Morningside School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report 

Background 

This Profile Report was written within 6 months of the Education Review Office and ​Morningside 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  

Morningside School is located in Whangārei and provides education for children in years 1 to 6.  Since the last ERO review a new principal and senior leadership team have joined the school.  At Morningside School the core values of Respect – Whakaute, Excellence – Hiranga, Curiosity – Māhirahira, and Community – Whanaungatanga underpin all aspects of authentic everyday learning.  

​​Morningside School​’s strategic priorities for improving outcomes for learners are: 

• to empower independent learners and for them to understand the need for continuous personal development and academic improvement  
• focus on approaches that promote an inclusive, positive culturally responsive climate that is conducive to learning and engagement for all 
• review teaching and learning programmes and implement changes, new initiatives and review findings 
• a future focused approach ensures continuous growth within our learning communities. 

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well schoolwide teaching pedagogies and assessment practices in mathematics improve achievement to ensure equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners. 

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:  

• achievement data identifies there is scope to enhance learner success in mathematics  
• ensure teaching practices reflect current best practice, are aligned to professional development and are evident in the school’s refreshed mathematics curriculum 
• recent initiatives in literacy have shown progress and a positive impact for priority learners, and this learning can now be applied more widely across the curriculum.  

The school expects to see a strengthened school mathematics curriculum that aligns with Te Mātaiaho (the refreshed NZ curriculum), ensures consistent schoolwide teaching pedagogies and assessment practices, and engages and extends all learners to achieve equitable and excellent outcomes.   

Strengths  

The school can draw from the following strengths to support the school in its goal to see schoolwide teaching pedagogies and assessment practices in mathematics improve achievement to ensure equitable and excellent outcomes for all learners:   

• a strong relational approach to nurturing learners in an inclusive learning environment 
• effective leadership across all levels of the school and teachers who are committed to improving outcomes for all learners 
• a community that prioritises mathematics achievement and recognises the potential of its learners. 

Where to next? 

Moving forward, the school will prioritise: 

• embedding consistent mathematics practices across the school 
• consolidating assessment and moderation practices to ensure there is consistency and accuracy 
• continuing to build collective teacher capacity, inquiry and knowledge-building, resulting in equitable and excellent 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​ 

​​9 April 2024​    

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