Kawakawa Primary School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 18 months of the Education Review Office and Kawakawa Primary 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 

Kawakawa Primary School is in the Peowhairangi area of Te Tai Tokerau. The school provides education for students in Years 1-8. Most of the children are Māori who whakapapa to Ngāti Hine o Hine a Maru. 

Te whakakitenga, Kawakawa Primary School’s vision, expresses “Ko te awa o Taumarere he awa Rangatira e tuwhera ana ki te ao” (Taumarere river is a river of chiefs the portal to explore the world).

Te whakmahi, Kawakawa Primary School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• Kia whiria nga taura here, kia kikī, kia kakā - Strengthen community partnerships
• Kia Māori tōku ao - Provide a localised curriculum (Kia Ū Ki Te Pai).

You can access a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan from the school office.

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively the school is creating a learning community that supports ākonga to learn.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is: 

• high quality learning programmes support children to progress through the school 
• strengthening learning partnerships between kaiako, ākonga and whānau
• enabling whānau to have a voice in their child’s learning pathway.

The school expects to see: 

• authentic learning that is relevant to ākonga
• ākonga who are proud of who they are and who know their stories
• teaching and learning that accelerates student achievement
• learning that engages our community to share their knowledge and experiences.

Strengths 

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate how effectively the school is creating a learning community that supports ākonga to learn:

• school culture that promotes a sense of belonging
• staff who are committed to teaching and learning collaboratively, within the school and wider networks
• bilingual classes, kapa haka, and tikanga practices enable ākonga to demonstrate their strengths.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise: 

• school board and leaders consulting with iwi, hapū, whānau and local community 
• embedding learning conversations between impact coaches and kaiako 
• leaders leading the learning to refocus schoolwide programmes 
• teaching practice that meets the needs of ākonga and improve outcomes for 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. 

Shelley Booysen
Director of Schools

20 November 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