Principal's Welcome

Nau mai, haere mai — Welcome to Sandspit Road School. It is a privilege and a joy to lead our vibrant school community. Whether you are already part of our whaanau or considering joining us for the first time, we are delighted to share what makes our school a special place for tamariki (children) to learn, grow, and belong.

At the heart of everything we do are our core values: Community, Relationships, Learning, and Individuality.

Community & Relationships: We believe that learning thrives when strong, relational partnerships exist between home, school, and our wider community. We value open communication and genuine connection, working alongside whaanau to ensure every child feels safe, valued, and supported.
Individuality: Every student brings unique strengths, passions, and cultural identity to our kura. We embrace and honour each child’s individual journey, helping them flourish as their authentic selves.
Learning: We maintain high aspirations for our learners, encouraging curiosity, creativity, and resilience in equal measure.

Our Vision: Ako Manahau. Our overarching vision is for our students to experience ako manahau — to be actively, joyfully, and purposefully engaged in their learning. We want learning to be an exciting, active adventure rather than a passive experience.

To achieve this, we are deeply committed to cultivating student agency. We empower our students to know what they are learning, why they are learning it, and where to take their learning next. By fostering voice, choice, and ownership in the classroom, we build confident, self-directed learners who have the tools and mindsets to be leaders of their own learning for a lifetime.

We value whaanau involvement and invite you to participate actively in school life, events, and learning conversations. Please feel free to reach out or visit us at any time.

Ngaa mihi nui,

Denise Horley

Tumuaki / Principal