Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
Background
This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and Tokomaru 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
Tokomaru School is a rural primary school situated 20km south of Palmerston North on State Highway 57 and provides education for students in Years 1-8. The school enjoys connections with the local community and provides opportunities to fulfil sporting, cultural and artistic abilities. A predominant feature of the school is the Learner Pathway, the ‘Tokomaru Train’ that guides and empowers students to achieve personal excellence.
Tokomaru School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:
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empower all learners with self-agency and high expectations for personal excellence
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provide an inclusive and culturally responsive environment that supports hauora and promotes outcomes of equity and excellence for all learners
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ensure parents, whānau and the community are welcomed and valued as respected partners in learning.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Tokomaru School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well school systems and processes support culturally responsive inclusion and hauora for all learners, enabling and empowering all learners with equitable opportunities to learn and achieve personal excellence.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:
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the significant difference it will make in improving learning outcomes for learners at risk of underachieving
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the opportunity to enhance effective systems and processes for inclusion and hauora across the school
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to strengthen culturally responsive and inclusive practices schoolwide.
The school expects to see planned improvement in systems and processes that support culturally responsive inclusion and hauora, resulting in improved outcomes of equity and excellence for all learners, particularly in the areas of writing and mathematics.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to improve outcomes of equity and excellence for all learners, through strengthening culturally responsive inclusion and hauora:
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a detailed plan that includes clear actions and indicators of success
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collaborative leadership and staff who understand the need for, and are committed to, improving outcomes for all learners
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robust, collective systems and processes for monitoring and responding to learner needs
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established pathways to empower learner agency
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relationships of respect and trust shared by staff and learners.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
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continued high expectations to achieve equitable outcomes for all learners
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professional learning to support staff in strengthening processes and practices that enhance hauora and cultural inclusion for all
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continued clarity and cohesion for staff, learners and whānau in implementing and using the Tokomaru Train Learner Pathway
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enhancing inclusive partnerships with whānau and community to improve learning outcomes for all 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.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
1 August 2022
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