Pakaraka School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 16 months of the Education Review Office and Pakaraka 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 

Pakaraka School is a small rural school about 10 minutes south of Kerikeri in the Bay of Islands. It provides education for learners in years 1 – 8. All tamariki are Māori and affiliate with Ngati Hine. The school values: Mahi Tahi, Mahi Tika, Mahi Ora | working as one, doing the right thing and live and work well, are embedded in the school culture. 

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

• Raise achievement.
• Positive culture embracing Te Ao Māori and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
• Well-being and support across the school.

You can ask for a copy of the school’s strategic and annual plan from Pakaraka School’s office. 

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how effectively learning programmes, especially the literacy programme, are supporting all learners to make accelerated progress and to achieve to their potential. 

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is: 

• for all learners to make accelerated progress with their learning
• to encourage a culture of reading for enjoyment and information 
• to equip learners with the skills and knowledge to enable them to contribute to their world.

The school expects to see: 

• school wide achievement information that is regularly collated and evaluated 
• learners who are making accelerated progress and achieving well in their learning
• learners who are collecting a kete of skills and knowledge to enable them to be problem solvers
• learners who are confident and connected to their world.

Strengths 

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate how effectively learning programmes, especially the literacy programme, are supporting all learners to make accelerated progress and achieve to their potential: 

• learners who have a strong sense of belonging
• a positive school culture is fostered for all
• staff who are committed to the tamariki and school 
• positive connections with whānau and the local community.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• the board reviewing the strategic plan, goals and actions to include the aspirations of Ngati Hine for their tamariki
• providing professional learning that will support teachers to accelerate learning in literacy
• schoolwide achievement information that is regularly collected, analysed and evaluated
• teachers using appropriate assessment tools that provide reliable information to inform next steps in teaching and learning. 

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

2 May 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