Hurupaki School

Hurupaki School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 19 months of the Education Review Office and Hurupaki 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 

Hurupaki School is in Whangārei, Northland and caters for learners in Years 1 to 6.  The school’s vision is Learning Today for Tomorrow, Ka ako i tenei rā mō āpōpō.  A new principal was appointed in 2022.

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

  • Cultural Responsiveness

  • Authentic and Meaningful Learning

  • Wellbeing

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the extent to which a structured literacy programme promotes equitable and excellent reading and writing skills for all Year 1 to 3 learners.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

  • any disparity in Year 1 – 3 literacy learning outcomes will be monitored and addressed

  • teachers share clear, culturally responsive and equitable expectations for learner progress, achievement and wellbeing

  • children, parents and whānau are supported through affirming, learning focused relationships.

The school expects to see equitable and excellent literacy learning outcomes for all Years 1-3 learners, where learners meet expected reading and writing progressions and experience integrated and effective support.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate the extent to which a structured literacy programme promotes equitable and excellent reading and writing skills for all Year 1 to 3 learners:

  • teachers and leaders work collaboratively to design a responsive curriculum which realises learner and community needs and aspirations

  • systems and processes support a high level of teacher capability and capacity for continuous improvement

  • teachers and leaders engage with, learn through and use purposeful evaluation as a resource for improvement and innovation.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • curriculum design that builds on best practice in literacy and is implemented effectively across the school

  • continued, systematic and collaborative school and teacher inquiry to further inform evaluative monitoring, process and practice

  • continued collaborative approaches that nurture and support learning focused relationships.

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.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

13 April 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

Hurupaki School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of April 2022, the Hurupaki School Board 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 Hurupaki School, School Board.

The next School Board 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.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

13 April 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

Hurupaki School - 15/06/2017

Summary

Hurupaki School has a roll of 328 children including 30 percent who identify as Māori. Small numbers of Pacific children and other ethnic groups also attend the school.

A new principal appointed in 2015 leads an experienced senior leadership team. The team continues to focus on and develop high quality teaching and learning practices that make a difference for children who are at risk of not achieving the National Standards. Since ERO’s 2014 evaluation, new trustees have joined the board.

The school has sustained high levels of achievement in relation to the National Standards over the last four years. Valued outcomes for children have been strengthened through targeted strategic planning, effective professional development for teachers, and the inclusion of parents and whānau in children’s learning.

Effective, collaborative approaches to teaching that support child-centred learning have been developed. As part of this school leaders have focused on promoting student-led inquiry learning with an emphasis on critical thinking and problem solving.

Hurupaki School is a member of the Community of Learning|Kāhui Ako (CoL), Ngā Kura mo te ako o Whangarei (Raki Whangarei) Kāhui Ako Group 3. This CoL is in the early stages of becoming established.

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

The school is very effective in achieving equitable outcomes for Māori, Pacific and other children. High expectations, effective leadership and governance, and strong community engagement have helped the school to sustain high quality education for children. The board of trustees, principal and staff prioritise and resource support for individual learners who may be at risk of not achieving.

Teachers work collaboratively and are increasingly skilful in developing and refining effective strategies for accelerating children’s learning. These collaborative approaches are being embedded by building leaders’ and teachers’ professional capability and collective capacity. They have resulted in further opportunities for children to take greater ownership of their learning.

Teachers value knowing learners and their whānau well. This underpins positive learning relationships to support children’s learning. Parents and whānau appreciate opportunities to be well informed about how they can take a more purposeful role in their children’s learning.

Children are achieving excellent educational outcomes. School performance has been sustained over time through well-focused, high quality processes and practices. This school has successfully addressed in-school disparity in educational outcomes.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.

Equity and excellence

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

Hurupaki School is highly effective in responding to children whose learning progress needs acceleration. The board of trustees, leadership team and staff prioritise equity and excellence for all children.

Children’s academic progress and achievement is well analysed and monitored, and regularly reported to the board. Effective school-wide moderation processes ensure that teacher judgements about children’s achievement against the National Standards are dependable.

School achievement information shows high levels of achievement for all children, including Māori, across the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers and leaders are addressing a slight disparity for boys in writing achievement, through a targeted acceleration focus. School data from 2014 to 2016 show that Year 6 children leave Hurupaki School with very high achievement.

School conditions supporting equity and excellence

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

The school’s processes are highly effective in supporting equity and excellence.

The school curriculum promotes the values of manaaki, atawhai, mana, pono and kawenga. These values align with the positive school culture, which reflects the school’s motto ‘Hurupaki Cares’. Students and staff demonstrate pride in the symbolic importance of the maunga, Hurupaki, and the local wetlands. These features of the landscape are included in the school’s pepeha, which is understood by and shared with children. Aspects of kaitiakitanga are evident in the way students and staff care for the environment.

One noteworthy development since ERO’s 2014 evaluation that contributes to equity and excellence is the increased emphasis on promoting all children’s cultural identity. Children and teachers learn and use te reo Māori. A Māori language specialist provides in-depth programmes for children in te reo Māori me ōna tikanga. This programme helps teachers to continue to strengthen their bicultural practices.

Children, parents and whānau feel supported through affirming relationships. Families are part of the learning processes that lead to improvement. The school has an innovative approach to involving whānau in child-led family conferences. Teachers discuss acceleration plans for priority learners with parents, to include them in the learning process.

Children benefit from varied opportunities to learn collaboratively. This has helped children to develop the skills and competencies for successful learning.

The school’s curriculum reflects its local context and is highly effective in supporting children to achieve. Digital technology is integrated well into everyday programmes. Classrooms have been refurbished and updated to reflect progressive educational ideas and to utilise open, collaborative spaces.

The principal understands current education theory and research. This is supporting new initiatives that are effectively helping to accelerate student achievement. Teachers value professional learning and opportunities to inquire into and improve their professional practice.

The board is well led by an experienced chair. Trustees sustain high quality environments for staff, whānau and children. They bring professional expertise to their governance roles and make strategic decisions that support equitable outcomes for children.

School processes are very effective, particularly those to do with strategic decision making about professional learning and the use of internal evaluation for continual improvement.

Sustainable development for equity and excellence

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

The school has appropriate and relevant strategic goals for ongoing school development, including:

  • enhancing children’s leadership of learning

  • continuing the development of a future-focused curriculum.

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?

Children are achieving excellent educational outcomes. School performance has been sustained over time through well-focused, high quality processes and practices. This school has successfully addressed in-school disparity in educational outcomes.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.

Steffan Brough

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern (Acting)

15 June 2017

About the school 

Location

Whangarei

Ministry of Education profile number

1018

School type

Contributing

School roll

328

Gender composition

Girls 52% Boys 48%

Ethnic composition

Māori

Pākehā

other

30%

62%

8%

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

May 2017

Date of this report

15 June 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

May 2014

June 2011

April 2008