Maungakaramea School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

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

Maungakaramea School caters for tamariki from Years 1 to 8 and is located southwest of Whangārei. The school vision “Growing our Future,” is underpinned by a set of learning pathways: Tino rangatiratanga - learning with determination, Manaakitanga - learning with integrity, Kaitiakitanga - learning with connection, and Kotahitanga - learning with others.

Maungakaramea School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are:

• prioritise a sense of identity, manaakitanga and a place of belonging for all tamariki, staff and stakeholders
• review and implement the responsive localised curriculum, using it to guide teaching, learning and community engagement
• implement effective wellbeing practices to support the whole learner, with a focus on social and emotional capabilities
• develop a supportive school culture that promotes leadership, ownership, and academic success for all learners.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the successful implementation of the localised curriculum and use of a graduate profile to guide the learning process helping to create sustained connections with whānau and the community.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:

• make explicit connections between the localised curriculum and the implementation of the graduate profile
• promote greater opportunities for equitable excellent and outcomes for all learners.

The school expects to see tamariki engaging with the localised curriculum and developing the knowledge and skills required to successfully progress through the graduate profile. There will be greater cohesion in staff expectations. Tamariki will gain skills and knowledge to successfully navigate educational pathways.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths in its goal to evaluate the successful implementation of the localised curriculum and use of a graduate profile to guide the learning process:

• well-established school values and strong connections between the school, whānau, community, and local businesses
• a cohesive staff with shared goals
• committed board of trustees focused on building community connections and ensuring the educational success for all tamariki.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• establishing a tracking and reward style system to support the enactment of the evaluation focus
• introducing the graduate profile to tamariki, whānau and the community
• building the graduate profile into regular goal setting opportunities.

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

11 September 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