School Context
Mokau School is a rural school located in the coastal village of Mokau in the south west of Waikato-Tainui. It provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. The current roll of 12, includes eight Māori students. The majority of students enrolled at the beginning of 2019.
Since the August 2016 ERO report, there have been changes to leadership, teaching staff and trustees including the appointment of a new, first-time principal in March 2019.
The school has prioritised the following strategic goals for 2019:
- to ensure all students are able to access The New Zealand Curriculum evidenced by appropriate assessment and progress
- to provide a safe emotional and physical environment that develops potential and confidence.
The school motto ‘Together We Can Do It’ is linked to developing core values of ‘respectful inclusive partnerships with all, becoming self believers who participate and achieve, and being motivated, confident explorers’.
The school’s mission statement is, ‘To assist our students to achieve their academic potential and develop personal skills that enable them to be positive, respectful contributors to their communities and the modern sustainable world’.
The school vision is ‘to provide high-quality, inclusive learning opportunities in a safe environment. Priority is placed on showing knowledge, understanding and respect for the modern and multicultural world and caring for the environment’.
The achievement focus is on students not showing consistent progress in numeracy and literacy.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, schoolwide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
- reading, writing and mathematics.
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?
Most students are new to the school in 2019.
Data collected in mid-year 2019 shows that the majority of students are achieving at expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics.
Those children with additional needs have suitable individual learning plans and the school is in regular contact with support agencies.
1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?
At the time of this ERO evaluation acceleration data was not available.
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?
The board and principal work collaboratively to promote positive learning outcomes for all students, including those whose learning is at risk. The board and principal are committed to serving the school community. Trustees have undertaken training for their governance function. They have established systems and processes to effectively guide school operations.
Respectful and meaningful relationships are focused on best outcomes for all learners. Parents and teachers engage in reciprocal, learning- centred relationships. Regular opportunities are initiated by the school to encourage parent and whānau participation in a wide range of activities. Students benefit from engagement with the wider education community, attending sports, arts and cultural events.
Teachers work collaboratively in the best interests of students. The recent introduction of a shared planning tool allows for good communication between staff. A strong focus on literacy and mathematics programmes, includes using authentic learning contexts. The teaching principal has established inclusive practice and effective partnerships to access appropriate support for students with high needs. The recent introduction of an online assessment tool is strengthening the sharing of learning and progress with students and their whānau. Students and families feel well-supported at the school.
2.2 What further developments are needed in school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?
The principal and staff should review and further develop the school’s local curriculum. Students, families and the wider community should be included in this process to reflect their aims, aspirations and local context for learning. The curriculum also needs to include schoolwide teaching and learning expectations to promote consistency of practice for all students. The bicultural curriculum requires strengthening. Staff are beginning to re-establish links to the local marae and Ngāti Maniapoto to support this development.
Assessment practices need strengthening. Improvements in this practice should assist teachers to readily know the rate of accelerated progress of those children who need this. Development should include a schoolwide assessment overview and ways to further support students to understand their goals and next learning steps.
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 Children’s Act 2014.
4 ERO’s Overall Judgement
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Mokau School’s performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Developing.
ERO’s Framework: Overall Findings and Judgement Tool derived from School Evaluation Indicators: Effective Practice for Improvement and Learner Success is available on ERO’s website.
5 Going forward
Key strengths of the school
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
- a collaborative approach that focuses on positive outcomes for children
- developing partnerships for learning that include staff, students, whānau and the wider local community
- teaching practices that are inclusive and contextual, particularly for those with additional needs, and with an appropriate focus on reading, writing and mathematics.
Next steps
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:
- a localised curriculum to reflect the new staff, students, families, iwi and community aspirations
- an assessment overview and strengthened knowledge of assessment practices to provide consistently reliable data to inform next learning steps for students and assist schoolwide planning and resourcing decisions.
Areas for improved compliance practice
To improve current practice, the board of trustees should seek training and guidance through the Ministry of Education’s resource, Understanding Behaviour - Responding Safely (UBRS).
Recommendations to other agencies
ERO recommends that the Ministry of Education continues to provide ongoing support for the school in order to bring about: improvement in outcomes for those students with additional needs; and assist in areas for development for sustainability of change.
Phillip Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services
Central Region
8 November 2019
About the school
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Location
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Mokau, Waikato
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Ministry of Education profile number
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2200
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School type
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Full primary (Years 1-8)
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School roll
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12
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Gender composition
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Male 7 Female 5
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Ethnic composition
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Maōri 8
NZ European/Pākehā 4
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Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)
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Yes
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Provision of Māori medium education
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No
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Review team on site
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September 2019
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Date of this report
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8 November 2019
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Most recent ERO report(s)
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Education Review August 2016
Education Review October 2013
Education Review September 2010
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