Pukenui School (Te Kuiti)

Pukenui School (Te Kuiti)

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 18 months of the Education Review Office and Pukenui School (Te Kuiti) 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 

Pukenui School is located in Te Kuiti, providing education for tamariki in Years 1 to 8. Cultural inclusiveness is a significant feature of the multi-cultural school.

Pukenui School (Te Kuiti)’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:

  • deliver a stimulating learning environment that promotes student engagement and healthy learners, providing for the physical and emotional wellbeing of all ākonga

  • provide quality teaching and authentic learning experiences that lead to higher levels of student engagement and achievement to build successful communicators

  • enable ākonga to be confident in their identity, language and culture, and engage effectively and contribute to the learning and aspirations of their communities.

You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Pukenui School (Te Kuiti)’s website.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively school conditions contribute to increasing progress for all students in literacy and mathematics, with a priority on Māori and boys’ learning. Improving rates of student attendance and strengthening quality partnerships for learning are ongoing priorities for the school.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

  • the school’s commitment to respond increasingly effectively to achievement data to enable equitable outcomes for Māori students and boys

  • the importance of engaging in strategic partnerships with students, whānau and community to support learning progress

  • the need to improve rates of regular attendance to increase learning opportunities and success for all.

The school expects to see planned actions implemented that contribute to effective rates of progress and increasingly equitable outcomes for all tamariki and improved engagement in learning.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to improve learner outcomes in literacy and mathematics:

  • a caring, inclusive culture that supports whānau and tamariki in their learning

  • leadership for learning that is focused on continuous improvement

  • planned professional development for teachers that is targeted to the diverse needs of students.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • continuing to strengthen the consistency of planning, teaching and learning for improvement

  • targeted actions to accelerate achievement and support equitable outcomes for learners

  • strengthening whānau and community partnerships to enrich opportunities for students to become actively engaged learners.

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

6 July 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

Pukenui School (Te Kuiti)

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of August 2022, the Pukenui School (Te Kuiti) 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 Pukenui School (Te Kuiti) 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

6 July 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

Pukenui School (Te Kuiti) - 14/11/2017

Summary

Pukenui School is a full primary school catering for children in Years 1 – 8. The roll is currently 138 children, 109 of whom are Māori. Most whakapapa to Ngāti Maniapoto, the local iwi. There are also children from other ethnic backgrounds including Pākehā and Samoan.

An experienced principal continues to lead the school. The board comprises a mixture of both new and experienced trustees. Teachers have recently had professional development with a Ministry of Education Student Achievement Advisor (SAF), and are participating in the second year of the Ministry of Education initiative, Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L).

The school’s 2016 achievement data shows that approximately 60% of students achieved at or above the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Over the last three years overall achievement in relation to the National Standards has remained constant. There continues to be higher levels of underachievement for Māori children and boys. The school’s achievement picture is affected significantly by high levels of transience.

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

The school responds well to some Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

A number of school processes are enabling achievement of equity and excellence:

  • Trustees are becoming more focussed on those children whose progress needs to be accelerated.

  • Children benefit from warm, respectful relationships with teachers.

  • Teachers are building their understanding of children and their learning needs through processes such as teaching as inquiry.

Further developments are required in the following areas:

  • developing and monitoring specific and measureable achievement targets

  • monitoring the rates of progress for identified individuals and groups of at-risk learners

  • developing teachers’ use of formative assessment strategies to improve learning and teaching

  • developing consistent expectations for effective teaching practice.

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

Leaders and teachers:

  • know the learners whose progress and achievement need to be accelerated

  • need to develop and implement approaches that effectively meet the needs of each learner

  • need to improve the school conditions that support the acceleration of learners’ progress and achievement

  • need to build teacher capability to accelerate learners’ progress and achievement.

The school agrees to:

 

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

 

ERO will:

  • provide feedback and resources to support the development of more targeted planning
  • provide an internal workshop to support the school to develop effective planning and monitoring processes to support equity and excellence for all learners.

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?

The school responds well to some Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

From 2014 to 2016 achievement data in reading, writing and mathematics shows a consistent pattern of achievement, with approximately 60% of students achieving at or above the National Standards over this time. There continues to be high levels of underachievement for Māori children and boys.

The school’s mid-year data for 2017 indicates an increased number of at-risk learners are tracking towards achieving the National Standards by the end of the year.

The school is continually reviewing and strengthening the process for making overall teacher judgements (OTJs), about children’s achievement in relation to the National Standards. Senior leaders agree that it is now necessary to review and strengthen the way teachers record their ongoing observations of children’s progress.

The school’s learning support team is highly responsive and innovative in supporting children with additional needs. The team accesses a wide range of support when children enter into the school, and ensures support continues when children transition out. Parents of children with additional needs are well engaged as partners in their children’s learning.

School conditions supporting equity and excellence

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

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

Leadership has a strong focus on wellbeing and equitable outcomes for all children. There are opportunities for children to experience success across a range of curriculum areas. Children have a strong sense of belonging within a culture where difference is celebrated. Leaders have developed a culture of collaboration within the teaching team.

The school has close links to the wider community. Parents and whānau are well involved in their children’s learning. Children have more opportunities to experience success in areas that respond to their needs, interests, culture and identity.

Children are benefiting from warm, respectful relationships with teachers. They feel supported in their learning. Restorative social problem-solving practices are evident. The school values are well promoted and understood by children.

Teachers are increasingly using contexts for learning that are relevant and meaningful for children who are well-engaged in class. They have high expectations for children and their learning.

A culture of ongoing inquiry and improvement is developing. Teaching as Inquiry (TAI) is becoming an important process for building teacher capability.

Sustainable development for equity and excellence

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

To achieve equity and excellence further development is needed in:

  • developing and monitoring specific and measureable achievement targets

  • monitoring the rates of progress for identified individuals and groups of at-risk learners

  • developing teachers’ use of formative assessment strategies to improve learning and teaching

  • developing consistent expectations for effective teaching practice.

Regular and ongoing reporting to the board should inform trustees of progress made towards meeting charter targets. Monitoring and tracking the rates of progress at syndicate and classroom level for children whose progress requires acceleration, needs to be strengthened.

To increase teacher effectiveness, leaders and teachers need to improve assessment practices for identifying children’s next steps in learning. This should enable teachers to more specifically target identified learners needs. Strategies that empower children as leaders of their own learning should also be a priority.

The review and updating of expectations for teachers about effective classroom practice is needed to ensure there are shared understandings about effective teaching. Robust accountability systems should ensure greater consistency across the school.

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 learners. However, disparity in achievement for Māori and/or other learners remains.

Leaders and teachers:

  • know the learners whose progress and achievement need to be accelerated

  • need to develop and implement approaches that effectively meet the needs of each learner

  • need to improve the school conditions that support the acceleration of learners’ progress and achievement

  • need to build teacher capability to accelerate learners’ progress and achievement

The school agrees to:

 

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

 

ERO will:

  • provide feedback and resources to support the development of more targeted planning
  • provide an internal workshop to support the school to develop effective planning and monitoring processes to support equity and excellence for all learners.

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

Lynda Pura-Watson

Deputy Chief Review Officer

Te Tai Miringa - Waikato / Bay of Plenty Region

14 November 2017

About the school

Location

Te Kuiti

Ministry of Education profile number

1906

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 – 8)

School roll

138

Gender composition

Boys 57% Girls 43%

Ethnic composition

Māori 79%
Pākehā 13%
Pacific 8%

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

September 2017

Date of this report

14 November 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review June 2014
Education Review February 2011
Education Review May 2008