Tautoro School

Education institution number:
2101
School type:
Full Primary
School gender:
Co-Educational
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
143
Telephone:
Address:

6314 Mangakahia Road, Kaikohe

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Tautoro School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within twelve months of the Education Review Office and Tautoro 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

Tautoro School is a small rural school located outside of Kaikohe within the hapū boundaries of Ngāti Rangi and Ngāti Moerewa.  The school also caters for tamariki from Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Mahia and Ngāti Whakaeke. The majority of the tamariki are of Māori descent and many staff and whānau have long standing and inter-generational connections with the school.

A Māori immersion unit caters for all ākonga in Years 5 to 8. Tautoro school is guided by its vision statement: Ko au te waka, ko te waka, ko au.  Its mission is Ko te pae tawhiti, whaia kia tataKo te pae tata, whakamaua kia tina (Seek out the distant horizons. Cherish those you attain).

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

  • maintain a safe, supportive, learning, culturally enhancing, happy school environment where all students can stand, play and work confidently on strong foundations

  • building whole school capabilities using effective teacher practices to assist the learner to build stronger relationships and the knowledge and skills they need for their learning pathway

  • create an 8-year learning pathway that focuses on student needs, knowledge and values and is enhanced by the stories, heritage and histories of tupuna.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how a focus on Ngā Waka Hoe values promotes a positive learner culture and contributes to ākonga achieving excellent and equitable outcomes.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

  • a schoolwide approach to a positive culture for learning based on PB4L principles has been introduced to maximise teaching and learning time

  • school leaders have identified the need for leaders and kaiako to evaluate the impact of professional development on ākonga outcomes.

The school expects to see ākonga who are independent thinkers, engaged in their learning, confident in their language, identity and culture to set goals and solve problems to achieve excellence in their learning.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate how a focus on Ngā Waka Hoe values promotes a positive learner culture and contributes to ākonga achieving excellent and equitable outcomes:

  • the unique position of Ngāpuhi culture is celebrated through the school, with value placed on the past, present and future of te āo Māori

  • the school and community strongly value the dual curriculum delivery model offered to ākonga

  • the Tautoro Graduate profile sets a strong foundation for ākonga to feel confident in their learning and identity and prepares them for future successes

  • Kaiako are engaged in relevant and quality professional development to promote accelerated learning

  • parents and whānau are actively involved in the school which contributes to a strong sense of community.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • implementing the Ngā Waka Hoe positive learning culture and monitoring practices to ensure consistency across the school  

  • focusing on junior literacy and mathematics learning programmes to provide a strong learning foundation for ākonga

  • ākonga and kaiako working together to set and articulate learning goals and evaluate learning journeys

  • developing strong, confident Māori leaders connected to their whānau and quipped with the knowledge and skills needed for their futures.

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.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

21 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

Tautoro School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of June 2022, the Tautoro 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 Tautoro 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.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

21 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

Tautoro School - 09/12/2016

1 Context

Tautoro School is a small rural school located outside of Kaikohe within the hapū boundaries of Ngāti Rangi, Ngāti Moerewa and Ngāti Hine. It continues to be an important part of the community. Many staff and whānau have long standing and inter-generational connections with the school. The school promotes the wellbeing of children, staff and whānau, and provides them with an inclusive environment for learning and working. A Māori immersion unit caters for children in Years 7 and 8.

Since ERO's 2012 review, the school has experienced some significant change in leadership. The current principal was appointed in June 2015. She is working with a new board and staff to set a new educational direction for the school. This new direction, supported by professional development for teachers and trustees, is targeted at improving outcomes for students.

2 Equity and excellence

The vision and valued outcomes defined by the school for all children are captured in the school's whakataukī, Taonga tuku iho te tamaiti and the vision 'empowered, confident, well-equipped citizens of the world'. This vision is underpinned by the 12 waka hoe values. These values are promoted to ensure that children, staff and whānau develop a shared understanding of them. Valued outcomes for all learners in this school community focus on learners:

  • being confident in their own language, culture and identity
  • engaging well in learning and taking responsibility for their personal learning
  • feeling empowered to be independent thinkers and resilient learners.

The school's achievement information shows that for the past three years approximately 70 percent of children have achieved at or above the National Standards in reading. By 2015 in writing, over 70 percent of children have achieved at or above the National Standards. In mathematics, just over 62 percent of children have achieved at or above the National Standards.

School achievement data shows gender-based differences, with girls' literacy and mathematics achievement exceeding that of boys. However, over the past three years boys' reading achievement shows a positive upward trend. While gains of 20 percent in writing are evident in 2015, boys' achievement remains significantly lower than girls.

The school's strong commitment to immersion and bilingual education reflects the aspirations and values of the school community. Children take pride in the recognition of te reo Māori me ōna tīkanga. They proudly participate in school pōwhiri with older children leading whaikōrero, karanga and waiata.

Children transition from Level 3 te reo Māori to Level 2 when they enter the immersion unit at the start of Year 7. The change in leadership and teaching staff over the last four years required that in 2015 most of the children in the immersion unit were assessed in reading, writing and mathematics in relation to the National Standards. The small number of children who were assessed against Ngā Whanaketanga Rumaki Māori (NWRM) in pānui, kōrero, pāngarau and tuhituhi did not meet the standards.

Considerable professional development is now underway to support teachers working in the Māori curriculum, Te Mātauranga o Aotearoa (TMoA). This support is focused on increasing teachers' and leaders' understanding of assessment and moderation practices to confidently implement the NWRM. Reports to parents in relation to NWRM do not yet meet Ministry of Education requirements. School leaders and trustees recognise that continuing to strengthen the provision for children in the immersion unit is a key priority.

School data over the past three years indicate that the majority of Year 8 children leave Tautoro School achieving at or above the National Standards in reading. Close to 70 percent achieve in writing and just over 50 percent of the Year 8 cohort achieve at or above in mathematics. At the time of this review, there was no NWRM achievement data for Year 8 children over the past three years.

School targets have consistently focused on increasing the number of children achieving at or above the National Standards and NWRM. An agreed next step is to reframe charter targets to specifically focus on groups of children who need to make accelerated progress and optimise the level of challenge in achieving these targets for leaders and trustees.

Since the last ERO evaluation the school has implemented a range of new initiatives focused on accelerating the achievement of all children. These initiatives include:

  • building teachers' capacity and capability to support acceleration by promoting a coaching approach for improvement
  • strengthening moderation processes to increase the reliability of achievement information and support teacher judgements
  • developing an action plan to accelerate progress and achievement in writing
  • improving systems to track and monitor the progress and achievement of children who need to make accelerated progress
  • planning improvements that focus on building learning relationships with children and their whānau through the local cluster network
  • providing teachers with opportunities to reflect on and change their practice.

These initiatives are at the early stages of implementation.

3 Accelerating achievement

How effectively does this school respond to children whose learning and achievement need acceleration?

The school is increasingly effective in responding to children whose learning and achievement require acceleration, including children with special learning needs. Information gathered shows that the school has had some success in accelerating the progress of these children in writing. School leaders are committed to extending successful acceleration strategies to reach all students who are underachieving.

School achievement data is now more reliable. Teachers are using assessment information well to plan classroom programmes and target children needing to make accelerated progress. The new collaborative approach for accelerating student achievement is building a stronger professional community.

Increasingly, evidenced-based decision making, coherent improvement plans and a culturally responsive local curriculum help trustees and staff to maintain a clear focus on the promotion of equitable outcomes for children. Systems and processes for identifying and responding to children's learning needs have been evaluated and strengthened. They result in accelerated progress for some of these students, in addition to increased engagement and whānau support.

An environment that strongly values and supports Māori children's language, culture and identity supports success. The Waka Hoe values promote a strong sense of whanaungatanga and tino rangatiratanga for the children, staff and whānau of Tautoro School.

The school is an active member of the Kaikohekohe Education Trust. The Trust consists of a cluster of local schools, which is focused on raising achievement and providing a future focused learning environment in partnership with whānau. Key strategies and actions for improvement are clearly aligned to the school's vision and valued outcomes. Teachers are moderating writing scripts within the cluster to further develop their understanding of the National Standards and build the reliability of achievement information.

4 School conditions

How effectively do the school’s curriculum and other organisational processes and practices develop and enact the school’s vision, values, goals and targets for equity and excellence?

The school's curriculum and organisational processes are becoming more effective in promoting equity and excellence for all children. The strategic plan provides a clear direction to achieve the school's vision, values, goals and priorities.

The values-based, culturally responsive curriculum supports children as confident, capable learners. It promotes digital learning technologies to enable more inclusive and personalised learning pathways for children. School leaders recognise that it is now timely to review and redesign the school curriculum using The New Zealand Curriculum and TMoA. ERO affirms the school's intent to develop a more connected curriculum that further promotes children's ownership of learning.

Children benefit from a settled and positive school tone. They experience success in a broad range of sporting, cultural and outdoor activities. The school's active promotion and support for children's wellbeing impacts positively on their engagement and learning.

Trustees, school leaders and staff have high expectations for all children to experience and celebrate success. The principal has been pivotal in leading organisational change to improve student outcomes and teacher capability. She has worked collaboratively to increase the school's professional and improvement-focused culture.

Trustees have accessed appropriate training to increase their understanding of their stewardship roles and responsibilities. This has included the new board chair attending the New Zealand School Trustees' Association residential workshops.

The principal has developed connected action plans to set a new educational direction for the school through internal evaluation. This development has included input from children, staff, trustees and whānau. These plans indicate a well-considered commitment to accelerating learning, improving teacher practice and increasing learning centred relationships with whānau. ERO affirms the school’s new direction as both timely and necessary.

School leaders promote a culture of learning for change. Together they are deliberate in building a culture of professional inquiry to improve teacher practice and increase valued outcomes for children. The teachers’ performance appraisals are linked to the new Practising Teacher Criteria (PTCs). Senior leaders are aligning the appraisal evidence more closely to the PTCs and could now access external support to help build a more tailored appraisal system.

5 Going forward

How well placed is the school to accelerate the achievement of all children who need it?

Leaders and teachers:

  • know the children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated
  • respond effectively to the strengths, needs and interests of each child
  • regularly evaluate how well teaching is working for these children
  • act on what they know works well for each child
  • build teacher capability effectively to achieve equitable outcomes for all children
  • are well placed to achieve and sustain equitable and excellent outcomes for all children.

The leadership team fosters a school culture of relational trust where staff collaborate and are open to making changes to improve outcomes for children. Trustees and school leaders have a clear vision for school improvement and development. School leaders are capable, motivated and collaborative. They recognise that a key next step is to consolidate and apply new learning from the multiple professional development initiatives, to build a shared understanding of excellence across the school.

School leaders and trustees agree that the next steps in school development include:

  • reviewing the Tautoro Curriculum and expectations for teaching and learning, as part of building greater coherence and challenge across Years 1 to 8
  • continuing to focus on building teachers' capability to accelerate progress and increase student ownership of their learning
  • developing an action plan specifically aimed at supporting the teaching and learning in the Māori Immersion Unit.

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

6 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 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.

During the course of the review ERO identified one area of non-compliance that requires attention. To comply with regulations the board and school leaders must:

  • report to students and their parents in plain language, in writing, at least twice a year in relation to Ngā Whanaketanga Rumaki Māori in pānui, tuhituhi, pangarau and kōrero.
    National Administration Guideline (NAG) 2A.

7 Recommendation

Tautoro School is well placed to implement plans to enable more students to achieve better results with less inequity across the school. To ensure that the school's improvement momentum is maintained, children, teachers, leaders and trustees should continue developing their evaluative capability. Evidenced-based evaluation should focus on the effectiveness of new practices and the impact they have on accelerating student progress and teacher development. Learning from evaluation findings should guide the school's development and direction. 

Graham Randell

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

9 December 2016

About the school 

Location

Kaikohe, Northland

Ministry of Education profile number

2101

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

85

Gender composition

Boys 48 Girls 37

Ethnic composition

Māori

Fijian

84

1

Special Features

Māori Immersion Class Puna (Early Childhood Playgroup)

Review team on site

October 2016

Date of this report

9 December 2016

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Supplementary Review

November 2012

August 2009

July 2007

Tautoro School - 26/11/2012

1 Context

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

Tēnā koutou te kura o Tautoro, arā te poari, ngā mātua, te tumuaki, ngā kaiako me ngā tamariki. He mihi nei ki a koutou e pou kaha ana kia whai ai te mātauranga mō ō koutou tamariki.

Tautoro School is a small rural school located outside of Kaikohe within the hapū boundaries of Ngāti Rangi, Ngāti Moerewa and Ngāti Hine. The school continues to be an important part of the community, which has long-standing and inter-generational connections with the school.

The school caters for students from Years 1 to 8 in four mainstream classes and a Māori immersion unit. Whānau continue to be highly engaged in the school, with significant numbers attending whānau days, sporting and cultural events. The Ministry of Education has recently certified the established Puna, (early childhood playgroup) which is a part of the inclusive school community.

Since the 2009 ERO review, the school’s roll has increased and classrooms have been refurbished. The attractive learning environments are well resourced and heighten students’ keen interest in learning. Special features of the school’s setting include the carved waharoa and pou, painted murals, a newly planted orchard and school gardens.

The school is very well led by a capable principal and a committed board of trustees. The principal, teachers and trustees have high expectations that the school will perform well. Significant staff professional development has been targeted to improve outcomes for students.

2 Learning

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

Students are progressing and achieving well. They make good progress, particularly in literacy. Teachers use appropriate frameworks and assessment tools to assess students’ progress and achievement. Effective assessment procedures are used to provide the board and teachers with very good quality information about students’ strengths and needs in learning.

School achievement information shows that the majority of students achieve at levels that at or above the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Students in the immersion unit, Ngā Whanaketanga Rumaki Māori (NWRM), achieve well in pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau. Students who are not progressing or achieving at the expected National Standard or Ngā Whanaketanga Rumaki Māori have targeted support from teachers to accelerate their progress.

Individual education programmes are regularly monitored and adapted to meet students’ identified learning needs. Teachers discuss achievement information in depth and explore ways of modifying their practices and programmes so that they best meet students’ learning needs. Increasingly, teachers are supporting students to reflect on their progress and to set goals to improve their learning.

Students benefit from an extensive range of cultural and co-curricular activities. They are well engaged in their learning and use their classroom learning environments successfully. Students refer to displayed models of learning to monitor their work and to identify the next steps needed to progress and achieve more highly.

ERO, the principal and trustees agree that the next steps for improvement in learning could focus on:

  • further encouraging students to take more ownership of their own learning
  • using plain language when reporting to parents against the National Standards or Ngā Whanaketanga Rumaki Māori
  • broadening leadership opportunities for students.

3 Curriculum

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

Students benefit from a curriculum that has a strong emphasis on literacy and mathematics. The New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga provide the flexibility for the school to localise their own curriculum and build on students’ cultural knowledge and backgrounds. Students participate in learning programmes, using an inquiry approach that is connected in meaningful ways to te ao Māori. Very good planning and monitoring systems and processes ensure coverage of the curriculum.

Students are empowered to make decisions about the allocation of resources to support their learning, interests and needs. High quality artwork around the school demonstrates effective collaboration between students, teachers and community members.

Teachers are improvement-focused and work collaboratively to share the teaching practices that are most likely to raise student achievement. Senior leaders plan good quality, relevant, whole-school professional development to further develop learning relationships between teachers and students. Teacher aides and kaiawhina receive specific training to help them support student learning.

ERO affirms the school’s decision, made in response to whānau consultation, to review provision for students in the immersion unit. This review could include a decision about the level of te reo Māori required on entry, so students can engage successfully in the teaching and learning programmes.

ERO and the principal agreed that to further improve the school curriculum, teachers could:

  • increase the use of information and communication technologies in teaching and learning
  • modify current school-wide expectations for teaching practices to support the development of a profile of graduates from Tautoro School.

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

The school is highly effective in promoting education success for Māori, as Māori. Ninety-nine per cent of the students at Tautoro School identify as Māori. Students experience tikanga Māori in real and meaningful ways. They proudly participate in school pōwhiri, with all students leading karanga, whaikōrero, mōteatea, waiata and haka.

Staff, students and the community are actively involved as kaitiaki o Papatūānuku. The local kaumatua and kuia are treasured resources for the school, who share the history of the local area and retell stories and information about ngā atua Māori.

All students benefit from rich opportunities to hear and use te reo Māori. Resources that reflect te reo Ngāpuhi have been developed to support students’ learning.

The principal and staff are knowledgeable about, and observe, tikanga Māori. The principal uses te reo Māori confidently at pōwhiri and hui.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

The school’s positive tone, inclusive culture and high whānau engagement provide a strong foundation for sustaining and improving student learning. The principal is a highly effective professional leader with clear expectations of all staff. The board and school community are supportive of the principal and value the work of teachers and support staff. Trustees have high expectations of school performance and have made effective use of external training. The board has strategically co-opted new trustees with particular skills and knowledge to strengthen their governance role.

Trustees, the principal, staff and community work together to promote a strategic direction focused on raising student achievement. Property development decisions are focused on supporting learning for students.

School documentation reflects a sense of coherence. School management systems and operational planning and reporting procedures are closely aligned with the board’s well designed strategic plan. Carefully analysed student achievement information supports self review and the use of improvement targets. Performance management systems are rigorous, so that they support and improve teacher practice.

Staffing has remained stable over the past three years. The appointment of a new senior teacher with leadership experience, due to start in 2013, will support the principal’s intention to share and develop leadership in different ways throughout the school.

Effective self review of management is an integral part of the school's functioning. The board is strengthening self-review processes at the governance level. Greater use of self review for strategic reflection could increase the effectiveness of processes for board self review.

ERO, the principal and trustees agree that targeted training to further strengthen board self review is a next step to support the development of the school.

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.

When is ERO likely to review the school again?

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.

Makere Smith

National Manager Review Services

Northern Region (Acting)

26 November 2012

About the School

Location

Kaikohe, Northland

Ministry of Education profile number

2101

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

101

Gender composition

Girls 52

Boys 49

Ethnic composition

Māori

Filipino

99%

1%

Special Features

Māori Immersion Class

Review team on site

September 2012

Date of this report

26 November 2012

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Supplementary Review

Education Review

August 2009

July 2007

June 2006