Taradale High School

Education institution number:
215
School type:
Secondary (Year 9-15)
School gender:
Co-Educational
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
1035
Telephone:
Address:

50 Murphy Road, Taradale, Napier

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Taradale High School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within six months of the Education Review Office and Taradale High 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 

Taradale High School is located in Napier. The co-educational school provides education for ākonga from Year 9 to 13.

Taradale High School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

  • to further develop approaches for teaching and learning with a particular focus on the junior curriculum

  • to further develop and embed the overarching value of whanaungatanga and guiding principles (manaakitanga, takakawe, waihanga, huritao) within and beyond the classroom

  • to continue to identify best practice within the pastoral system and to increase consistency of implementation

  • continue to strengthen partnerships between the kura and iwi, hapū and whānau.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the extent to which they are gathering, tracking, and monitoring achievement and acceleration information to inform teaching and learning strategies in Years 9 and 10.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

  • the need to strengthen systems and processes to gather achievement information to track and monitor progress and acceleration in the junior school

  • the need to more clearly identify, share and use best practice teaching and learning strategies

  • to ensure equitable outcomes for all ākonga in Years 9 and 10.

The school expects to see:

  • evidence of equitable outcomes for all Year 9 and 10 ākonga

  • accelerated progress for ākonga who need it

  • a shared understanding and implementation of best practice teaching and learning

  • the impact of proven teaching and learning strategies at the junior level demonstrated at the senior level with improved merit and excellence results in the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA).

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate systems to gather data, track and monitor progress and acceleration to inform teaching and learning:

  • kaiako and ākonga who are motivated and committed to further developing their learning in a culture of whanaungatanga

  • well-developed systems and processes to support tracking and monitoring of progress in the senior school

  • a range of achievement information and emerging monitoring and tracking processes in the junior school

  • established communication and support systems to inform and enhance individual ākonga tracking and monitoring.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • detailed planning for the internal evaluation focus including progress milestones

  • consideration of resourcing and professional learning opportunities to support the implementation of the evaluation plan that has a focus on equity and excellence in the junior school.

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

1 August 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

Taradale High School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of September 2022, the Taradale High School, Board of Trustees 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

Actions for Compliance

ERO has identified the following area of non-compliance during the board assurance process: 

  • renewal of police vets for non-teaching staff every three years.

[s 104, Education and Training Act 2020].

The board has since taken steps to address the area of non-compliance identified.

Further Information

For further information please contact Taradale High School, School Board.

The next Board of Trustees 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

1 August 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

Taradale High School

Provision for International Students Report

Background

The Education Review Office reviews schools that are signatories to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020.

Taradale High School has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code and has completed an annual self review of its implementation of the Code.

At the time of this review there were three international students attending the school and no exchange students.

Findings

Taradale High School has suitable systems in place to support the effective internal evaluation of its provision for international students. The school gathers information from a range of stakeholders and responds to the feedback to ensure the academic and pastoral needs of students are being met.

Student progress and achievement is well-tracked and monitored. The pathways and opportunities available support the aspirations of each student. Students shared a high level of satisfaction with ERO about the opportunities available in academic areas as well as with the range of cultural and sporting opportunities available.

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

1 August 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

Taradale High School - 16/10/2018

School Context

Taradale High School provides education for 990 students in Years 9 to 13. Māori students comprise 17% of the roll. The school has a small number of students of Pacific heritage attending.

The school states that its valued outcomes for all students are expressed through its vision of ‘confident, caring young people, who are creative, collaborative and committed to their learning’. The R.I.C.E. values of Respect, Integrity, Curiosity and Excellence underpin school practises.

Key strategic goals for the school include: to improve the achievement of priority or at risk learners especially in Years 9 and 10; and enhance student wellbeing.

Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:

  • achievement in National Certificates of Education Achievement (NCEAs)

  • subject specific annual achievement

  • wellbeing.

Evaluation Findings

1 Equity and excellence – achievement of valued outcomes for students

1.1 How well is the school achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for all its students?

School data for 2017 shows that most students achieved NCEA Level 2 and many students achieved Levels 1 and 3. Achievement at Level 2 is consistent over time. Attainment of University Entrance has declined as many students focus on alternative training or employment destinations.

Females achieve at higher levels than males across all year groups. Historically, Māori student achievement has been consistently lower than their peers. Significant improvement for these students brought them level with their peers at Levels 1 and 2 in 2017.

Year 9 students enter the school with numeracy and literacy levels similar to overall national patterns. Most students are reported to make expected progress through to the end of Year 10. In other learning areas, systems are developing to better enable teachers to evaluate student progress against curriculum levels.

Students with more complex learning needs are well identified and supported with progress measured against individual education plans.

1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?

School data shows that a number of students in Years 9 and 10 including Māori, make better than expected progress in mathematics.

2 School conditions for equity and excellence – processes and practices

2.1 What school processes and practices are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?

Students have a supportive schoolwide learning environment. Relationships among students and with teachers are positive and respectful. Well-considered processes guide students’ transition into the school. Common expectations for learning and routines are visible across classes. Each student’s holistic wellbeing is a school priority. Regular surveys and student voice inform decision making.

The school’s broad-based curriculum provides many opportunities for students to participate and celebrate success in a wide range of academic, sporting, cultural and leadership activities. Pathways, including tertiary programmes, provide options for senior students who receive sound career advice and guidance. Regular curriculum review and development focuses on growing student agency, promoting deeper learning and enhancing the acknowledgement of culture, language and identity across the school.

Teachers are well supported to develop and extend their skills and expertise. Extensive professional development is appropriately aimed at introducing new methodologies and growing teachers’ professional capability. Appraisal processes are improvement focused with individual goals of staff linked to school targets. Professional learning groups promote a collaborative culture. Beginning teachers are appropriately mentored and guided.

Leaders and teachers use an appropriate range of assessment tools to gather sound baseline data and identify students at risk of not achieving. Individual student achievement is well monitored. Teachers use this data to identify and respond to students’ interests and learning needs. The introduction of ‘hubs’ in the junior school promotes a collegial and collaborative approach to addressing the learning needs of these students.

2.2 What further developments are needed in school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?

The school is developing a shared understanding of acceleration. Systems and processes are not yet fully developed to monitor, respond and report on the rate of progress of individuals or groups of students. School targets that sit under the broad strategic goals should be more specific about students at risk of not achieving.

School leaders have identified, and ERO’s evaluation confirms, that enhancing engagement with whānau, hapū, iwi and aiga is an important area for development. Formal gathering of family and community aspirations and expectations should help inform planning and evaluation and promote a stronger partnership to support improved outcomes for Māori and Pacific students.

Internal evaluation needs further development. Understanding and clear evidence for the outcomes of individual students and overall pictures of schoolwide information and achievement are evident. Patterns of achievement and outcomes for groups and cohorts of students are recognised and shared. A key next step is to more deeply explore this data to identify why the pattern exists, what has worked and where to next. Developing clear indicators of expected outcomes at the planning stage should assist with reporting of progress and evaluating the effectiveness of initiatives.

3 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
  • finance
  • 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.

Provision for international students

The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of International Students) Code of Practice 2016 (the Code) established under section 238F of the Education Act 1989. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code.

At the time of this review the number of international students attending the school had grown to 42 students, encompassing a wide variety of nationalities and ethnicities.

The school uses sound processes to monitor the provision of pastoral care, accommodation, English language learning, appropriate learning programmes, community links and achievement for international students.

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:

  • systems and processes that support student wellbeing and promote an inclusive culture and sense of belonging for students

  • a curriculum that encourages student engagement, learning and achievement

  • the strategic approach growing staff professional capability to improve outcomes for students.

Next steps

For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:

  • more specific focus on students at risk of not achieving and accelerating their learning, particularly Years 9 and 10
  • strengthening internal evaluation to more deeply inquire into data and promote improvement
    [ERO will provide an internal evaluation workshop for trustees and senior leaders]

  • enhancing engagement with whānau, hapū, iwi and aiga to better represent and support Māori and Pacific aspirations, culture, language and identity and promote improved outcomes for Māori and Pacific students.

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

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

Alan Wynyard

Director Review and Improvement Services

Te Tai Pokapū - Central Region

16 October 2018

About the school

Location

Napier

Ministry of Education profile number

215

School type

Secondary (Years 9 to 13)

School roll

990

Gender composition

Female 52%, Male 48%

Ethnic composition

Māori 17%
Pākehā 72%
Pacific 1%
Other ethnic groups 10%

Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)

Yes

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

August 2018

Date of this report

16 October 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review May 2015
Education Review December 2011
Supplementary Review January 2009