Taharoa Road, Te Kuiti
View on mapThis Profile Report was written within 18 months of the Education Review Office and Te Kura o Tahaaroa 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
Te Kura o Tahaaroa is on the west coast of the Kāwhia Harbour. It provides education for students in Years 1 to 8.
Te Kura o Tahaaroa’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:
improve student learning and achievement
develop a quality learning environment
improve school organisation and structure.
You can find a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan on Te Kura o Tahaaroa’s website.
ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well the school’s wellbeing focus supports target students’ outcomes in literacy?
The rationale for selecting this evaluation is that there is a need to:
continue to build teacher capability to accelerate student achievement
consistently celebrate successes in student learning and improvements in student agency.
The school expects to see:
students supported in their learning so that they can progress, fully participate and contribute to the school
improvements in overall levels of student progress
students able to confidently talk about their own achievement and progress.
The school can draw from the following strengths to support its evaluation of how well the wellbeing focus supports target students’ outcomes in literacy:
effective, culturally responsive practice that supports students’ identity
a focus on addressing student needs
leaders and teachers that actively engage the whānau and community in reciprocal relationships
leaders and staff who are aware the need for, and are committed to, improving outcomes for students.
Moving forward, the school will prioritise:
teacher professional learning about targeted teaching to address student needs
embedding consistent teaching practice across the school to accelerate progress for all students who need it.
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
28 February 2023
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
As of September 2021, the Te Kura o Tahaaroa Board of Trustees has attested to the following regulatory and legislative requirements:
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
ERO and the board have identified the following areas of non-compliance during the board assurance process:
Complied with the requirement to adopt a statement on the delivery of the Health Curriculum, at least once every two years after consultation with the school community.
[Section 91 Education and Training Act 2020]
The board has since addressed this area of non-compliance.
For further information please contact Te Kura o Tahaaroa 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.
Phil Cowie
Director Review and Improvement Services (Central)
Central Region | Te Tai Pūtahi Nui
28 February 2023
The Education Counts website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home
Te Kura o Tahaaroa is full primary school, catering for children in Years 1 to 8. At the time of this ERO review there were 31 children enrolled. All are Māori and all whakapapa to Ngāti Mahuta, the local iwi.
A long serving principal continues to lead the school. The board of trustees is made up of new and experienced members. The school has recently accessed the support of a Ministry of Education Student Achievement Facilitator who is assisting the school to strengthen their focus on raising children’s achievement.
Te Kura o Tahaaroa responds effectively to children whose learning and achievement need acceleration.
School processes such as leadership that promotes Māori children succeeding as Māori, and culturally responsive teaching are effective in enabling the achievement of equity and excellence.
Further development, particularly in internal evaluation is needed to achieve equity and excellence. Some assessment practices, teacher inquiry and curriculum responsiveness are not well implemented.
At the time of this review the majority of children were at or above National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Overall, girls are performing better than boys.
The school has capacity and capability to accelerate learning for all children. However, disparity in achievement for Māori and/or other children remains.
Leaders and teachers:
know the children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated
need to develop and implement approaches that effectively meet the needs of each child
need to improve the school conditions that support the acceleration of children’s learning and achievement.
The school agrees to:
ERO will provide feedback and resources to support the development of more targeted planning.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Te Kura o Tahaaroa is responding effectively to some children whose learning and achievement need acceleration.
All children at the school are Māori and most are achieving at or above the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. This level of achievement has remained stable over the last three years. Overall, girls are performing better than boys.
While teachers are able to report anecdotally that children are making accelerated progress, the school is yet to formally collate and analyse data to show rates of progress.
The school places high value on the whakataukī ‘Kia hihiko te wairua, kia koi te hinengaro, kia maia, kia kaha te tinana’ and also the key competencies of The New Zealand Curriculum, (NZC).
Teachers have developed a robust process for making overall teacher judgements (OTJs) about children’s achievement in relation to the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. They are involved in regular external moderation with another school in the area, and internal moderation is ongoing. Teachers use a good range of nationally referenced and internal diagnostic tests.
Many school processes are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence.
The school and whānau engage in reciprocal, learning-centred relationships to improve learning outcomes for children. Parents are involved in the Whakamana Tamariki, a positive behaviour for learning programme. A strong homework culture in the school provides children with further opportunities to consolidate their learning.
Leadership of learning is inclusive. Māori are able to succeed as Māori in a collaborative school community partnership for learning. Leadership seeks out the aspirations of children, parents and whānau and incorporates these in the shared vision, values and goals.
Teaching and learning is culturally responsive. The literacy and mathematics progressions are well used by both children and teachers. Children are taking increased responsibility for their learning. Teachers use te reo Māori in classrooms as a language of communication and teach it formally in a structured and sequential way to ensure children reach an appropriate level of knowledge by the end of Year 8.
Relationships between teachers and children are respectful and nurturing. Teachers have high expectations for learning and there is a positive tone in the school. Children have fun learning. Tuakana/teina relationships where older children help the younger are highly evident.
There is an effective mix of both school-wide and individual professional development focussed on improving teachers’ ability to respond to children’s needs. There is a culture of ongoing improvement and innovation. Teachers work collaboratively to implement improvements in practice. There is a robust performance appraisal system in place that encourages teacher self reflection and ongoing improvement.
Further development, particularly in internal evaluation is needed to achieve equity and excellence. Some assessment practices, teacher inquiry and curriculum responsiveness are not well implemented. The principal and board should now place priority on:
developing achievement targets that focus specifically on those children who are at risk of not achieving
identifying and reporting rates of progress
consistently implementing a teacher inquiry process that enables teachers to identify practices most likely to accelerate children’s progress, particularly in writing
developing the school’s curriculum to reflect local knowledge and history.
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
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.
ERO identified non-compliance in relation to careers education for children in Years 7 and 8.
In order to address this the board must provide appropriate careers education and guidance for all students in Years 7 and 8.
The school has capacity and capability to accelerate learning for all children. However, disparity in achievement for Māori and/or other children remains.
Leaders and teachers:
know the children whose learning and achievement need to be accelerated
need to develop and implement approaches that effectively meet the needs of each child
need to improve the school conditions that support the acceleration of children’s learning and achievement.
The school agrees to:
develop more targeted planning to accelerate learning for children
monitor targeted planning, improved teaching, and children’s progress
discuss the school’s progress with ERO.
ERO will provide feedback and resources to support the development of more targeted planning.
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Lynda Pura-Watson
Deputy Chief Review Officer Waikato / Bay of Plenty
26 May 2017
|
Location |
Tahaaroa |
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
1971 |
|
School type |
Full Primary (Years 1 to 8) |
|
School roll |
31 |
|
Gender composition |
Boys 15 Girls 16 |
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori 31 |
|
Provision of Māori medium education |
No |
|
Review team on site |
March 2017 |
|
Date of this report |
26 May 2017 |
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
April 2013 |
Te Kura o Tahaaroa serves the isolated community of Tahaaroa which is situated near the southern arm of the Kawhia harbour. Most of the families are employed in the iron sands industry. The kura caters for students from Years 1 to 8, all of whom whakapapa to Ngāti Mahuta ki Tahaaroa. Since the last ERO review in 2009 staffing has remained the same. A new board chairperson was appointed in August 2012.
There is a positive tone and culture within the kura that nurtures and supports students self confidence. E tū rangatira ana ngā tamariki. Teachers have engaged in information and communication technologies (ICT) and literacy professional development to strengthen their teaching and learning practices.
The kura is committed to fostering, utilising, caring for and understanding the unique local environment and history of Ngāti Mahuta. Parents, kaumātua and kuia actively participate in the school in a variety of ways to support children’s learning. The kura has a positive reporting history.
In 2012 school student achievement information stated that in reading, writing and mathematics a significant majority of students were achieving at and above the National Standards for their age groups. Students are experiencing success in their learning. They are highly engaged in meaningful learning opportunities, and challenges within the classroom programmes are leading to increased student ownership of their learning.
The school is using student achievement information effectively to make positive changes to learners’ engagement progress and achievement. Teachers use this information to identify priority learners. They modify classroom learning programmes and plan innovative special interventions with external support. Student’s progress is monitored in order to evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions. The school data shows that these students have made good progress.
The school has already identified and ERO agrees that it is now appropriate to review and rationalise the assessment tools being used in mathematics and literacy. The principal needs to improve the written reporting of student achievement information to the board. Student achievement information is used by the board and principal to inform targets, resourcing and strategic planning decisions.
Parents receive written reports twice a year informing them of their child’s progress and achievement against the National Standards. Students are aware of their progress and next steps for learning. There are also a range of formal and informal opportunities for parents to be informed.
The school’s curriculum effectively promotes and supports student learning. There are clear expectations and effective guidelines for teachers in assessment, planning, monitoring and reporting. Innovative features of the curriculum include:
Mathematics programmes could be further enhanced by ensuring an appropriate coverage of all mathematics strands such as assessment of measurement, statistics, geometry and algebra.
There are positive and respectful learning interactions and relationships among teachers and students. The inclusion and use of the Tātaiako competencies in the appraisal process should further support teacher, learner interactions. These competencies link well with the school’s curriculum, and are based and developed upon embracing the vision ‘Tu Pakari Ki Toku Ao Hurihuri’ (I stand strong and confident in my ever-changing world).
Effective teaching practices include cooperative group work, tuakana- teina, the promotion of thinking skills and opportunities for students to share and reflect on their learning. Students are aware of their progress and next steps for learning, which takes place in meaningful contexts.
There is a comprehensive range of documents outlining the schools approach to the holistic education of students as Ngāti Mahuta ki te Tai Hauauru, ki Tahaaroa. This includes the teaching of tribal history, supporting local and community activities and interests and a commitment to the teaching of te reo Maōri. The development of an implementation plan pertaining to Tahaaroatanga would lead to a more sequential delivery of essential knowledge skills and understandings in this area. While good plans are in place for the teaching of te reo Māori these now need to be implemented more consistently.
Te Kura o Tahaaroa is well placed to sustain and improve its performance.
The board and management processes for self review are robust and effective. There is a strong focus on teaching and learning to improve student engagement and achievement.
The board has undertaken succession planning and are committed to ongoing training to increase their knowledge of the governance role. Trustees are focused on ensuring all children are provided with quality educational opportunities to raise student achievement.
The principal’s leadership demonstrates a culturally responsive and collaborative approach. She is an effective and capable educational leader who is committed to continual improvement and development of teachers, students, parents and whānau of the Tahaaroa community.
The school is well supported by whānau me mahi tahi te kura, te whānau me Ngāti Mahuta.
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:
During the review, ERO checked the following items because they have a potentially high impact on student achievement:
ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years.
Dale Bailey
National Manager Review Services
Northern Region
8 April 2013
|
Location |
Tahaaroa |
|
|
Ministry of Education profile number |
1971 |
|
|
School type |
Full Primary (Years 1 to 8) |
|
|
School roll |
30 |
|
|
Gender composition |
Girls 18 Boys 12 |
|
|
Ethnic composition |
Māori |
30 |
|
Review team on site |
February 2013 |
|
|
Date of this report |
8 April 2013 |
|
|
Most recent ERO report(s) |
Education Review Education Review Review Type |
May 2009 April 2006 |