77 Settlers Way, Okaihau
View on mapThis Profile Report was written within 24 months of the Education Review Office and Okaihau Primary 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
Okaihau Primary School sits on the top of a plateau that connects the Hokianga from the west with Te Pewhairangi (Bay of Islands) to the east. Year 1 to 6 students come from a wide geographical area in rural Te Tai Tokerau. Many of the students are of Māori descent, mostly connected to iwi of Ngāpuhi.
The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school for all children are 'Ma ngā hau e kawe te matauranga ki te taumata,' 'Riding the Winds to Success', Heka he Matangi ko Ma’ili fainoa.
Okaihau Primary School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
raising the achievement of all students: Māori, Pakeha and Pacific, by providing exciting dynamic programmes and innovative teaching
creating an atmosphere of mutual respect and a value of all cultures by fostering positive, confident relationships in a safe environment
encouraging a partnership between school and the wider community by involving whānau positively in their children’s education.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Okaihau Primary School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well strength-based teaching and learning practices support all learners to succeed in mathematics.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
embedding the PRIME mathematics programme is a school goal to provide structure and coherence to the teaching of mathematics
a focus on learner progress and achievement in mathematics will inform teachers, leaders and board members about the programme’s impact on student learning
professional learning with a focus on how a strength-based relationship between teacher and learner contributes to a learner’s sense of wellbeing and ‘can do’ attitude towards learning.
The school expects to see:
excellence in teaching practices and resources to support learning in mathematics
a positive school culture that creates a safe place for all; physically, emotionally and socially
a localised curriculum that addresses learner needs and raises achievement.
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate how well strength-based teaching and learning practices support all learners to succeed in mathematics.
a graduate profile that describes principles and values that learners at Okaihau Primary will demonstrate
a supportive school culture to promote learner wellbeing and engagement, a sense of belonging, unity and connectedness
respectful relationships in the school which signify the value placed on diversity.
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
consistency in the analysis of achievement information by teachers to identify learners who are at risk of not achieving
deliberate teacher inquiry to identify mathematics strategies which have the most impact on learner achievement
strengthening its use of evaluation, inquiry and knowledge-building approaches to improve learner outcomes, with a clearer focus on equity and excellence and for Māori and Pacific and learners with diverse learning requirements.
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.
Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools
18 May 2023
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
As of June 2022, the Okaihau Primary School Board has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
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For further information please contact Okaihau Primary 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.
Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools
18 May 2023
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Okaihau Primary School sits on the top of a plateau that connects the Hokianga from the west with Te Pewhairangi (Bay of Islands) to the east. Students come from a wide geographical area in rural Te Tai Tokerau and most students travel to and from school by bus. Of the 157 students in the school, 59 percent are of Māori descent and are mostly connected to hapū of Ngāpuhi.
The recent elected board has a mixture of experienced and new trustees. The principal and staff are mostly long serving. The Ministry of Education has offered support through a Student Achievement Function advisor to support them to improve student achievement.
The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school for all children are 'Ma ngā hau e kawe te matauranga ki te taumata,' 'Riding the Winds to Success.' This vision is taken from the many puriri trees that dominate the school grounds. The centre of the tree is envisioned as the heart of the matter, the branches are the attributes and values that children will display now and in the future, and the trunk and the roots are the support networks that nourish the child.
The school’s achievement information shows that between 2013 and 2015 for Māori students, there has been a decrease in the percentage achieving at and above the National Standards in reading from 57 to 50 percent and in writing a decrease from 54 to 52 percent. However, there has been an increase in the percentage achieving National Standards mathematics from 47 to 57 percent. This means that 50 percent of Maori students are achieving at or above the National Standards in reading, 52 percent in writing and 57 percent in mathematics.
The National Standards achievement data for other students shows that there has been a similar decrease in the percentage achieving the National Standard in reading from 65 to 60 percent. However, there has been an improvement in achievement in mathematics, with movement from 56 to 67 percent at and above the National Standard, and in writing the percentage of students at and above the National Standard has moved from 54 percent to 59 percent.
Trustees and senior leaders are aware that they now need to accelerate student achievement. The senior leadership team have discussed how to increase the sense of urgency about improving student achievement.
Since the last ERO evaluation the school has had professional development in writing, mathematics, and reading. The professional development has led to improved teaching practices and increased reflection on teaching strategies and relationships with students and their families. Teachers meet fortnightly to reflect on student progress and achievement.
The senior leadership team acknowledge that many of these improved practices are still developing and that some are at the beginning stages.
The school is only partially effective in responding to Māori children whose learning and achievement need acceleration. However, the school is continuing to develop strategies to respond more effectively to Māori children whose learning and achievement need acceleration.
Strategies identified by leaders and teachers to raise Māori children's confidence in engaging in learning include providing leadership opportunities in assemblies, promoting the use of te reo Māori, whai korero, waiata, kapa haka and sports. The school continues to get good support from committed Māori parents to help the school through various activities and events when these occur. The formal consultation process with Māori parents is less successful but school leaders continue to look at finding ways to do this better.
Senior leaders should now consider the disparity between Māori children's achievement and the achievement of others and how they could specifically reduce this. Some of these strategies could involve developing a raising achievement plan to specifically address underachievement in literacy and mathematics. The plan should:
The school is only partially effective in responding to other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration.
Leaders and teachers gather achievement information to inform learning programmes and students' progress. The regular conversations around student achievement have begun to provide greater focus on target students and on the use of effective teaching strategies to raise student achievement. There is a willingness by senior leaders to further enhance learning opportunities and to find effective ways to accelerate student achievement.
Senior leaders now need to consider a more collaborative and consistent approach to:
The school's curriculum is partially effective in developing and enacting the school's vision, values, goals and targets for equity and excellence.
School leaders have established a supportive culture to promote student wellbeing and engagement, a sense of belonging, unity and connectedness. School leaders work collaboratively on developing and enacting the school's vision, values and goals for equity and excellence. They have actively involved students, parents, families and the community in learning-centred relationships, although they recognise there is still more to be done. Senior leaders also ensure that parents and the community take part in making decisions about the curriculum. They are aware of the need to ensure that cultural responsiveness is part of their curriculum development and direction.
Respectful relationships in the school signify the value placed on diversity. Local and global contexts are acknowledged. Students undergo positive transitions into school and as they progress through school. Students experience an environment where it is safe to take risks and errors are used as opportunities to learn. Bicultural practices are evident throughout the school.
The school should now develop a school-wide curriculum document to guide the leaders and teachers and to ensure coherence in:
Reporting to the board of trustees by the principal should further be improved with more regular reporting of accelerated progress particularly for target and priority students. Evaluative reporting to the board should also identify the effectiveness of strategies and programmes designed to bring about positive changes for learners. Reporting to the board needs to be clear and enable trustees to fulfil their stewardship role in scrutinising achievement information to improve board decision making.
The principal needs to improve the appraisal process for teachers. Improvements should include better alignment to the Practising Teacher Criteria and the curriculum and include more evidence about teacher practice. The board should also improve processes for the appraisal of the principal and senior leadership team.
School leaders and trustees work well together. They should now consider how they can improve internal evaluation of the school as part of their planning and efforts to improve the school's performance in promoting high levels of achievement for all students.
Leaders and teachers:
Senior leaders and teachers know their children and families well. Strong relationships with families, whanau and the wider community are evident. The board of trustees, senior leaders and staff work collaboratively to provide positive outcomes for students. Senior leaders and teachers are aware that many children need their learning accelerated.
The next step is for senior leaders and teachers to implement a strategic approach to ensuring specific and deliberate teaching practices occur. Improving systems for monitoring and evaluating teaching practice, student assessment and professional development aligned to accelerating student achievement will contribute to improved achievement outcomes for students.
Action: The board, principal and teachers should use the findings of this evaluation, the Effective School Evaluation resource, the Internal Evaluation: Good Practice exemplars and the School Evaluation Indicators to develop a Raising Achievement Plan to further develop processes and practices that respond effectively to the strengths and needs of children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated.
As part of this review ERO will continue to monitor the school’s Raising Achievement plan and the progress the school makes.
ERO is likely to carry out the next full review in three years.
Before the review the board of trustees 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
processes for appointing staff
stand down, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
attendance
compliance with the provisions of the Vulnerable Children Act 2014
To improve current practice the board should review its health and safety policies in regards to the Vulnerable Children's Act 2014 and its impact across all school operations.
ERO recommends that the school seek support from the Ministry of Education to bring about the following improvements:
Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern
26 September 2016
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Location |
Okaihau Northland |
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Ministry of Education profile number |
1059 |
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School type |
Contributing (Years 1 to 6) |
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School roll |
158 |
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Gender composition |
Boys 53% Girls 47% |
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Ethnic composition |
Māori Pākehā Cook Island Maōri Niue Tongan |
53% 40% 3% 2% 2% |
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Review team on site |
June 2016 |
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Date of this report |
26 September 2016 |
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Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review Education Review Education Review |
April 2013 November 2009 October 2006 |