Parua Bay School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 8 months of the Education Review Office and Parua Bay 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

Parua Bay School is located in Whangārei, Northland. It provides education for students in Years 0 to 8. 
The school’s vision, 'Navigating Learning Together', speaks to the collaborative and reciprocal nature of learning at Parua Bay School.

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

• Enable progress, achievement and equitable outcomes for all ākonga (learners).
• Strengthen connections with whānau and families.
• Develop an inspiring school environment.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well ākonga experience a culturally responsive, localised curriculum and how well assessment practices enable accelerated progress, achievement, and equitable learning outcomes for all.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is to:

• ensure that school assessment practices, and teaching and learning improves achievement outcomes 
• continue to strengthen educational relationships with all whānau and families
• enhance cultural identity, mana and outcomes for all ākonga through culturally responsive pedagogy within a localised curriculum.

The school expects to see all ākonga experience a culturally responsive, localised curriculum and assessment practices that continually improves and responds to their culture, language and identity.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate how well ākonga experience a localised curriculum and assessment practices that enable accelerated progress and, achievement and equitable outcomes for all.

• Ākonga wellbeing is consistently promoted and sustained in a caring, safe and inclusive environment where they are encouraged to take risks in their learning underpinned by the school values. 
• Schoolwide learning culture that is well established and consistently characterised by respect, inclusion, empathy, and collaboration.
• Leadership collaboratively strengthens the culture of relational trust to ensure ongoing organisational capacity building for continuous improvement.
• Systematic processes and a range of professional learning opportunities build staff professional capability and collective capacity.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise continuing to:

• adapt, document and evaluate the ongoing culturally responsive, localised school curriculum 
• build staff capability in pedagogical practices within a culturally responsive curriculum supported by appropriate assessment processes.

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

27 March 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 

The school is a member of the Te Manawa o Whangārei Kāhui Ako.