Key facts
- School number2991
- School typeContributing · Years 1–6
- AuthorityState
- GenderCo-Educational
- BoardingNo
- Language of instructionEnglish medium / other settings
- Established5 February 1918
About Solway School
Solway School is a Years 1–6 primary school that has operated for over 100 years. It is a state school with a mixed semi-rural and town character, located in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand.
The school's vision, expressed in te reo Māori as Ako Ngatahi — Learning Together, frames its approach to education. Three core values, each named in te reo Māori, underpin school life:
- Manaakitanga — compassion, responsibility, and respect
- Manawanui — resilience, tolerance, and diversity
- Pono — honesty and inclusiveness
The school organises students into four house groups — Ruamahanga, Waiohine, Waipoua, and Waiawangawanga — named after the four main rivers of the Wairarapa. Siblings are placed in the same house group. House groups compete in sports and arts events throughout the year, with a cup awarded annually.
Enrolment
Enrolment scheme on recordSolway School has an enrolment scheme (a home zone) on record. Living inside it guarantees a place; living outside it does not, though out-of-zone applications may still be considered.
School donations
The Ministry of Education profile states that: "Donations should not be requested, unless for a school camp".
With an Equity Index of 463, Solway School is in the range eligible to opt into the Ministry's donations scheme — receiving additional government funding per student in exchange for not seeking donations (except for overnight camps).
Check directly with the school for current charges, contributions or other costs. Learn more on the donations scheme or fees and charges at school, both on education.govt.nz.
Equity Index
The Ministry publishes this figure as a bare number — KuraData shows it against the directory-wide average, so you can see where Solway School actually sits, not just the number on its own.
The Equity Index estimates the socio-economic barriers students face, on average, and is used to inform government funding and support. It is not a measure of school quality or academic performance.
Higher values indicate a higher level of estimated socio-economic barriers; lower values indicate fewer. Learn how the Equity Index is calculated →
Student ethnicity
The Ministry publishes this as a raw table — here it's visualised directly against Solway School's own roll, so the shape of it is clear at a glance.
- European — 193 students (78.8%)
- Asian — 10 students (4.1%)
- Pacific — 12 students (4.9%)
- Māori — 76 students (31%)
- MELAA — 4 students (1.6%)
Percentages may sum to more than 100% because students can identify with more than one ethnic group.
Location
- Street address318 Ngaumutawa Road
- SuburbSolway
- CityMasterton
- Local authorityMasterton District
Official contact details
- ContactMark Bridges
- Phone+64 6 377 4850
- Emailoffice@solway.school.nz
- Websitewww.solway.school.nz/
Nearby schools
Schools physically closest to Solway School, regardless of year level.
-
Hadlow Preparatory School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 2.4 km
-
Alfredton School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 37.3 km
-
Mangaroa School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 45.4 km
-
Birchville School Contributing · Years 1–6 · 45.5 km
-
Koputaroa School Full Primary · Years 1–8 · 48.4 km
Explore schools in Masterton
Browse Masterton schools by type, including primary, intermediate, secondary, composite and other schools.
Curriculum and Teaching Approach
Solway School organises its students into two learning team groups: Year 0–3 and Year 4–6, indicating a full primary school range.
Across the school, reading, writing, and maths are taught in explicit groups, with students placed in both ability and mixed-ability groupings. The afternoon programme covers The Arts, Physical Education, and Rich Concepts. Te Reo Māori is taught explicitly every second week and is also integrated throughout the daily programme.
The junior school (Year 0–3, referred to as the Rangitumau team) uses a learning through play approach each morning from 9:15 to 12:30, during which explicit teaching groups are drawn out for reading, writing, and maths. The middle school uses a parallel approach called Play, Make, Create, structured in the same way.
The school's wellbeing programme, Hauora at Solway, is based on Te Whare Tapa Whā, a model that frames health across four dimensions: taha wairua (spiritual), taha hinengaro (mental and emotional), taha tinana (physical), and taha whānau (family and social wellbeing).
Frequently asked
These aren't generic answers — each one is built directly from Solway School's own official Ministry of Education data already shown on this page, so what you read here always matches the figures above.
Sources & methodology
Every fact on this page traces back to one of the rows below — official Ministry of Education data, or Solway School's own published information, reviewed before publication. Nothing here is inferred or estimated beyond what its source actually states.
| Data | Source | Data period | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| School characteristics | Ministry of Education | — | 7 September 2026 |
| Student roll | Ministry of Education / Education Counts | August 2026 | 7 September 2026 |
| Equity Index | Education Counts | — | 7 September 2026 |
| Address & coordinates | Ministry of Education | — | 7 September 2026 |
| Contact details | NZ Schools Directory | Current | 7 September 2026 |
| School information (AI-curated, human-reviewed) | Solway School's official website | Current | 20 September 2026 |