Ararimu School

Ararimu School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within eight months of the Education Review Office and Ararimu 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 

Ararimu is a small, rural school located between Bombay and the Hunua Ranges. The school provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8.

Ararimu School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

  • promoting educational success for all learners

  • building skills and knowledge to positively influence their success in the future

  • participating and contributing to the learning culture of the school.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the effectiveness of school programmes and practices in improving outcomes for all students in literacy. Strengthening consistency of school-wide teaching practices and promoting collective knowledge and capability in evaluation are ongoing priorities for the school.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

  • the school’s focus on improving equitable outcomes for students in literacy

  • the opportunity it provides to further build sequential, school-wide approaches in teaching and learning

  • the commitment to strengthening evaluation practices and capability for continuous improvement.

The school expects to see increased rates of progress and improved equitable outcomes for all learners in literacy.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to improve learner outcomes in literacy and strengthen evaluation knowledge and skills:

  • leadership of learning that promotes a collaborative team culture, openness to change and is focused on continuous improvement

  • a commitment to the provision of professional learning that builds teacher knowledge and capability.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • implementing targeted actions to support equitable outcomes for all students in literacy

  • developing a strategic approach to internal evaluation to inform responsive planning, teaching, and learning.

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

6 March 2023 

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

Ararimu School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of June 2022, the Ararimu School Board 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 Ararimu School, School Board.

The next School Board 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.

Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui

6 March 2023 

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

Ararimu School - 15/05/2015

Findings

Ararimu School provides high-quality teaching and learning in a safe and stimulating environment. Students experience a rich variety of meaningful, holistic learning opportunities. Almost all students are achieving at or above national expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. The school is very well placed to sustain and improve its performance.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.

1. Context

What are the important features of this school that have an impact on student learning?

Ararimu School is a long-established full primary school located in a rural setting between Bombay and the Hunua Ranges. It has a roll of 147 students in Years 1 to 8, a significant increase since the ERO review in 2012. A small percentage of students are identified as Māori and Samoan.

The school has made considerable progress with the areas for improvement in the 2012 ERO report related to strengthening aspects of assessment. A new board chairperson has been appointed, and additional teaching staff employed. School leaders and teachers are committed to ongoing professional learning and development. This has resulted in a consistent school-wide approach to teaching practices that promote student success and engagement in learning.

Considerable pride is taken in maintaining the attractive presentation and ongoing development of the spacious, rural school environment.

The school continues to benefit from:

  • a shared leadership approach that is focused on continuous improvement for student learning and success
  • a collegial and professional teaching team
  • a rich curriculum that offers a wide range of meaningful learning opportunities for all students
  • a strongly supportive community
  • high-quality resources for teaching and learning.

The school’s vision and values were reviewed and refined after extensive community consultation. The values of ‘Respect, Integrity, Leadership and Excellence’ are well known and interwoven with the school’s vision to provide a learning pathway for future success. These values are clearly visible and well-understood by teachers, student and parents.

2. Learning

How well does this school use achievement information to make positive changes to learners’ engagement, progress and achievement?

Trustees, school leaders and teachers have a good understanding about gathering, analysis, moderation and use of student achievement information. This informed approach has resulted in almost all students, including Māori and Pacific, achieving at/or above national expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. Since 2012, the school’s historical data shows there has been a steady increase in the proportion of students achieving success in these core learning areas. Student achievement data is used effectively to identify individuals and groups of students requiring additional support or extension.

The dedicated Special Education Needs Coordinator provides detailed tracking and monitoring of students achieving below national expectations. She maintains positive and effective partnerships with specialist agencies, support staff, and parents. These approaches are contributing beneficial outcomes for students.

Teachers make sound overall teacher judgements about individual students’ level of achievement. The school has implemented robust processes for setting and achieving school-wide targets focussed on raising student achievement for every student.

Parents receive twice yearly, comprehensive reports on student progress and achievement in relation to the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Reports clearly indicate the next learning steps for the student. In addition, parents receive detailed information from teachers about specific strategies to support learning at home. Parents have regular opportunities to attend teacher-led information evenings that enhance the learning partnership with the school.

ERO and school leaders agree that continuing to consolidate and evaluate formative teaching practices will build on the levels of student ownership of their learning. Consideration should be given to further strengthening self review by documenting the feedback teachers receive about their practice, and monitoring progress towards achieving their goals.

3. Curriculum

How effectively does this school’s curriculum promote and support student learning?

The Ararimu School’s curriculum is well-designed and effectively promotes students learning, engagement and success. The Ararimu Way is expressed as an attractive visual that strongly reflects the context and purpose of the school. Key strengths include:

  • a strong focus on literacy and mathematics
  • an integrated, holistic approach to curriculum implementation
  • authentic learning experiences that motivate and challenge student thinking and creativity
  • student-centred programmes that respond to the diverse learning strengths and interests of students
  • valuing and celebrating student achievement and successes.

Learning is enhanced through highly positive and affirming relationships amongst teachers, students and their families. The curriculum is enriched by the many contributions made by families, whānau and the wider community.

The experienced principal and knowledgeable curriculum leader set high expectations for curriculum implementation. They are well supported by an enthusiastic and collegial team of professional and reflective practitioners. There are many examples of high-quality teaching practices that engage students in the learning process. These are:

  • sharing the purpose of learning with students
  • supporting students to know how they can succeed
  • effective use of technology to enhance and consolidate learning
  • attractive and stimulating classroom environments.

Students demonstrate high levels of confidence and are developing leadership skills as well as taking increasing responsibility for their learning. Older students mentor and support their younger peers.

How effectively does the school promote educational success for Māori, as Māori?

Māori students are achieving and enjoying success at the same high levels as other groups of learners. Māori culture is valued and included in the life of the school. This is evident through ongoing initiatives such as:

  • the regular focus on whanaungatanga as a unit of study
  • a kapahaka group that actively welcomes visitors into the school
  • planned opportunities for students to engage with papatuanuku and the natural world
  • visits to a nearby marae
  • community health and safety programmes.

Teachers have reflected on aspects of Ka Hikitia, Ministry of Education guidelines, which promote success for Māori as Māori, and have identified how these are evident in the school’s curriculum.

An important next step to build on this good practice is to continue to develop leaders’ and teachers’ knowledge and confidence of te ao Māori. Consideration should be given to making effective use of Ministry of Education resources and guidelines to strengthen self review in this area. Teachers should now identify, document and reflect on their use of teaching strategies that respond to students’ language, culture and identity.

4. Sustainable Performance

How well placed is the school to sustain and improve its performance?

Ararimu School is very well placed to sustain and continue to improve its performance because:

  • students are enthusiastic about their learning and progressing and achieving at high levels
  • leadership sets and achieves high expectations for teaching and learning in the school and contributes to the wider learning community
  • self review is effectively used to develop and improve the school at all levels
  • all reasonable steps are taken to provide a safe and inclusive environment
  • the community makes a strong contribution in the life of the school, including effective partnerships for learning.

Experienced trustees provide effective governance. They set a clear direction for school improvement through the school’s charter, participate in ongoing community consultation and have strengthened the school’s performance management system. Trustees, along with members of the active parent teacher association, provide generous funding for school resourcing, professional learning and development and additional staffing.

Board assurance on legal requirements

Before the review, the board of trustees 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:

  • board administration
  • curriculum
  • management of health, safety and welfare
  • personnel management
  • financial management
  • asset management.

During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:

  • emotional safety of students (including prevention of bullying and sexual harassment)
  • physical safety of students
  • teacher registration
  • processes for appointing staff
  • stand-downs, suspensions, expulsions and exclusions
  • attendance.

Conclusion

Ararimu School provides high-quality teaching and learning in a safe and stimulating environment. Students experience a rich variety of meaningful, holistic learning opportunities. Almost all students are achieving at or above national expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. The school is very well placed to sustain and improve its performance.

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in four-to-five years.

Dale Bailey

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

15 May 2015

About the School

Location

Drury, Auckland

Ministry of Education profile number

1207

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

147

Gender composition

Girls 55%

Boys 45%

Ethnic composition

NZ European/Pākehā

Māori

Other European

Samoan

Indian

Other

78%

8%

7%

3%

2%

2%

Review team on site

March 2015

Date of this report

15 May 2015

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

January 2012

August 2009

September 2006