Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report
Background
This Profile Report was written within twelve months of the Education Review Office and Waituna Creek 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
Waituna Creek School is a state co-educational school located in Waimate, and caters for students in Years 1 to 8.
Waituna Creek School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:
- implement a culturally responsiveness plan as part of our local curriculum to deliver a high-quality education for all tamariki
- build stronger community hāpori partnership that supports tamariki learning and growth.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Waituna Creek School’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the extent to which the local curriculum is culturally responsive in meeting the needs and aspirations of students and whānau at Waituna Creek School.
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:
- foster ongoing collection of whānau and ākonga perspectives on how well the curriculum supports all students' sense of belonging and engagement in learning
- strengthen school-wide practices for planning, delivering, assessing and reporting on progress and achievement.
The school expects to use the outcome of the evaluation to develop a culturally responsive localised curriculum. 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 cultural responsiveness of the localised curriculum:
- Teachers share high, clear and equitable expectations for student learning, achievement, progress and wellbeing
- Internal evaluation practices support the gathering, analysis and use of evidence of student learning and outcomes to improve individual and collective practice.
Where to next?
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
- reviewing reporting and communication systems
- creating a professional development plan for staff to build their capability in te reo and tikanga Māori
- developing a cultural responsiveness plan that identifies opportunities for staff and students to explore the cultural narrative of Waituna Creek 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.
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