA. Cost to the children is always kept to a minimum.