Tokomairiro High School

Tokomairiro High School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within five months of the Education Review Office and Tokomairiro 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 

Tokomairiro High School is a co-educational Years 9 to 15 school in Milton. The school oversees ‘Toko Training’ – an off-site training centre for practical and industry-based training for students in forestry and farming. A new principal began in 2022 along with some other new senior leaders.

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

  • inspire, engage and challenge all ākonga | learners to achieve personal excellence in learning

  • provide a supportive environment where all learners have a sense of belonging and are confident in their identity and culture

  • engage students to have personalised opportunities to learn and succeed.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s Years 7 to 10 curriculum in promoting positive outcomes for learners.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is that the school has identified that:

  • some students in Years 7 to 10 were more engaged in learning areas than others

  • the opportunities for students to be able to access Year 11 learning needs to be equitable

  • opportunities for students to learn did not necessarily lead to meaningful learning pathways for all students

  • recent changes to its curriculum for students in Years 9 and 10 will improve through regular self review.

The school expects to see:

  • improved student engagement and achievement leading to improved NCEA qualifications and retention in Years 11-13

  • greater proportions of students leaving school with qualifications/achievements linked to meaningful pathways

  • learners experiencing an adaptive, localised curriculum which responds to their cultures, identities.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support it in its goal to deliver a curriculum which promotes positive outcomes for learners.

  • Students’ support for the choice they have in the revised curriculum design for Years 9 and 10.
  • Teachers’ knowledge of individual students and their interests ensures a culture of care and support.
  • The priority leaders give to school improvement to support equity and excellence.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • collating and analysing the achievement and engagement information the school has for its Years 9 and 10 learners

  • identifying if any further outcomes information is required to evaluate the junior school curriculum

  • recording information from parents and students in relation to the school’s curriculum changes

  • specific planning to evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s Year 9 and 10 curriculum as part of the 2023 annual plan.

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

26 October 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

Tokomairiro High School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of June 2022, the Tokomairiro 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

Further Information

For further information please contact Tokomairiro High School Board of Trustees.

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.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

26 October 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

Tokomairiro 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.

Findings 

The school is a signatory 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.  The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code and have completed an annual self review of its implementation of the Code.

At the time of this review there was one international students attending the school.

The Director of International Students is closely monitoring the wellbeing and integration of the newly arrived international student. This student is well supported with learning and in matters of pastoral care.

Dr Lesley Patterson
Director Review and Improvement Services (Southern)
Southern Region | Te Tai Tini

26 October 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

Tokomairiro High School - 04/11/2019

School Context

Tokomairiro High School is a co-educational secondary school for students in Years 7 to 13. It serves the township and wider rural community of Milton, Otago.

The school states that its mission is ‘working together to inspire excellence in education, in character, in life.’ The ‘Tokomairiro Way’ values are: Respect, Responsibility, Excellence.

Current strategic aims are:

  • each student will receive an education that enables them to reach their highest level
  • each student will make progress throughout their education through effective teaching, relationships, assessment and resourcing
  • parents, family and whānau are actively engaged in supporting the mission and values of the school
  • to have a sustainable process of self review to continuously improve student outcomes.

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

  • progress and achievement in relation to levels of The New Zealand Curriculum
  • achievement within the New Zealand Qualifications Framework
  • Māori students’ progress, achievement, attendance and engagement
  • outcomes related to attendance, engagement and wellbeing.

Since ERO’s 2016 review there have been several changes in teaching staff and senior leadership, due to promotion and retirement. The experienced board of trustees chairperson is leading a board of new trustees. The school has accessed Ministry of Education professional learning funding for mathematics, and is making use of Community of Learning funded professional learning. Tokomairiro High School is a member of the Tokomairiro Kāhui Ako | Community of Learning (CoL).

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?

The school is progressively achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for most of its students.

School achievement information over time shows that most students gain the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Levels 1 and 2. Rates of achievement are increasing at Level 1. Level 3 achievement is variable due to high employment and further training opportunities for students who have achieved Level 2.

In Years 7 to 10 there is high variability in achievement in relation to curriculum expectations over time. The majority of students achieve at or above curriculum expectations in mathematics and most achieve in reading and writing, with variation between cohorts.

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

The school can show that selected interventions are effective in accelerating progress for those students who need this in Years 7 and 8 mathematics. Baseline data has recently been established to better measure rates of acceleration in Years 7 and 8 literacy.

Targets set to accelerate student achievement from at to above curriculum expectations in literacy have been met.

Significant acceleration of progress has been made in literacy achievement by the 2018 Year 10 cohort of students at 2019 mid-year in NCEA Level 1.

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 benefit from learning in a family-like atmosphere where they know each other well. Senior and junior students interact together in whānau groups through academic mentoring and collaborative activities. Students build positive relationships within and beyond their own community through leadership, service, academic extension and sporting opportunities. Diversity is accepted and welcomed in an inclusive environment.

Senior students experience a responsive curriculum that is designed to best meet their needs, interests and pathways within school and beyond. The integrated curriculum draws connections across subjects to provide broad contexts for future-focused learning. Through individual mentoring and close tracking, students are able to monitor their own progress towards gaining NCEA. Transitions out of school are well supported through vocational pathways and tertiary options.

Those students with additional learning needs and abilities participate in opportunities that provide appropriate support and challenge, leading to success in NCEA for most. Te reo Māori is taught in Years 7 to 10, and this provision is well resourced by the board of trustees. Senior students mentor juniors to support academic progress. CoL relationships, and the appointment of a designated teacher, support positive transitions into the school. Teachers work collaboratively to reflect on and build their practice through inquiry and professional development.

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

Trustees and leaders need to work with the community to refresh the school’s vision and define their aspirations for students, to ensure the strategic goals reflect current priorities. This should include identifying priorities for addressing student achievement and engagement.

Leaders and teachers should establish and ensure consistent implementation of explicit teaching expectations and practices that will maximise learning opportunities.

Trustees, leaders and teachers need to build their capability in using internal evaluation processes to more clearly show the impact of actions on valued student outcomes. This includes evaluating the impact of programmes, practices and systems to ensure a supportive environment that is conducive to students’ and staff learning and wellbeing.

3 Other Matters

3.1 Provision for international students

Tokomairiro High School is a signatory to theEducation (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 there were no international students attending the school.

Past international students have been well supported through the pastoral care provided by the coordinator, language programme and homestay provision. The school culture is inclusive, and students were quickly integrated into the academic and wider life of the school and local community.

4 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.

5 ERO’s Overall Judgement

On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Tokomairiro High 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.

6 Going forward

6.1 Key strengths of the school

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

  • reciprocal student relationships that support an inclusive culture
  • responsive curriculum that prepares students for future pathways through consistently good outcomes for students in Level 2 NCEA
  • close scrutiny of engagement and attendance data that supports the tracking and monitoring of student wellbeing and progress for success.

6.2 Next steps

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

  • refreshing the strategic plan to define current priorities for addressing areas of disparity in student achievement and engagement
  • establishing explicit expectations of teachers to enact the values and practices to ensure all students have effective, sufficient and equitable opportunities to learn
  • developing and using an effective evaluation plan to identify how well programmes, practices and systems are contributing to a supportive learning environment.

Dr Lesley Patterson

Director Review and Improvement Services Southern

Southern Region

4 November 2019

About the school

Location

Milton

Ministry of Education profile number

392

School type

Secondary (Years 7 to 13)

School roll

226

Gender composition

Boys 53%, Girls 47%

Ethnic composition

Māori 20%
NZ European/Pākehā 78%
Other 2%

Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)

Yes

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

September 2019

Date of this report

4 November 2019

Most recent ERO reports

Education Review October 2016
Education Review November 2012
Education Review September 2011