Maungatapere School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 11 months of the Education Review Office and Maungatapere 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 

Maungatapere School, located near Whangarei, provides education for students from years 1 to 8. The school offers learning opportunities for students in an inclusive setting.  Strong links between the community, school, the Kāhui Ako and the school's rural environment are valued.

Maungatapere School’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are to:

• use the school inquiry model to develop student centred learning
• learn through authentic and culturally inclusive experiences
• demonstrate positive and resilient values, wellbeing, and problem-solving skills through cooperative learning.
• strengthen students’ writing and te reo Māori skills.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how student leadership develops students’ confidence in their own culture and capability to set goals in their learning. This will include how students make connections through the school values in culturally inclusive ways and gain greater knowledge and responsibility.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is the opportunity it provides to:

• support students to gain greater knowledge and responsibility to become self-determined learners through authentic inquiry
• develop equity and excellence through staff and student collaboration and reflection
• promote and develop leadership capabilities
• share student learning with whanau and community.

The school expects to see:

• students who know and can discuss their learning with family and whānau
• personal and professional growth of staff and students in the use of inquiry
• students empowered to show leadership across the school in a variety of ways and settings
• resilient, self-motivated students using school values and cooperative learning techniques.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to evaluate how student leadership develops students’ confidence in their own culture and capability to set goals in their learning. This will include how students make connections through the school values in culturally inclusive ways and gain greater knowledge and responsibility:

• a cooperative approach to teaching and learning that promotes a strong school and class culture
• students are provided with opportunities to learn through the breadth and depth of the curriculum
• strong local community and Kāhui Ako support
• the school’s ability to grow leadership in students and staff.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• valuing who we are, individual and school values, and cooperative team building
• supporting students to develop resilience to overcome challenges and be challenged by new experiences
• growing student leadership particularly across the senior school
• building authentic inquiry and levels of problem-solving ability across the curriculum
• sharing of learning and engagement with school and the wider community.

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.

Filivaifale Jason Swann
Director Review and Improvement Services (Northern)
Northern Region | Te Tai Raki

8 December 2022

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