Te Puru School

Education institution number:
1912
School type:
Full Primary
School gender:
Co-Educational
Definition:
Not Applicable
Total roll:
174
Telephone:
Address:

507 Thames Coast Road, Te Puru

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Te Puru School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within nine months of the Education Review Office and Te Puru 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 Puru School is located in a small coastal settlement north of Thames, providing education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school incorporates their unique seaside environment into their localised curriculum.

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

  • to embrace an inclusive culture that enhances well-being and resilience

  • to enrich learning experiences and outcomes for all through an authentic, localised curriculum

  • to empower learners to become kaitiaki of each other, themselves and their environment.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively equitable learner outcomes continue to increase through the delivery of an authentic, culturally inclusive localised curriculum.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

  • the school’s commitment towards achieving equity and excellence for all

  • the priority to continue developing a unique personalised learning approach through valued connections with mana whenua and the environment.

The school expects to see positive and equitable outcomes for all learners.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to continue enhancing a positive, inclusive learning culture for all ākonga:

  • collaborative leadership that is open to change and focused on implementing consistency of practice to raise achievement across all learning areas

  • caring, supportive partnerships that promote a strong sense of belonging and connection to the local iwi, community and environment

  • a culturally inclusive, localised curriculum that empowers students to be kaitiaki of their coastal environment.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

  • embedding systems and processes to sustain the consistent delivery of the school’s holistic, place-based curriculum

  • further strengthening collaborative, school-wide teaching practices to enable equitable student learning outcomes

  • strengthening evaluation capability to inform planning for continuous improvement.

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

4 April 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

Te Puru School

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements Report 2022 to 2025

As of September 2022, the Te Puru 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 Puru 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

4 April 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

Te Puru School - 29/06/2018

School Context

Te Puru School is located in the small coastal settlement of Te Puru, north of Thames. It provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. The school roll of 159 includes 31 Māori students and 31 students from a range of other diverse nationalities.

The school’s mission is to provide children with opportunities to be confident life-long learners, ready to take a positive place in society. It aims to provide a comprehensive, effective and challenging educational experience that equips students with the skills, knowledge and attributes to succeed in the 21stcentury. Students are encouraged to try their best, follow and use the school virtues, be part of the school whānau, focus on the future and be resilient in everything they do.

The school’s strategic aims focus on improving student achievement by:

  • increasing the number of Māori and other students achieving at or above expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics
  • raising the rates of progress for all students at risk of not achieving.

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

  • reading, writing and mathematics.

Since the previous ERO review in 2014, there have been no changes to the leadership team and very few changes to the teachers and support staff. The majority of trustees are new to their governance roles.

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 achieving excellent outcomes for some students. However disparity for boys and Māori remains.

The school’s data from 2015-2017 shows that most students are achieving at expected levels in reading and a large majority of students in writing and mathematics. Overall reading achievement has increased over the past three years with significant improvement for Māori students. However some disparity remains for Māori in reading, writing and mathematics. Girls are achieving at higher levels than boys in literacy and mathematics. Mathematics achievement overall has decreased over the past three years.

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

The school is responding well to many Māori and other students whose learning needs acceleration.

As a result of strategic intervention, the school can show accelerated progress for many of the at-risk students, including Māori in reading and writing. By the time students leave school in Year 8, most are achieving at or above expected levels in reading.

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?

Experienced leaders are improving outcomes for students through targeted school programmes and initiatives, particularly in reading. A deliberate approach to culturally responsive practice has improved achievement for Māori students. The school is developing a middle leadership structure and internal leadership capability. Positive relationships between leaders and staff enable a collaborative approach to school development and have raised overall levels of student achievement.

Teachers plan and use deliberate strategies to enhance learning. They make clear use of learning intentions and successfully scaffold learning for students. Ongoing teacher observations inform responsive planning and teaching. Students at risk of not achieving are clearly identified and receive targeted planning support. Positive and affirming relationships and calm, settled environments are conducive to learning. Deliberate strategies have led to improved outcomes and accelerated learning for many Māori students and at-risk learners, particularly in reading.

The school’s curriculum enriches learning and engagement for students. A variety of stimulating learning opportunities and experiences create a sense of belonging to the school. Māori students are affirmed in their culture through participation in te reo and tikanga cultural practices. The local curriculum makes effective use of the unique physical environment and authentic contexts for learning.

The school has an inclusive culture for learning. Students with additional learning needs are well included in classroom programmes and the life of the school. Trustees make informed decisions about resourcing that contribute to equitable opportunities to learn. A personalised approach to planning is supported by positive partnerships with parents, families and whānau.

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

Priority should be given to:

  • developing a strategically aligned approach to accelerating progress for all students at-risk
  • strengthening annual targets to focus on all students whose learning requires acceleration
  • monitoring and reporting on rates of progress for at-risk learners over time
  • strengthening the appraisal process to focus on reflective practice to improve outcomes for at-risk learners and align to the Education Council requirements.

Leaders and teachers should continue to:

  • build teacher capability to raise overall achievement in mathematics and address equity for Māori students and boys
  • build students’ knowledge of their own learning and next steps, especially for at-risk students
  • develop consistency of targeted action across the school, including teacher planning, assessment and ongoing monitoring.

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.

Actions for compliance

ERO identified non-compliance in relation to personnel.

In order to address this, the board of trustees must:

  1. obtain and consider information from New Zealand Police vet for core and non-core workers
    [Vulnerable Children Act 2014, regulations 5-8 of the Vulnerable Children Regulations 2015, requirements for safety checks of children’s workers].

Areas for improved compliance practice

To improve current practice, the board of trustees should:

  • develop bullying prevention and responsive policy and procedures based on Ministry of Education guidelines.

4 Going forward

Key strengths of the school

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

  • effective relationships and a positive culture that support student learning and belonging
  • a curriculum that is responsive to students’ interests and cultural identities.

Next steps

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

  • building teacher capability to raise the achievement of identified groups of at-risk learners
  • internal evaluation to inform targeted action
  • empowering students to take ownership of and lead their own learning.

ERO’s next external evaluation process and timing

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

Lynda Pura-Watson

Deputy Chief Review Officer Waikato / Bay of Plenty

Te Tai Miringa - Waikato / Bay of Plenty Region

29 June 2018

About the school

Location

Thames

Ministry of Education profile number

1912

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

159

Gender composition

Girls 53% Boys 47%

Ethnic composition

Māori 19%

Pākehā 61%

Asian 4%

Indian 3%

Pacific 2%

Other 11%

Students with Ongoing Resourcing Funding (ORS)

No

Provision of Māori medium education

No

Review team on site

May 2018

Date of this report

29 June 2018

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review February 2015
Education Review January 2012
Education Review December 2008

Te Puru School - 24/02/2015

Findings

Students benefit from teachers use of the school’s unique coastal location in teaching and learning programmes. Good progress has been made towards enacting its vision of developing highly self-managing students. Strong commitment by the principal, board, staff and whānau has led to higher rates of achievement for Māori students.

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

1 Context

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

Te Puru School is located in the small coastal settlement of Te Puru just north of Thames. It caters for students in Years 1 to 8. There are currently 198 students, 20% of whom identify as Māori. Most whakapapa to local Hauraki iwi. The school is located next to the beach and makes good use of this location to provide opportunities for students to undertake water and other coastal related activities unique to this special environment.

The school is led by an experienced principal. Staffing has been relatively stable since the last ERO review in 2012. The board of trustees contains a mixture of both experienced and new trustees who are representative of the local community.

The school’s well-embedded virtues programme and student centred vision, ‘Whakatupuria ngā ika iti i roto i ā mātou wai marino, to let all our young fish grow strong in our calm waters,’ continue to contribute to a warm and settled school tone.

The school has a positive reporting history with ERO and has responded strongly to the recommendations in the 2012 ERO report.

2 Learning

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

A significant majority of students are performing at or above National Standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Overall school achievement is above regional and national comparisons.

The school uses achievement information to set appropriate targets and to identify those at risk of not achieving. School-wide trends are identified and professional development for teachers is designed to respond to these. Students with special learning needs are identified and a range of innovative and effective interventions have been developed to support their learning within an inclusive school culture. The board receives regular reports on student achievement, which it uses to develop strategic plans and make resourcing decisions.

Teachers use achievement information to identify student learning needs and develop programmes that respond to these needs.

Parents receive two written reports per year that explain student achievement in relation to the National Standards. These are supported by parent interviews and an open-door policy whereby parents feel welcome to visit teachers to discuss their children’s progress at any time.

School leaders and ERO agree it would be beneficial to continue to strengthen the ways teachers use achievement data diagnostically, and to strengthen ways students are encouraged to use achievement information to be more responsible for their own learning.

3 Curriculum

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

Students benefit from a broad range of academic, sporting, musical, cultural and leadership opportunities. Environmental education promotes students’ awareness of the need to protect their special coastal location. There is an appropriate balance between mathematics, literacy and other school subjects.

Teaching is generally of a high quality. ERO observed a range of effective teaching practices including feedback and feed-forward, ability grouping across classes, the use of authentic local contexts for learning and co-operative group work.

The school has a strong vision to develop a curriculum that will allow students to experience greater ownership of their learning. The school has developed effective ways of enabling students to manage their own timetables, beginning with supported opportunities in the middle school and moving to greater autonomy in the senior school. Information and communication technologies are well used to support students to manage their own learning.

School leaders and ERO agree that progressing this vision would be enhanced by strengthening the inquiry learning model used by students, and clarifying systems that ensure that there is a balanced coverage of all curriculum areas.

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

While Māori students in the school continue to achieve slightly below their non-Māori peers, the school is able to demonstrate that since the last ERO report, Māori student achievement has improved at a faster rate than non-Māori, and that the school has managed to significantly close the achievement gap.

The principal, board and staff have responded strongly and are highly committed to the need to ensure that the school better supports and enhances the identity, language and culture of its Māori students. School leaders have developed a strong relationship with Māori parents and whānau through regular meetings with a whānau group. A local expert teaches te reo Māori in classrooms as well as local tribal legends and histories. Māori culture and tikanga are increasingly more visible in the school. There are attractive murals and whakairo throughout the school. Kapa haka and Māori sports such as Kī-ō-rahi are promoted. Māori knowledge is woven into school musical productions and tikanga such as pōwhiri are a normal part of school life.

School leaders and ERO agree that continuing this momentum should promote higher levels of Māori student achievement. Teachers will need to take greater responsibility for ensuring a systematic and sequential approach to the teaching of te reo Māori and local tribal and settler history, and using it in authentic, everyday contexts. Senior leaders and ERO also agree that exploring Māori preferred ways of teaching and learning described in the Ministry of Education document Tātaiako is likely to enhance learning for Māori students. School leadership is committed to empowering the Māori community to be more visible and involved in the daily life of the school.

4 Sustainable Performance

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

The school is well placed to sustain and improve its performance.

The school principal is experienced. He takes a measured approach to ongoing change and improvement, which contributes to its sustainability. Parents issues are dealt with in a balanced and transparent manner. Teachers and staff work in a collaborative and supportive way. The board is clearly focussed on students’ achievement, progress and wellbeing and are fully involved in developing the vision for the future. They have effective systems of self review, particularly in the area of curriculum review.

Parents and whānau are well consulted and engaged in the daily life of the school through trips, sports, camps and helping out in the classroom.

Senior leaders and ERO agree that an important next step is to explore more effective ways of collaborating with parents and whānau in responding to the specific learning needs of their children.

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

Students benefit from teachers use of the school’s unique coastal location in teaching and learning programmes. Good progress has been made towards enacting its vision of developing highly self-managing students. Strong commitment by the principal, board, staff and whānau has led to higher rates of achievement for Māori students.

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

Dale Bailey

Deputy Chief Review Officer Northern

24 February 2015

About the School

Location

North of Thames

Ministry of Education profile number

1912

School type

Full Primary (Years 1 to 8)

School roll

198

Gender composition

Boys 45%

Girls 55%

Ethnic composition

Pākehā

Māori

Other

67%

20%

13%

Review team on site

November 2014

Date of this report

24 February 2015

Most recent ERO report(s)

Education Review

Education Review

Education Review

January 2012

December 2008

March 2003