Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
Background
This Profile Report was written within twelve months of the Education Review Office and Fairlie 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
Fairlie School is a state full primary school located in Fairlie in the MacKenzie district. It caters for students in Years 1 to 6.
Fairlie Schools strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:
- revise the local curriculum, strengthen structured literacy approaches, and review assessment and reporting
- strengthen student resilience through the explicit teaching and integration of growth mindset across learning areas
- uphold the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi through our policies, practices and local curriculum.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Fairlie School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate to what extent the local curriculum at Fairlie school contributes to positive outcomes for students in terms of equity and excellence in achievement, wellbeing and resilience.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is the:
- need to review the current curriculum to incorporate the Ministry of Education's curriculum refresh programme, the digital technology and New Zealand history curriculums
- school is reviewing its assessment, moderation and reporting practices to monitor student achievement and promote excellence and equity for all students.
The school expects to use the outcome of the evaluation to develop a local curriculum which provides a coordinated approach to teaching and learning, incorporates the changes in the national curriculum and reflects the local context. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation of achievement, valued outcomes and other indicator data will show improved student outcomes in terms of excellence and equity for all students.
Strengths
The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to review the localised curriculum and maintain focus on achieving excellent and equitable outcomes for all students:
- A focus on supporting the progress of all learners, and for teachers to share high, clear and equitable expectations for student learning, achievement, progress and wellbeing
- A commitment to using internal evaluation to support the gathering, analysis and use of evidence of student learning and outcomes to improve practice.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
- implementing a localised curriculum which is responsive to the aspirations of students, parents, and whānau
- using assessment, moderation and reporting to monitor and promote the progress and achievement of students needing acceleration
- implementing staff professional development to support curriculum delivery in line with updated local curriculum targets.
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.
Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini
8 July 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