Kaikohe East School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within six months of the Education Review Office and Kaikohe East 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 

Kaikohe East School is located in Kaikohe, Northland. Most of the Years 1 to 6 learners whakapapa to the Northland iwi, Ngāpuhi. The school offers bilingual and immersion teaching and learning through Te Korowai o te Aroha.

The school’s vision is for ākonga to graduate as “Proud, Prepared Learners”. The school’s values are expressed as the four Tanga: manaakitanga, whanaungatanga, kotahitanga, and rangatiratanga.

Kaikohe East School is a member of Te Arahura Kāhui Ako.

Kaikohe East School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• ākonga know and value Ngāpuhitanga and be proud of their identity

• teachers know and are able to use the language of learning

• leaders and teachers deliver learning experiences that are planned, organised, engaging and which support ākonga progress and achievement.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well Relationships First professional learning and development supports teaching and learning across the curriculum to achieve excellence and equity for all learners.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• teachers and leaders have been involved in professional development in Relationships First for the past few years and its philosophy underpins the school’s goals for teaching and learning

• there is a commitment to strengthening teacher expertise with initiatives such as local curriculum development, a focus on Ngāpuhitanga, Maths Problem Solving and Structured Literacy

• leaders provide a coaching programme to support teachers to reflect on and refine their practice, embed new learning and promote consistency and excellence throughout the school.

The school expects to see:

• ākonga experiencing success through a curriculum which responds to their language, identity and culture

• teachers collaboratively reflecting on and using student achievement and engagement evidence to plan and design learning programmes which reflect ākonga needs and interests

• teachers consistently implementing the Relationships First approach to teaching and learning

• leaders strengthening their monitoring of progress through professional coaching and the leading of learning to support teacher development.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate how well Relationships First professional learning and development supports teaching and learning across the curriculum to achieve excellence and equity for all learners.

• A school-wide commitment to Te Reo Māori, me ōna tikanga, mātauranga Māori and te ao Māori learning, with a particular focus on Ngāpuhitanga to celebrate culture and identity.

• Wellbeing is promoted through deeply respectful relationships at all levels which value tamariki and their whānau and give a priority to ākonga with diverse learning needs.

• Teachers and leaders are responsive to learning needs and committed to an inclusive learning environment.

• Collaborative and capable leadership which models the school vision and values and is committed to improvement and excellence.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• aligning teacher professional growth cycle goals with school professional development goals

• teachers and leaders strengthening practices to identify, plan, teach and monitor best practices and responsive learning programmes for ākonga

• continuing the development of the Kaikohe East School local curriculum which responds to learners needs and supports successful transitions between schools.

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.

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

17 August 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