Poroti School

Te Ara Huarau | School Profile Report

Background

This Profile Report was written within 12 months of the Education Review Office and Poroti 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 

Poroti School is a rural school west of Whangārei that provides education for students in Years 1 to 8. It’s school values of being Proud, Open minded, Respectful, Outstanding, Trustworthy and Independent are well embedded in school life.

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

• design an authentic, living, localised curriculum that connects and engages our students and community

• create a safe, interactive environment for learning that connects to our curriculum

• nurture a school culture that values people.

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

ERO and the school are working together to evaluate how well assessment for learning (Afol) principles and pedagogies are developed by kaiako to provide equitable and excellent outcomes for all ākonga.

The rationale for selecting this evaluation is:

• Māori and marginalised learners respond best to this teaching and learning approach

• student achievement data shows that ākonga at this school would improve exponentially from an AfoL, recognised effective pedagogical approach.

The school expects to see:

• ākonga developing a shared language of learning, see their progress, and report this clearly to their whānau at parent conferences

• the school developing coaching systems and conversations to support kaiako in their culturally responsive practices.

Strengths

The school can draw from the following strengths to support its goal to evaluate how well ‘Assessment for Learning’ principles and pedagogies are developed by Kaiako:

• Kaiako relationships with ākonga are strongly based on knowing each individual’s culture, language and identity.
• Whānau partnerships with the school are relationship based.
• The school culture of whānau, wellbeing and inclusion are aligned to the school values.

Where to next?

Moving forward, the school will prioritise:

• strengthening teachers’ pedagogical practices through refreshing assessment, teaching and learning approaches

• lifting student agency through involving students more in the co-construction of their learning with sound pedagogical practices

• empowering parents to know and understand their child’s learning, and co-construct goals with their child.

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

8 August 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