Tauhara School

Tauhara School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

 

Background

This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and Tauhara 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 

Tauhara primary school is located in Taupō for Years 1 to 6 students. 

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

  • improve student engagement in learning

  • accelerate student achievement, particularly for boys.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the extent to which culturally responsive and relational pedagogy improves engagement, behaviour and learning opportunities for all students. 

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is: 

  • exploring further refinement and interventions to support accelerated achievement in literacy and mathematics learning

  • increasing the number of students who are operating in the Green Zone for Positive Behaviour for Learning (PB4L) schoolwide behaviour plan

  • improving attendance and engagement with learning opportunities across the school.

The school expects to see increased engagement with learning opportunities across the school, acceleration in achievement and improved behaviour for all students.

Strengths

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

  • a clear focus on improving outcomes for boys through teacher inquiry and a boys’ only class

  • using student, teacher and whānau views (through the Rongohia Te Hau survey) to measure the school’s use of culturally responsive and relational pedagogy and inform the strategic direction of the school

  • the work with Ngāti Tūwharetoa to design a local curriculum giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi, te reo Māori and Mana Whenua.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • implementing the Tūwharetoa Cultural Competencies as part of the local curriculum to increase interest and relevancy for learners, to engage them and improve attendance

  • supporting teachers with iwi assistance, to grow knowledge and competency in Ngāti Tūwharetoatanga in order to provide a wider range of learning opportunities for students

  • giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi by supporting teachers to learn te reo Māori through the Te Ahu o Te Reo Māori programme.

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.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

7 March 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

Tauhara School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of February 2022, the Tauhara school , 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 Tauhara 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.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

7 March 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

Tauhara School

Findings

Tauhara School has made sufficient progress in relation to the key next steps identified in ERO’s June 2017 report. The school will transition into ERO’s Evaluation for Improvement approach.

1 Background and Context

What is the background and context for this school’s review?

Tauhara School, located in Taupō, provides education for children in Years 1-to-6. The school’s roll of 209 includes 129 Māori children, many of whom whakapapa to Ngāti Tūwharetoa.

The school’s mission is ‘Whaia te Mātauranga – Reach for the highest peak’. This is underpinned by the values of AROHA – achievement, respect, ownership, high expectations and attitude. The strategic intentions of the school are to:

  • accelerate progress and achievement of students at risk of underachieving in reading, writing and mathematics
  • increase student and whānau engagement
  • enhance school organisation and structures
  • ensure stability of staffing, improvements to property and robust financial systems.

The June 2017 ERO report identified improvements were required in strengthening leadership for learning to build teacher capability, building internal evaluation capability, and the effective use of achievement information by trustees, teachers and leaders. Positive progress is evident across these areas.

2 Review and Development

How effectively is the school addressing its priorities for review and development?

Priorities identified for review and development

The 2017 ERO report identified key areas for improvement as:

  • strengthening leadership for learning to build teacher capability
  • building internal evaluation capability
  • developing the effective use of achievement information by board members, teachers and leaders.
Progress

Significant improvements in achievement are evident in reading, writing and mathematics since the 2017 ERO report. Clear expectations to guide achievement decisions and programme planning have been established. Moderation processes have been strengthened to bring about schoolwide consistency to support dependable achievement decisions.

Leaders and teachers regularly gather and collate achievement information. Improved systems for tracking and monitoring are evident. Students at risk of underachieving are clearly identified and known schoolwide.

Teachers use a range of appropriate assessment information to inform programmes for learning. Achievement information guides collaborative planning. Regular reflection of this planning supports teachers to better respond to student’s progress.

Relational trust and collaborative ways of working amongst leaders and teachers are evident schoolwide. Emergent leadership capability across the school is being recognised and is supporting improvement. Deepening relationships with the wider education network is enhancing teachers’ knowledge and building effective practice. Teachers have been involved in a range of professional learning and development that is responding well to their interests, needs and strengths.

Respectful and nurturing interactions are evident between teachers and students throughout the school. Learning environments are settled and well organised. Students are engaged in their activities. Processes have been developed and implemented to better support children to be aware of their current achievement and goals for improvement. Increasing whānau involvement in learning relationships is evident.

A range of interventions has been implemented in mathematics, reading and writing. Increasing knowledge of these interventions and structures for programme delivery are contributing to improving schoolwide levels of achievement.

Ngāti Tūwharetoa, through the Taupō Kahui Ako, are guiding schools to develop a localised curriculum through the Tūwharetoa Cultural Knowledge Implementation Plan 2020-2021. This professional development and guidance is supporting leaders and teachers to deepen their understanding of Tūwharetoa learners’ success in two worlds.

Teachers regularly discuss strategies to guide positive behaviours for learning, and support students’ developing social and emotional competence. This work is enhancing students’ decision-making and engagement in learning.

A purposeful culture of review, reflection and inquiry is evident across the school. Aspects of internal evaluation understanding are developing. Board members and leaders now need to deepen their knowledge and implementation of evidence-based evaluation to inform sustainable practices and ongoing improvement. This should include:

  • robust analysis of data to identify trends and patterns for groups of learners and achievement over time
  • formalising expected indicators of success for monitoring progress towards annual targets and strategic direction
  • knowing the impact programmes and interventions have on accelerating progress and achievement
  • continuing to build teacher capability and consolidate the effective strategies for what works for learners at Tauhara School.

3 Sustainable performance and self review

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

The school has the capability to sustain and continue to improve and review its performance. In order for this to happen board members and leaders need to ensure they:

  • know, understand and implement the school’s policies, procedures and practice appropriately and consistently
  • deepen their knowledge of roles and responsibilities for effective governance for sustainability and improvement.

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
  • school policies in relation to meeting the requirements of the Children’s Act 2014.

Conclusion

Tauhara School has made sufficient progress in relation to the key next steps identified in ERO’s June 2017 report. The school will transition into ERO’s Evaluation for Improvement approach.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region - Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

26 May 2021

About the school

The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement.