Te Pohue School

Te Pohue School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and Te Pohue 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 

Te Pohue School is located under Te Waka and the Maungaharuru Range in rural Hawke's Bay. The school caters for learners in Years 1 - 8.

Te Pohue School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

  • to create a rich localised curriculum

  • to build a sense of tūrangawaewae.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively the school’s local curriculum promotes student agency and supports positive learner outcomes.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

  • to align the curriculum to community and mana whenua aspirations for learners

  • to support and improve learning outcomes for students by cultivating a strong sense of identity and tūrangawaewae.

The school expects to see a greater sense of connection and agency leading to improved academic progress for all.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to promote student agency and support positive learner outcomes:

  • trustees and leadership work collaboratively to realise the school’s strategic goals through the targeted support of internal and external expertise

  • community expertise, knowledge and willingness to support authentic opportunities for learning.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • providing opportunities to seek feedback on how effectively the local curriculum meets the needs of learners

  • ensuring that assessment of learning provides meaningful and actionable evidence to support targeted instruction

  • a focus on equity for all learners.

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

23 November 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

Te Pohue School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of May 2022, the Te Pohue School, 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 Te Pohue 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

23 November 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

Te Pohue School - 12/05/2017

Summary

Te Pohue School, a small rural school located northwest of Napier caters for students from
Years 1 to 8. Of the 30 students enrolled, 19 identify as Māori.

In 2016 a new principal was appointed and most trustees were newly elected to the board. Some staff have long associations with the school.

How well is the school achieving equitable outcomes for all children?

The school is working to improve its response to Māori and other students whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

Most students achieve at or above in relation to the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. School reported data for 2016 indicates that progress made in 2014 and 2015 for Māori learners and girls was not sustained.

The school is strengthening its processes and systems to better support school operations and promote equity and excellence for all students. There is a strong focus on building professional capability and relationships with the community. Learning environments are respectful and supportive.

The board of trustees works collaboratively to focus on raising student achievement. Strategic goals for 2017 have a clearer focus on improving outcomes for Māori students.

Key next steps include strengthening target setting, monitoring, effectiveness of teaching and the use of assessment to accelerate learning. Improving the use of teacher appraisal, inquiry and internal evaluation should support this.

The school has capacity and capability to accelerate learning for all children. However, disparity in achievement for Māori and other children remains. 

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 is likely to carry out the next review in three years. 

Equity and excellence

How effectively does this school respond to Māori and other children whose learning and achievement need acceleration?

The school is working to improve its response to Māori and other students whose learning and achievement need acceleration.

Most students achieve at or above in relation to the National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Annual school targets are set to meet the Ministry of Education goal of 85%, and to raise progress for identified Māori learners. Achievement information over time indicates variable outcomes and disparities for different groups.

In 2014 and 2015, Māori students made some gains to achieve at the same level or better than other students in the school. School reported data from 2016 shows these gains were not sustained. Māori achievement decreased below their peers and girls’ achievement in literacy declined. Some students made accelerated progress in 2016. Boys’ achievement in 2016 exceeds other learners.

Teachers appropriately assess students to identify individual learning needs. New systems for tracking and reviewing progress are in place. Learners requiring additional support are well catered for through planned programmes and use of external expertise.

Improving moderation practices to ensure judgements made about student achievement are consistent and dependable in relation to the National Standards is required.

School conditions supporting equity and excellence

What school processes are effective in enabling achievement of equity and excellence?

The school is strengthening its processes and systems to better support school operations and promote equity and excellence for all students. A strong focus on building professional capability and relationships with the school community is evident. Systems for school operations and communication have been reviewed and improved.

Relationships between students and teachers are respectful. A sense of whanaungatanga is fostered and apparent in classrooms. Students provide high levels of support for each other to positively participate in and contribute to learning.

The board of trustees works collaboratively to focus on raising student achievement. New trustees are building clarity about roles and responsibilities and continuing to seek opportunities to build their knowledge. They actively seek community views to inform the school’s strategic direction, policy review and the curriculum.

Strategic goals for 2017 have a clearer focus on improving outcomes for Māori students who are supported to enhance their understanding of aspects of te ao Māori through curriculum contexts and kapa haka. Students have increased opportunities to celebrate their language, culture and identity. 

Sustainable development for equity and excellence

What further developments are needed in school processes to achieve equity and excellence?

Further strengthening and aligning school processes and practices is required to achieve equity and excellence in student outcomes.

The school recognises the need to sharpen its focus on accelerating student achievement. To further improve provision for these learners the school should further develop:

  • a shared understanding of accelerated progress
  • more specific improvement targets and monitoring of progress
  • a more responsive curriculum which effectively supports student led learning and whānau input, including the graduate profile
  • more robust and consistent assessment practices for teaching and learning, analysis and moderation of teacher judgments
  • planned and deliberate teaching actions specifically targeted to identified student need
  • learning partnerships with families.

Since the previous ERO review in 2014, appraisal has not adequately supported accountability and improvement in teacher practice.  The newly introduced appraisal process provides greater robustness and has potential to support teacher development and improved practice.

The school should develop clearer processes and systems to support internal evaluation for improvement. Building a shared understanding of effective use of evidence to evaluate the impact of teaching and actions is a next step.

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
  • 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. 

The school has recently begun the process of consulting with the school community to develop a statement on the delivery of the health curriculum. To improve current practice, the board of trustees should ensure consultation occurs at least once in every two years.

Going forward

How well placed is the school to accelerate the achievement of all children who need it?

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 improve the school conditions that support the acceleration of children’s learning and achievement.
  • need to build teacher capability to accelerate 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 an internal evaluation workshop to support the school to develop effective planning and monitoring processes to support equity and excellence for all children. 

ERO is likely to carry out the next review in three years. 

Patricia Davey
Acting Deputy Chief Review Officer Central

12 May 2017

About the school

Location

Napier

Ministry of Education profile number

2698

School type

Full Primary (Years 1-8)

School roll

30

Gender composition

Female 18, Male 12

Ethnic composition

Māori                                      19
Pākehā                                     9
Other ethnic groups            2

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

April 2017

Date of this report

12 May 2017

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review June 2014
Education Review April 2011
Education Review May 2008