Matarau School

School Report

Tēnā koutou e mau manawa rahi ki te kaupapa e aro ake nei, ko te tamaiti te pūtake o te kaupapa. Mā wai rā e kawe, mā tātau katoa.

We acknowledge the collective effort, responsibility and commitment by all to ensure that the child remains at the heart of the matter.

About the School 

Matarau School provides education for learners in Years 1 to 8. The roll is just under 300 students and is made up of primarily European and Pākehā learners, with approximately a quarter of students of Māori descent. The board’s vision for the school is that children are provided with diverse and challenging opportunities to be valued, to know and build on their strengths, to make productive learning and personal decisions and to enjoy the process of learning.

Part A – Parent Summary
 

Progress since September 2022 ERO report

ERO and the school worked together to evaluate how well the school conditions contribute to developing student ownership of their learning. Students increasingly discuss what they are learning with each other and their teachers; this is strengthening learners’ confidence and work habits. Students consistently knowing how well they are learning and their next learning steps are areas for ongoing improvement. 

Teaching increasingly responds to students’ strengths, needs and abilities. Leaders and teachers need to embed a schoolwide approach to student ownership of learning so that learners, staff and parents have a shared knowledge and understanding of student progress and achievement.   

How well placed is the school to promote educational success and wellbeing?

How well are learners succeeding?Success and progress for all learners is increasing.What is the quality of teaching and learning?Learners benefit from good quality teaching practice that improves progress and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics. How well does the school curriculum respond to all learners needs?

Learners have sufficient opportunities to learn across the breadth and depth of the curriculum.

There is an increasingly consistent focus on supporting learners to gain skills in literacy and mathematics.

Learners with complex needs are well supported to achieve their education goals.

How well does school planning and conditions support ongoing improvement?School planning and conditions to support ongoing improvement to the quality of education for learners are well established.How well does the school include all learners and promote their engagement and wellbeing?The school is taking steps to improve learners’ engagement, wellbeing and inclusion.How well does the school partner with parents, whānau and its community for the benefit of learners?

The school reports usefully and accurately to parents / whānau about their child’s learning, achievement and progress.

The school is improving its collection and use of information gathered through community consultation to inform strategic planning and curriculum decisions.

Student Health and SafetyThe school needs to ensure a physically and emotionally safe learning environment.

Achievement in Years 0 to 8

This table outlines how well students across the school meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Foundation Skills

 Reading

Most learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

Writing

A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are becoming more equitable for all groups of learners.

Mathematics

A large majority of learners meet or exceed the expected curriculum level.

Results are equitable for all groups of learners.

Attendance

The school is behind the target of 80% regular attendance.

The school is developing a suitable plan to improve attendance.

Regular attendance is not yet improving towards or beyond the target.

Chronic absence is not yet reducing over time. 

Assessment

The school uses an appropriate approach and reliable practices to find out about achievement against the curriculum.

Teachers are developing assessment information to adjust teaching practices to ensure ongoing improvement in teaching and student progress.

Progress

The school is developing good quality planning to increase the rate of progress for all groups of students.

The school has to some extent improved achievement and progress for those learners most at risk of not achieving since the previous review.

The school has to some extent extended achievement and progress for learners working at or above curriculum levels since the previous review.

The school is making some progress towards meeting Government reading, writing and mathematics and/or pānui, tuhituhi and pāngarau targets for 2030 and agrees this will need to be a key strategic priority.

An explanation of the terms used in the Parent Summary can be found here: Guide to ERO school reports 
 

Part B - Findings for the school

This section of the report provides more detail for the school to include in strategic and annual planning for ongoing improvement across the school.

Areas of Strength

• Most learners achieve at and above the expected curriculum levels in reading and the large majority achieve this in writing and maths; achievement information shows there are no significant inequities between groups of learners.
• Students are confident and express a strong sense of belonging and pride in their school.
• Leadership sets goals focused on improving learner outcomes; refining these goals in line with parent and whānau aspirations is a next step.
• Structured literacy is well embedded in the junior area of the school; consistent schoolwide implementation for structured literacy and mathematics is prioritised for 2025.
• Learners experience a range of meaningful learning opportunities and leaders and teachers are working towards strengthening the integration of curriculum initiatives and programmes that draw on te reo Māori and tikanga Māori.
• Teaching staff increasingly engage in professional learning and development opportunities that enable them to support the many different needs of learners.
• Teachers regularly and collaboratively reflect on and inquire into aspects of their practice, monitoring the impact of their actions.

Key priorities and actions for improvement 

The agreed next steps for the school are to:

• review initiatives to improve the regular attendance of all students that includes greater involvement of parents and whānau
• strengthen teaching, learning and formative assessment practices to support all students to consistently have ownership of their learning, improving and sustaining achievement
• with urgency, strengthen the review of systems and processes and make sure that school policies and procedures align to legislative requirements; priority needs to be given to policy and procedures related to complaints and child protection
• refine strategic and curriculum initiatives, embedding te reo Māori and tikanga Māori schoolwide so that staff and learners develop confidence in their knowledge and understanding of Aotearoa New Zealand.

The agreed actions for the next improvement cycle and timeframes are as follows.

Within six months:

• purposefully engage with parents and whānau to review current attendance initiatives, and develop and implement an action plan
• seek external guidance to ensure systems and processes for reviewing school polices are robust

Every six months:

• review the impact of the action plan to improve students’ regular attendance and support further action
• continue to provide professional learning opportunities that strengthen teachers’ understanding and use of highly effective teaching, learning and formative assessment practices
• review the progress made with refining the strategic and curriculum initiatives, including te reo Māori and tikanga Māori, to inform future planning and action

Annually:

• evaluate the impact of teaching practice on students’ engagement, progress and achievement and use this to inform next steps
• review and report to the board on student attendance, progress and achievement information to support ongoing strategic decision making for improvement
• ensure school policies and procedures are regularly and rigorously reviewed by the board.

Actions taken against these next steps are expected to result in:

• improved regular student attendance and high levels of achievement in reading, writing and mathematics
• learners who actively participate in the learning process and can consistently explain what they are learning, why and identify their next learning steps
• learners and teachers confident in their knowledge and use of te reo Māori and tikanga Māori
• well implemented policies and procedures that are clearly aligned to current legislative and regulatory requirements. 

Part C - Regulatory and Legislative Requirements
 

Provision for International Students 
 

Background

The Education Review Office reviews schools that are signatories to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020.

Findings

The school is a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 established under section 534 of the Education and Training Act 2020. The school has attested that it complies with all aspects of the Code. 

No international students were enrolled at the time of the ERO review.

Recommendations 

ERO’s evaluation of the school’s process for self-review and provision of pastoral care as required by the Code identified that policies and procedures that guide the expected care of international students need to be reviewed and updated. 

ERO recommends that the New Zealand Qualifications Authority as Administrator of the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021 follows up with the school about its implementation of procedures for police vetting of homestays.  

Board Assurance with Regulatory and Legislative Requirements

All schools are required to promote student health and safety and to regularly review their compliance with legal requirements.

During this review the Board has attested to some regulatory and legislative requirements in the following areas:

Board Administration

Yes

Curriculum

Yes

Management of Health, Safety and Welfare

Yes

Personnel Management

Yes

Actions for Compliance

ERO has identified the following area for improvement:

• an appropriate system and process for reviewing and updating relevant policies and procedures is not yet in place. Of urgency is ensuring:
  -  that the Child Protection Policy and Procedures have sufficient guidance for staff and parents to know, understand and use effectively
• the documented policy and procedures for dealing with complaints, and the enactment of these, adequately support complainants and the school to reach satisfactory resolution of complaints. 

ERO has identified the following area of non-compliance during the board assurance process:

• records must be kept for each physical restraint undertaken.
  [Education (Physical Restraint) Rules 2023]

The board has not yet addressed the area of non-compliance identified.

Me mahi tahi tonu tātau, kia whai oranga a tātau tamariki
Let’s continue to work together for the greater good of all children

Sharon Kelly 
Acting Director of Schools

25 February 2025

Education Counts

This website provides further information about the school’s student population, student engagement and student achievement. educationcounts.govt.nz/home