Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
Background
This Profile Report was written within nine months of the Education Review Office and Matata 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
Matata School is located in the town of Matatā in the Eastern Bay of Plenty and provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school offers bi-lingual Māori and English medium education. A first-time principal was appointed at the beginning of 2020.
Matata School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:
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to improve student achievement in all areas of the curriculum
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to increase student engagement and retention
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to develop opportunities for shared leadership and teacher agency.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Matata School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the extent to which a focus on assessment for learning is improving student agency and achievement outcomes in reading. The school is aware that more needs to be done to ensure excellent outcomes for all learners. It is expected that this evaluation will inform a refinement of the school’s strategic plan.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
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the opportunity for students to become active participants in their own learning
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the use of evaluation findings to refine improvement actions that make a difference to learner outcomes in reading
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the opportunity to strengthen learning-focused partnerships with whānau to improve outcomes for learners.
The school expects to see:
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teachers using formative assessment strategies effectively to inform teaching and learning to better meet the needs of priority/all learners and improve achievement in reading
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students using self-assessment skills and resources to understand and shape their own learning journey
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portfolios of learning used to enhance home-school partnerships and student ownership of learning.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to improve outcomes for all learners in reading:
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school conditions which prioritise learner wellbeing, resilience, and optimism
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established systems for tracking and monitoring of student progress and achievement over time
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strengthened teacher capability in the use of assessment tools and clarity of teaching intent.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
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ensuring that teaching is informed by immediate and relevant assessment information about student learning requirements to improve student achievement outcomes in reading
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supporting students to identify their own learning needs and to use self-assessment skills to evaluate their own work
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taking steps to enact meaningful educational connections with whānau, parents and families so they are informed about and involved in their children’s learning.
ERO’s role will be to support the school to plan and implement evaluation to run alongside planned improvement actions. Over time, ERO will support the school to use evaluation findings to inform future improvement cycles. 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
19 July 2022
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