Waiuku College

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report 

Background

This Profile Report was written within two years of the Education Review Office and Waiuku College 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 

Waiuku College, located in the Franklin District, provides education for students in Years 9 to 13. The school’s values, Whanaungatanga, Whakaute and Korowai Manaaki underpin the school’s vision, “Empowering learners towards their future success/Kia eke te tauira ki toona karairangatanga”.

Waiuku College’s strategic goals for improving outcomes for learners are:

• learners at the centre
• equitable opportunities for every learner
• quality teaching and learning
• learning for now and the future.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate the extent to which culturally responsive curriculum, pedagogy and pastoral practices are supporting all students to engage and achieve.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is: 

• the need to continue to pursue more equitable and excellent outcomes for Māori students 
• close alignment with the school’s strategic plan and ongoing improvement journey.

The school expects to see increased levels of engagement and equity resulting from:

• a curriculum that closely reflects the values co-constructed with Ngāti Te Ata and increasingly incorporates te ao Māori
• pastoral and mentoring practices that build connections to whānau, identify student aspirations and are consistently culturally responsive
• teaching practices that are inclusive of and differentiated for each student
• a range of student pathways that provide equity of opportunity.

Strengths 

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to pursue more culturally responsive practices:

• values, co-constructed with Ngāti Te Ata that clearly articulate the school’s valued outcomes
• cultural capacity and responsive practice in areas of the school that can provide insight into effective practice
• the deliberate gathering of voice and aspirations of whānau, hapū and iwi is informing teaching practices to better meet the needs of Māori students.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise: 

• developing a shared understanding of mana enhancing pastoral practices and implementing those practices schoolwide 
• continuing to develop a curriculum that reflects the school values and incorporates te ao Māori
• providing professional development and support for teachers to differentiate their teaching to meet the needs and interests of their students
• continuing to expand the pathways available in response to student need and interest.

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

22 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