Hikutaia School

Hikutaia School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within seven months of the Education Review Office and Hikutaia School working in Te Ara Huarau, an improvement evaluation approach used in most English Medium State and State Integrated Schools. For more information about Te Ara Huarau see ERO’s website www.ero.govt.nz

Context 

Hikutaia School, located in a rural community near Paeroa, provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. A strong, supportive community is a significant feature of this multi-cultural school.

Hikutaia School School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

  • to strengthen student achievement outcomes

  • to continue developing student engagement and empowerment in learning

  • to strengthen teacher capability and culturally responsive practice.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Hikutaia School’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively outcomes for all learners are improved through targeted actions to strengthen quality teaching practices. Teacher knowledge and capability in evaluation is an ongoing priority for the school’s continuous focus on equity and excellence.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

  • the priority to increase rates of progress for all learners in literacy and mathematics

  • the need to further strengthen students’ engagement and knowledge of their own learning pathways

  • the opportunity it provides to use a formalised process to strengthen evaluation capability for improvement.

The school expects to see targeted actions implemented and improved rates of progress and equitable outcomes for all learners.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to raise achievement for all students:

  • leadership that uses data effectively to inform planning, and direction

  • an increasingly collaborative team culture that is focused on continuous improvement

  • the layering of a tikanga Māori lens across the local curriculum that supports students to learn in a respectful, culturally inclusive environment.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • further strengthening learner agency to empower students in their own learning

  • strategically supporting teachers to enable consistency of practice to accelerate learning and develop collective capability in evaluation

  • embedding culturally responsive practice to promote sustainability for future teaching and learning.

ERO’s role will be to support the school in its evaluation for improvement cycle to improve outcomes for all learners. ERO will support the school in reporting their progress to the community. The next public report on ERO’s website will be a Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report and is due within three years.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

6 March 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.  educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Hikutaia School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of May 2022, the Hikutaia School Board of Trustees has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Finance

Yes

Assets

Yes

Further Information

For further information please contact Hikutaia School Board of Trustees.

The next Board of Trustees assurance that it is meeting regulatory and legislative requirements will be reported, along with the Te Ara Huarau | School Evaluation Report, within three years.

Information on ERO’s role and process in this review can be found on the Education Review Office website.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

6 March 2023 

About the School

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home

Hikutaia School - 01/05/2017

Summary

Hikutaia School is located near Paeroa in the Thames Coromandel District, and caters for children in Years 1 to 8. The current roll of 93 includes 31 Māori and a small number of Pacific children.

Although the roll has remained stable in recent years, the number of Māori children has increased.

Since the previous ERO review in 2014 the board chair and principal have remained the same. Some board members are new to their roles. School leadership continues to prioritise professional growth for teachers and trustees have accessed a programme of training about school governance.

Although the board and leaders have a clear picture of disparity in the school, this situation has not been successfully addressed. Boys and Māori continue to be over represented in the group of children whose learning is at risk.

How well is the school achieving equitable outcomes for all children?

Hikutaia School is not responding effectively to Māori and other children in the school whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

Some school processes are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence.

Further development is needed in the school’s approach to accelerating progress of children at risk of not achieving equitable outcomes.

At the time of this ERO review achievement data shows that most children were achieving National Standards in reading and mathematics. Fewer were achieving the required standard in writing.

The school has capacity and capability to accelerate learning for all children. However, disparity in achievement for Māori and/or other children remains.

Leaders and teachers:

  • know the children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated
  • need to improve the school conditions that support the acceleration of children’s learning and achievement 

The school agrees to:

  • develop more targeted planning to accelerate learning for children
  • monitor targeted planning, improved teaching, and children’s progress
  • discuss the school’s progress with ERO.

ERO will provide feedback and resources to support the development of more targeted planning.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.

Equity and excellence

How effectively does this school respond to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration?

Hikutaia School is not responding effectively to Māori and other children in the school whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

Data gathered and reported by the school, in relation to National Standards, shows that in reading and mathematics, both Māori and boys are over represented in the group of students whose learning is at risk. This picture of disparity has been consistent over the last two years and the school needs to address this situation to achieve equity and excellence for all children.

Girls continue to achieve well, with a significant majority achieving the National Standard in mathematics and reading. Leaders are making a positive response through targeted professional development in writing. However, approximately half of all students are working below the expected National Standard in writing.

The school gathers achievement information using a range of appropriate tests and strategies. They use this data, along with information gathered during teaching, to make judgements about each child’s achievement in relation to National Standards. Specific and ongoing professional learning about moderation in literacy and mathematics is contributing to dependable judgements. There is also a commitment to continuing to explore moderation in the near future through involvement with the local Community of Learning|Kāhui Ako (CoL).

School conditions supporting equity and excellence

What school processes are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence?

Some school processes are effective in contributing to the achievement of equity and excellence.

Teachers have established and documented clear and shared understandings and expectations about effective teaching. These expectations are grounded in research about best practice, most likely to make a difference for at risk learners.

There are effective processes to identify individual children whose progress requires acceleration. Teachers closely monitor individual children’s progress and plan programmes targeted to address next steps in each child’s learning.

Teaching as inquiry processes are well established. These inquiries are informed by hard data and linked to teacher appraisal systems. This process of inquiry provides a sound foundation for teachers to reflect on and improve their practice.

Teaching practice promotes children’s knowledge and understanding of their learning. Many students achieving below expected levels can speak with confidence about their learning and progress, and monitor their progress as they move towards achieving expected levels.

Trustees scrutinise achievement information received in regular reports from the principal. This enables the board to make resourcing decisions to support children whose learning is at risk. Sustainable development for equity and excellence.

The school has established effective processes to maintain close, learning-focused partnerships with parents and whānau. These partnerships are particularly strong with parents of children whose learning is at risk. Parents are kept well informed about their child’s current levels of achievement and the progress that will be needed to reach the expected standard by the end of the year. Parents are also well informed about how they can help at home.

Sustainable development for equity and excellence

What further developments are needed in school processes to achieve equity and excellence?

Further development is needed in the school’s approach to accelerating progress of children at risk of not achieving equitable outcomes.

The following systems and practices are not well developed:

  • Annual achievement targets need to focus more specifically on Māori and other children whose learning progress in reading, writing and mathematics requires acceleration. These developments are needed to enable the school to:

    • tell a coherent story about how disparity is being reduced

    • make the best use of internal evaluation to maintain a focus on reducing disparity in the school

    • align school-wide targets with other school initiatives and processes planned to accelerate progress for Māori and other children.

  • Culturally competent practices need to be fully implemented across the school. Trustees, leaders and teachers are yet to consider the implications of important Ministry of Education documents such as Tātaiako and the relevance of such practices to their governance, leadership and teaching roles.

Board assurance on legal requirements

Before the review, the board and principal of the school completed the ERO board assurance statement and self-audit checklists. In these documents they attested that they had taken all reasonable steps to meet their legislative obligations related to the following:

  • board administration

  • curriculum

  • management of health, safety and welfare

  • personnel management

  • asset management. 

During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student safety and wellbeing:

  • emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)

  • physical safety of students

  • teacher registration and certification

  • processes for appointing staff

  • stand down, suspension, expulsion and exclusion of students

  • attendance

  • school policies in relation to meeting the requirements of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014.

Going forward

How well placed is the school to accelerate the achievement of all children who need it?

The school has capacity and capability to accelerate learning for all children. However, disparity in achievement for Māori and/or other children remains.

Leaders and teachers:

  • know the children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated

  • need to improve the school conditions that support the acceleration of children’s learning and achievement.

The school agrees to:

  • develop more targeted planning to accelerate learning for children

  • monitor targeted planning, improved teaching, and children’s progress

  • discuss the school’s progress with ERO.

ERO will provide feedback and resources to support the development of more targeted planning. 

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.

Recommendation

ERO recommends that trustees and leaders use the findings of this report to strengthen internal evaluation and planning processes, and build teachers’ capability to provide excellent outcomes for all students.

Lynda Pura-Watson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Waikato / Bay of Plenty

1 May 2017

About the school 

Location

Paeroa

Ministry of Education profile number

1738

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

93

Gender composition

Girls 49 Boys 44

Ethnic composition

Pākehā 59
Māori 31
Pacific 4

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

February 2017

Date of this report

1 May 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review September 2014
Education Review January 2012
Education Review February 2009