Tuakau College

Findings

Tuakau College promotes student learning well. A settled and inclusive tone in the school supports the learning of students. There is a focus on building a curriculum around individual students’ that is responsive to their strengths and interests. The college is committed to bicultural practices and is steeped in the traditions of the local area.

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

1 Context

What are the important features of this school that have an impact on student learning?

Tuakau College caters for students in Years 7 to 13. Students have strong links to the town and surrounding areas. Forty-three percent are Māori, of whom a significant proportion whakapapa to ngā hapū o Te Pūaha o Waikato. Eight percent have Pacific heritage.

The college is steeped in the traditions of the local area and being bicultural. The school motto, “Pai rawa atu i ngā mea katoa - The very best in all things" is clearly articulated by the leadership team. Students are supported to meet this motto through the four kete of knowledge, academic, sport, culture, and social service.

Since the 2012 ERO report, the priority for the college has been sharpening its focus on student achievement. The board and school leaders have considered what the school can do differently to raise student achievement. This focus has resulted in changes to curriculum management and teaching practices. An extended senior leadership team is now in place, allowing individual strengths to be used to target school improvement. The board has also overseen a substantial upgrade to the physical learning environment.

Tuakau College is a caring and respectful learning community. The school has extensive practices and systems to promote student wellbeing. There is a calm and purposeful tone in the school that supports the learning of all students.

2 Learning

How well does this school use achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement?

Improved use of student achievement information by the board, senior leaders and teachers is supporting a sharper focus on raising student academic performance.

Achievement information is used to set school priorities and appropriate achievement targets, and to design curriculum programmes. Stronger analysis of data, and sharing of information by teachers and school leaders, is helping teachers to cater for students’ different learning strengths and needs.

The college is justifiably proud of the high literacy and numeracy rates achieved by students in Years 11 to 13. The challenge for the school is to increase levels of student success in the National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA).

School achievement information shows that students make good progress over their time at the college. There is clear alignment of assessment practices across the junior and senior school that allows for the close ongoing monitoring of students. This information is used to support appropriate targeted actions to raise the achievement of students who are at risk of not achieving to their potential.

As a result of a sharper focus on students’ academic progress greater support is in place for students at key transition times in their learning pathway. Dialogue with local primary schools, and the moderation of achievement data, supports smooth transitions into the school. Greater sharing of data and collective responsibility for student achievement within the school is assisting students’ transitions between year levels.

Achievement information is also used by senior leaders and teachers to inquire into the effectiveness of teaching practices and to identify relevant professional learning requirements. Teachers could now consider how students can use their own achievement information to be more actively involved in decisions about how to make progress.

There are very high levels of student engagement in learning across the school. Classrooms are settled places for learning. The learning focus for lessons is clear for students and they enjoy respectful learning relationships with their teachers.

The college’s inclusive and responsive practices support students with special learning needs very well. Teachers, learning assistants, and all students share a commitment to and responsibility for these students’ progress. This shared approach ensures students participate fully in appropriate learning programmes and the wider school curriculum.

Strong community collaboration and partnerships are becoming more focused on supporting children’s learning. This is creating a shift towards collective responsibility for the raising of student achievement.

3 Curriculum

How effectively does this school’s curriculum promote and support student learning?

Tuakau College curriculum is becoming increasingly effective in engaging, and promoting successful outcomes for all students.

Since the 2012 ERO report senior leaders have reviewed the curriculum and introduced effective initiatives that result in a broadening and more cohesive curriculum. Students have greater opportunity to gain credits towards national qualifications, and are benefiting from interconnected Year 7 to 13 programmes in some subjects. This cohesion gives students confidence to transfer skills to new learning situations. Learning environment upgrades are also resulting in more subject options for students and a natural integration of information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance learning.

The school is developing a curriculum around the individual student in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science. This is providing a strong learning foundation for the students to access learning in other curriculum areas. A change in the ‘deaning’ system in Years 9 to 13 is guiding curriculum decisions that are focused on individual student pathways. A present priority for the school is to continue exploring ways of incorporating vocational pathways into the curriculum to support students transitioning out of the school.

Teachers participate in well planned and appropriate professional learning opportunities to sharpen their teaching focus and practice on individual learners. New learning for teachers is resulting in effective strategies that equip students to take greater ownership of their learning through self and peer assessing their work. The teacher performance management system introduced in 2014 supports effective professional practice and growth.

Learning experiences that reflect the bicultural heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand are given an important place in the curriculum, the environment and daily life of the school. The infusion of Pacific students’ cultures is also shaping curriculum developments for these students.

ERO recommends that school leaders continue to build on practices that provide individual learning pathways and approaches with students.

How effectively does the school promote educational success for Māori, as Māori?

Tuakau College promotes educational success for Māori very effectively. Māori students are confident in their individual cultural identity. The school promotes Māori student leadership and tuakana teina relationships.

A clear understanding about Mana Māori being paramount to students succeeding as Māori at Tuakau College is led, practised and modelled by the principal. Success for Māori students is a priority for the board and staff. The school has well established tikanga-a-rohe with strong links to local marae.

The inclusion of cultural competencies for teachers of Māori learners as an influence on curriculum implementation reflects the school’s expectations for teaching practice. There is good provision for teachers to learn about and develop their own confidence in tikanga Māori through focused professional learning and development.

The board has an ongoing, documented strategic plan, namely 'Building on Success' that helps the school sustain and build on initiatives designed to promote success as Māori. The board uses this plan as a self-review tool, to determine how well school policies and practices help to develop the potential of all Māori students.

The Māori community has the opportunity to contribute to the schools’ decision-making process. Attendance at Poukai allows the views of whānau and the school to be shared. These views are listened to, respected and responded to by the school, whānau, hapū and iwi.

4 Sustainable Performance

How well placed is the school to sustain and improve its performance?

Tuakau College is well placed to sustain and improve its performance. The school is well governed and led.

Trustees are well informed about curriculum developments and student achievement. Board decision making is strategic and has a focus on improving outcomes for all students. Very good working relationships ensure the work of the board and school management is well coordinated through the school’s strategic and operational planning.

The expanded senior leadership team is enabling increased momentum for change to meet the diverse needs of students. Increased opportunities for leadership across the school are complementing and enhancing school developments. Senior leaders need to consider how all levels of leadership can contribute at the strategic decision-making level.

Self review is used well. Ongoing critical reflection and the outcomes of school-wide self review provide clear rationale for positive change. Students, staff and the school community are consulted widely as part of review processes, in order to get things right and develop a shared ownership of outcomes to support the school’s overall improvement focus. ERO recommends that the board and senior leaders develop a school framework for self review that will guide all school reviews and support good quality evaluation. The board should ensure all school policies and procedures are reviewed regularly to make certain the policies meet up-to-date legislative requirements.

Provision for international students

The school is a signatory to the Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students (the Code) established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989.

No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.

Board assurance on legal requirements

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:

• board administration
• curriculum
• management of health, safety and welfare
• personnel management
• financial management
• asset management.

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

• emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
• physical safety of students
• teacher registration
• processes for appointing staff
• stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
• attendance.

To improve current practice, the board of trustees should ensure that non-teaching staff and unregistered employees are police vetted every three years.

Conclusion

Tuakau College promotes student learning well. A settled and inclusive tone in the school supports the learning of students. There is a focus on building a curriculum around individual students’ that is responsive to their strengths and interests. The college is committed to bicultural practices and is steeped in the traditions of the local area.

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

Graham Randell
Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern 

School Statistics