School Context
Tarawera High School is located in Kawerau, Bay of Plenty. It caters for students in Years 7 to 13. At the time of this review the school roll was 448, of whom 374 identified as Māori.
The guiding vision of ‘supporting rangatahi to fulfil their potential and aspirations through meaningful partnerships with whānau and our community’, alongside the school values of Manaakitanga, Ako, Ngākau Pono and Āwhina (MANA) unerderpin all aspects of school life and decision making. The school’s key strategic aims are focused on:
- increasing academic achievement
- providing an environment that is conducive to learning
- achieving quality community engagement and leadership.
Leaders and teachers regularly report to the board, school-wide information about outcomes for students in the following areas:
- achievement in the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) and University Entrance (UE)
- reading, writing and mathematics across Years 7 and 10
- attendance and engagement
- wellbeing
- community involvement.
Trustees, leaders and teachers have participated in a wide range of internal and external professional learning and development initiatives, including: Kia Eke Panuku, New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA), Hautū: Māori Cultural Responsiveness Self Review tool and BoardSURE, Positive Behaviour for Learning Restorative Practices (PB4L) and Building Teacher Capability.
Tarawera High School is the host school for a Teen Parenting Education Centre and an Alternative Education facility. There is also a Specialist Learning Centre onsite that caters for learners with high physical, health and learning needs.
Since the 2016 ERO review there has been significant changes to the teaching team. Most trustees have remained in their roles.
This school is a member of the Pūtauaki ki Rangitaiki Community of Learning|Kāhui Ako.
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 working towards achieving equitable and excellent outcomes for all its students.
New Zealand Qualification Authority (NZQA) provisional National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) enrolment based achievement data shows that the large majority of students are achieving well across all levels of NCEA. Over time rates of achievement have remained consistent across NCEA Levels 1 and 2. They have improved at Level 3. Few students achieve University Entrance (UE). Eight out of 10 students who identified University Entrance as a goal, gained this qualification in 2018, almost all of these students were Māori.
The majority of Māori learners achieve well across all levels in NCEA. Significant improvement over time for Māori learners’ achievement in Level 3 is evident. Provisional data shows they are now attaining higher levels than non-Māori learners. In 2018, at NCEA Levels 1 and 2 all students achieve at comparable levels. Non-Māori learners achieve at higher rates than Māori students in University Entrance. In 2018, the school received two NZQA scholarships, both for Māori students.
Female students achieve significantly higher than male students across all levels in NCEA and UE. Since the previous ERO review, females’ rates of attainment at NCEA Levels 2, 3 and UE have improved. However, the rates for males have stayed at similar levels, widening this disparity in achievement.
School leavers’ data shows that retention rates to senior levels have improved for all learners. Most Māori students leave school with at least NCEA Level 2. However, this is comparatively lower than Pākehā students.
In 2018, few students across Years 7 to 10 achieved well in relation to curriculum expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. Achievement information shows significant improvement for students in year 8 in 2018 who began at the school in 2017, across all three learning areas.
1.2 How well is the school accelerating learning for those Māori and other students who need this?
The school is effectively accelerating learning for most Māori and other students who need this.
Initiatives to support and accelerate at-risk learners in Years 7 to 10 are focused on engagement, wellbeing, literacy and mathematics. In 2018, these initiatives were more successful for learners in Years 7 to 9. A large majority of those learners progress across reading, writing and mathematics was accelerated. Recent analysis of achievement information across the junior support programmes, highlighted that these were less effective for Year 10 students, especially Māori and boys.
Programmes and personalised pathways specifically developed for targeted students to gain NCEA Levels 1, 2 and 3 were effective for the majority of identified learners.
The school can show that the students in the Specialist Learning Centre and the Alternative Education facility have made significant sustained progress towards their learning development and achievement goals with an emphasis on the key competencies, social interaction and career pathways. Most are making good progress against their personal goals.
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?
Leaders and teachers effectively communicate and model the school’s vision and values. This kaupapa is fundamental to school decision making and operation. Students know and understand these values. They guide respectful interactions where learners can be confident in who they are. Student success is acknowledged, celebrated and fostered across a wide range of opportunities and experiences.
Well considered practices and programmes extend knowledge and understanding of te ao Māori. Te reo and tikanga Māori are naturally woven and integrated throughout the school. Teachers continue to strengthen connections to better understand and respond to students’ cultures, languages and identities. Strategies and initiatives to enhance the school’s curriculum, in consultation with Ngāti Tūwharetoa, continue to deepen understanding of Māori values and ways of being.
Secure relationships build student’s confidence and enhances their sense of self and belonging. The nurturing of wairua, tinana, hinengaro and whānau are evident school wide. Programmes for learning are designed to promote diversity and foster creativity. Meaningful learning pathways are personalised to the strengths, interests and needs of learners.
Collaborative partnerships with key agencies ensure a wrap-around approach that is responsive to learners with additional needs. A wide range of effective strategies, interventions and programmes to accelerate learner’s progress and achievement are evident schoolwide. These are developed alongside whānau and support learners to participate in all aspects of school life.
Local areas of significance, history and the environment are used to recognise and extend learners understanding of their community. A collaborative approach is enhancing the school’s presence and students’ confidence to participate and support community events and celebrations. The welcoming and inclusive environment, alongside strengthened transition processes for learners and their whānau, is growing positive and meaningful partnerships with the community.
2.2 What further developments are needed in school processes and practices for achievement of equity and excellence, and acceleration of learning?
To strengthen school-wide understanding and implementation of effective evaluation to better respond and inform ongoing improvement, further developments are needed in the following areas:
- building trustees’, leaders’ and teachers’ capacity to effectively analyse and use achievement information to enhance decision making, teaching practice and student outcomes
- reframing the annual targets to include acceleration of all students below expected levels
- identifying the intended outcomes for at-risk learners in line with the strategic goals
- recording and reporting to the board of trustees the ongoing progress and achievement of at-risk learners regularly throughout the year.
It is timely for leaders and teachers to co-construct and implement a shared understanding of high-quality practices for teaching and learning. This should support:
- informing ongoing improvements in practice to further respond to the needs of learners
- sustainability and school-wide consistency of teaching and learning
- all students to know and understand their learning needs and next steps.
3 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 Vulnerable Children Act 2014.
4 ERO’s Overall Judgement
On the basis of the findings of this review, ERO’s overall evaluation judgement of Tarawera High School performance in achieving valued outcomes for its students is: Well placed.
ERO’s Framework: Overall School Performance is available on ERO’s website.
5 Going forward
Key strengths of the school
For sustained improvement and future learner success, the school can draw on existing strengths in:
- an inclusive culture focused on wellbeing that embraces and celebrates diversity
- collaborative connections with the Kawerau and wider community that enhances meaningful pathways
- effective use of strategies, interventions and programmes that accelerate learner’s progress and achievement.
Next steps
For sustained improvement and future learner success, priorities for further development are in:
- the effective analysis and use of achievement information
- internal evaluation to inform ongoing improvement.
Phillip Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services Central Region
27 May 2019
About the school
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Location
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Kawerau
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Ministry of Education profile number
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661
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School type
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Secondary (Years 9-15)
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School roll
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448
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Gender composition
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Male 52% Female 48%
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Ethnic composition
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Māori 84%
NZ European/Pākehā 15%
Other ethnic groups 1%
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Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)
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Yes
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Provision of Māori medium education
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No
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Review team on site
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March 2019
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Date of this report
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27 May 2019
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Most recent ERO report(s)
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Education Review June 2016
New School Assurance November 2014
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